proxmox

name	proxmox
description	Proxmox VE virtualization platform reference for VM/LXC management, clustering, storage, and networking. Includes Terraform and Ansible integration patterns. Use when working with Proxmox configurations, CLI commands, troubleshooting VMs/containers, or planning resource allocation. Triggers: proxmox, qemu, kvm, lxc, pve, vm, container, cluster, vzdump, qm, pct.
agent	proxmox-expert

Proxmox Skill

Proxmox VE virtualization platform reference for VM management, containers, clustering, and homelab infrastructure.

Quick Reference

# VM management (qm)
qm list                           # List all VMs
qm status <vmid>                  # Check VM status
qm start <vmid>                   # Start VM
qm stop <vmid>                    # Stop VM (graceful)
qm shutdown <vmid>                # Shutdown VM (ACPI)
qm unlock <vmid>                  # Remove lock
qm config <vmid>                  # Show VM config

# Container management (pct)
pct list                          # List all containers
pct status <ctid>                 # Check container status
pct start <ctid>                  # Start container
pct stop <ctid>                   # Stop container
pct enter <ctid>                  # Enter container shell

# Cluster management (pvecm)
pvecm status                      # Cluster status and quorum
pvecm nodes                       # List cluster nodes

# API shell (pvesh)
pvesh get /nodes                  # List nodes via API
pvesh get /nodes/<node>/status    # Node resource status

# Backup (vzdump)
vzdump <vmid> --mode snapshot --storage <storage>
vzdump --all --compress zstd

Reference Files

Load on-demand based on task:

Topic	File	When to Load
VM vs LXC	vm-lxc.md	Choosing virtualization type
Docker Hosting	docker-hosting.md	Running Docker on Proxmox
Networking	networking.md	Bridges, VLANs, SDN, firewall
Storage	storage.md	Storage backends, content types
Cloud-init	cloud-init-templates.md	VM provisioning with cloud-init
Clustering	clustering.md	HA, quorum, fencing
Backup	backup.md	vzdump modes, restore
CLI Tools	cli-tools.md	qm, pct, pvecm, pvesh commands
Troubleshooting	troubleshooting.md	Common errors, diagnostics
Automation Tools	automation-tools.md	Terraform/Ansible integration

Validation Checklist

Before deploying VMs/containers:

• Cluster status healthy (pvecm status)
• Node resources available (CPU, RAM, disk)
• Storage accessible and mounted
• Network bridges configured correctly
• VLAN tags match network design
• Resource allocation within node limits
• HA configuration correct (if enabled)
• Backup schedule in place
• Naming convention followed

VM vs LXC Quick Decision

Factor	Use VM	Use LXC
OS	Windows, BSD, any	Linux only
Isolation	Full kernel isolation	Shared kernel
Performance	Good	Better (lighter)
Startup	Slower	Fast
Density	Lower	Higher
Complexity	Any workload	Simple services

Homelab Network VLANs

VLAN	Purpose	Proxmox Bridge
5	Management (Web UI, API, SSH)	vmbr5
1	Trusted network	vmbr0
11	Storage (NFS/Ceph, MTU 9000)	vmbr11
12	High-speed transfers	vmbr12