Proxmox Post-Install Guide: Essential Configuration Steps

Learn how to configure Proxmox after installation. Set a static IP, disable unused features, run the post-install script, and optimize your server for homelab or production use.

2 min read
Proxmox Post-Install Configuration Tutorial

Introduction

Proxmox installation and configuration could seem easy, while there might be some services you don’t actually need to have enabled and this actually might save you some resources.

💡 Quick answers: Jump to frequently asked questions about Proxmox.

Proxmox Installation Tips for Better Configuration

Installing Proxmox is fairly easy and straightforward, there’s only a few things I’d point out for better usage experience.

Set Admin Email in Proxmox for Alerts

Proxmox Install Page Showing Password and Admin E-mail Configuration

I’d strongly suggest you to put your real E-mail in here while installing Proxmox, because later on, you can configure E-mail notifications for your homelab services and this will come handy, instead of having to replace it when you need it.

Configure a Static IP in Proxmox

Proxmox static IP network configuration during install

One another recommendation would be to assign your Proxmox instance a static IP. Most routers easily allow you to assign a static IP to a certain MAC address so that it won’t be assigned to anyone via DHCP in case your Proxmox instance releases the IP.

Run the Proxmox Post-Install Script

Grab yourself a Post-Install Script and execute it in your node’s shell.

Going Through The Post-Install Script

Most of the stuff you’re going to go through is obvious, things like updating packages or disabling subscription nag when you log-in to your Proxmox instance. But there are also some caveats I’d like to go through.

Disable Proxmox Enterprise Repository for Community Edition

Disable Proxmox enterprise repository in post-install script

Most likely, you’re gonna be running Proxmox community-edition, so you don’t need the Enterprise repository to be enabled.

Disable High Availability on Single-Node Proxmox

Proxmox post-install script showing high availability disable option

Just as the script tells you, if you’re gonna be using only a single node of Proxmox, e.g single server, you don’t need High Availability to be enabled and disabling it will save your system’s resources.

The End

Other steps related to the script are pretty much obvious choice, so we’re done here.

💡 Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I set a static IP for my Proxmox server?
Assigning a static IP ensures your Proxmox server always has the same network address, making it easier to access and preventing conflicts if your router’s DHCP assigns the IP to another device.
Do I need to keep the Proxmox Enterprise repository enabled?
If you are using the community edition of Proxmox, you can safely disable the Enterprise repository. This avoids subscription-related prompts and ensures your system updates from the correct community sources.
Should I enable High Availability (HA) on a single-node Proxmox setup?
No. HA is designed for multi-node clusters to ensure uptime if a node fails. Enabling it on a single-node setup wastes system resources without providing any real benefit.

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