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Proxmox VE Cluster Setup – Vesta Lab

This document describes how the Proxmox VE cluster is deployed in the Vesta Lab.

Cluster Nodes

Node Hostname IP Role
ve1 proxmox-ve1 10.10.0.2 Primary node
ve2 proxmox-ve2 10.10.0.3 Secondary

Network

  • VLAN 10 – Management: 10.10.0.0/24
  • Bridge: vmbr0, with VLAN tag awareness
  • Gateway: 10.10.0.1 (MikroTik)

Cluster Creation (on ve1)

pvecm create vesta-lab

Join Node (on ve2)

pvecm add 10.10.0.2

SSH key exchange and cluster handshake will complete automatically.

Result

Cluster with 2 nodes is functional and accessible via shared web UI at either IP.

Proxmox VE – Storage Configuration

This document outlines the storage setup for each node in the Proxmox VE cluster.

Node ve1

  • Local ZFS pool: rpool-ve1
  • Device: 500 GB SSD
  • Use: VM images, ISO uploads

Node ve2

  • LVM-thin default
  • No local ZFS (lower spec)

Shared Storage

Name Type Backed by Use Case
lab-backups NFS TrueNAS (10.30.0.3) Backup target for PBS

Add NFS Storage (UI or CLI)

pvesh create /storage   -storage lab-backups   -type nfs   -server 10.30.0.3   -export /mnt/lab-pool/lab-backups

Result

  • Local storage for high-speed I/O
  • Shared backup space for all nodes

High Availability (HA) Notes – Proxmox VE

HA is not yet fully enabled in the lab, but design considerations are in place.

️ Planned Design

  • At least 3 nodes recommended
  • External quorum device (QDevice) required
  • Shared storage (PBS via TrueNAS) partially supports migration

Current Limitations

  • 2-node cluster = no HA fencing
  • No QDevice yet
  • ZFS local-only = manual migration

Live Migration

Available between ve1 and ve2 when using shared storage or manually handled disks.

Next Steps

  • Add QDevice or third test node
  • Enable HA groups via UI
  • Test failover behavior in real scenarios