1) Install Proxmox VE
- Write the ISO to USB (Rufus DD mode recommended).
- Filesystem: ZFS Mirror if you have two drives; ext4 for single disk.
- Hostname: use FQDN (e.g., `pve1.lan.local`).
- Static IP during install; avoid DHCP for the host.
2) First Login and Updates
- Login at `https://HOST:8006` with `root@pam`.
- Run `apt update && apt full-upgrade -y` from the shell.
- Remove the enterprise repo if you lack a subscription; enable the no-subscription repo.
3) Storage Layout
- Keep `local` for ISO images, snippets, and small templates.
- Create a separate ZFS dataset or LVM-Thin for VM disks (e.g., `zfs-vmdata`).
- Mount NAS storage (NFS/SMB) for backups and bulk media.
4) Networking Defaults
- Create a Linux bridge (vmbr0) bound to your NIC; set the host static IP here.
- For VLANs, enable VLAN-aware on the bridge and tag VMs as needed.
- Disable Spanning Tree on lab switches if you see slow link up; enable if you need loopsafety.
5) Templates for Fast VM Creation
- Upload cloud images (Ubuntu/Debian) to `local`.
- Create a VM from the cloud image, add the QEMU guest agent, resize disk, and convert to template.
- Create a cloud-init user with SSH key and your preferred defaults (timezone, DNS, packages).
6) Backups and Maintenance
- Add a backup datastore (NFS/SMB/USB) and schedule nightly VM backups.
- Enable email notifications for failures (use an SMTP relay if needed).
- Set up Proxmox metrics to a remote target (Influx/Prometheus) for visibility.
7) Safety Checks
- Test a backup restore to a scratch VM to confirm backups are usable.
- Create a non-root user with `PVEAdmin` role for daily ops.
- Document IPs, storage names, and backup targets in your homelab notes.
With networking, storage, and templates in place, you can deploy VMs in minutes and iterate on your lab safely.