How do I create a Proxmox cluster?

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Proxmox is an easy-to-install virtualization platform that offers a variety of features to help you build your ideal home lab. If you have multiple machines running Proxmox in your computing environment, you can use the cluster feature to access all the nodes from a single interface. It is also quite easy to set up, but there are a few issues you should be aware of before you go through this process.



What you need

A range of home laboratory equipment

While Promox allows you to configure a cluster with two nodes, you should use an odd number of devices for a cluster. We used two Proxmox machines for this guide, but you should stick with a 3-node setup if you want a highly available cluster. Without getting into the Qdisk shenanigans, a cluster with only two nodes will become inaccessible once one of the devices goes offline. But that's a tutorial for another time.


Another issue to highlight is that the secondary nodes, or rather the nodes you add after creating the cluster on the primary node, should not have any guest VMs or containers. Even if the names and IDs of the virtual guests are different, Proxmox will throw an error if you try to add a node without deleting it. This may not seem like a big deal on a newly created node, but if you have been using the Proxmox machine for a while, you will need to take some extra steps to backup and restore the virtual machines/containers on the non-primary Proxmox machines.


(Optional) Back up and delete virtual guests

If you are OK with deleting the virtual guests on your Proxmox nodes, you can proceed to the next section. However, if you don't want to lose valuable data while creating the cluster, you can follow these steps to create backups of your VMs and containers.

  1. Inside the Proxmox web user interface Your secondary nodeselect the virtual machine or container you want to secure.
    Selecting a virtual machine in the Proxmox web interface

  2. Navigate to Backup and select the Secure now Option.
    Click the Backup option in the Proxmox web interface

  3. Click on Backup and wait until the Task display Utility to display the TASK OK News.
    Backing up a VM within the Proxmox web UI

  4. With the contents of the virtual machine as .zst File, click on the More Dropdown menu and click Remove.
    Deleting a VM via the Proxmox web UI

  5. Enter the VM ID in the pop-up window to confirm and press the Remove Button.
    The confirmation window that appears when you try to delete a VM within the Proxmox web UI

  6. Repeat this process for all containers and virtual machines.


Creating the cluster

After you have powered on all Proxmox systems, it is time to log in to the web interface of the machine you want to use as the head node for the cluster.

  1. Select the Data center Tab on your primary Proxmox node.
    The Datacenter tab of a node within the Proxmox user interface

  2. Go to Cluster Submenu and click on the Create cluster Button.
    The Cluster tab of a node in the Proxmox user interface

  3. Enter a name to your Proxmox cluster and press Create.
    Naming a cluster within the Proxmox UI

  4. Click on Information on joining and copy the contents of the information field to your clipboard.
    The Join Information button in the Proxmox user interface

  5. With the cluster running, open a new tab in your web browser and log in to the Proxmox user interface Your Secondary node.
  6. Navigate to Data center On the tab, select Cluster and select Join Cluster.
    The Join Cluster button in the Proxmox UI

  7. Add the coded key You have previously entered the information Field.
    Inserting the join information from Proxmox into the secondary node

  8. Enter the password of the primary Proxmox node in the password Field.
  9. Select the IP address of the secondary node within the Link0 Option of Cluster network Field before typing Join Cluster.
    Join a Proxmox cluster


(Optional) Restore deleted virtual guests

If you backed up the virtual guests before adding the node to the cluster, you can restore them using the following steps:

  1. Select the local (node ​​name) Directory of your secondary node.
    Selecting the local directory of a Proxmox node

  2. Click on Backup and met Restore after selecting the Dump file You have previously created a new file.
    Restoring a VM within the Proxmox web UI

  3. Repeat this process for each container and virtual machine you want to use in your cluster.


Convert your Proxmox nodes to a cluster

Assuming you've followed all the steps correctly, the secondary nodes will no longer be reachable by their IP addresses. Instead, the nodes (and any restored virtual guests) will appear in the primary cluster machine's Proxmox UI. But if setting up a cluster isn't your thing, there are plenty of cool projects you can do with Proxmox, including a stress-free Hackintosh machine, a full-fledged gaming server, and a makeshift NAS.

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