Did I do this wrong? Single disk installation with partition

[Hockeyfreak]

Noob to Proxmox and Linux. I've struggled through but am stuck at the disk configuration. I am installing on a Proctectli V1410 with a 1TB single disk. I've read and watched many tuts, but they don't seem to have the same config or answer my question. I have several side questions I'll ask to, maybe someone will have pity on me and take their valuable time to guide me.

1. I partitioned my drive in the setup to give me 64 Gig maxroot, and 860 Gig maxvz. Should I have just allocated the whole thing to maxroot by leaving it blank, and can I change it in Proxmox after install. I can only work on it remotely by remotePC through my desktop right now because I'm traveling. This video seems to explain what I need to do to start installing VMs on it. https://youtu.be/qq4_7QAyq9Y?si=YO29_bv1hdjEAhXV. Is this the correct instructions to set up disks?
2. A friend is guiding me through getting this set up, but doesn't answer texts very often, and is just answering off his experience of setting it up, not from deep IT understanding. My goal is to have this MiniPC running all my ARRs, Unifi controller, Nextcloud, various other utils. This leaves my WindowsPC to only run Plex, Blue Iris, and DrivePool (all windows only). Have a 10 bay Istar case with 130TB of drives. I've built this system over the last 7 years, upgraded the MB CPU and mem, so this is what I've got, I can't/won't be switching to a NAS or anything soon unless I hit the lottery. Any suggestions of the setup for these apps? All seperate containers or in a stack (which I don't understand fully yet). Please point me to a good tut video if you know one. I saw this tut I'll use when I get to that point. Is it the proper way? https://youtu.be/-PQtE6Nb0Cw?si=pn9Hlu4cWXyEgkza
3. He says I need to install Ubuntu VM, then Docker for containers, then Portainer for managing. Are these all seperate containers within Proxmox? I'm not making the connection as to why these are all needed and not just Proxmox. Is this the proper way or this there a newer all in one way since when he set his up? We tend to get things installed and let it run for 5 years until it breaks then dive in deep over days to get it up and running again. Neither of us work in IT with this stuff every day.
4. Is there a way to back up Proxmox and reinstall it remotely without booting to the USB and installing it from the ISO? Just in case I F-it up and need to at least get back to my current fresh setup?

I'm sure I have more questions but this is where I'm at right now, and I appreciate any time you can take helping me out. Thanks.

 

[pulipulichen]

1. I partitioned my drive in the setup to give me 64 Gig maxroot, and 860 Gig maxvz. Should I have just allocated the whole thing to maxroot by leaving it blank, and can I change it in Proxmox after install. I can only work on it remotely by remotePC through my desktop right now because I'm traveling. This video seems to explain what I need to do to start installing VMs on it. https://youtu.be/qq4_7QAyq9Y?si=YO29_bv1hdjEAhXV. Is this the correct instructions to set up disks?

Your partition layout actually looks reasonable.

In Proxmox, the installer parameters maxroot and maxvz are meant to separate two different purposes:

• maxroot – space for the Proxmox system itself (OS, /var/log, packages, temporary files, etc.)
• maxvz – space for VM/CT storage (virtual disks, containers, snapshots)

The general idea is that the system partition does not need to be very large, while the storage for VMs and containers should take most of the disk. So allocating something like 64 GB for root and the rest for VM/CT storage is usually a sensible approach.

The main problems typically occur in the opposite situations:

• If root is too small, system logs, package updates, or /var/lib data may eventually fill it.
• If VM/CT storage is too small, you quickly run out of space for virtual disks or snapshots.

For most home-lab or small deployments, 64 GB for the root filesystem is generally sufficient, as long as you don’t store large ISO images, backups, or container images there.

Regarding changing it later: it is possible, but it’s not usually a one-click operation. It depends on the storage backend you selected during installation (LVM-thin, ZFS, etc.). Adjusting it often requires resizing LVM volumes or modifying ZFS datasets, and sometimes moving data between storages.

Because of that, the usual recommendation is to plan the layout in advance and make sure you understand the default Proxmox storages (e.g., local, local-lvm, or rpool/data) and what they are used for.

 

[pulipulichen]

Noob to Proxmox and Linux. I've struggled through but am stuck at the disk configuration. I am installing on a Proctectli V1410 with a 1TB single disk. I've read and watched many tuts, but they don't seem to have the same config or answer my question. I have several side questions I'll ask to, maybe someone will have pity on me and take their valuable time to guide me.

1. I partitioned my drive in the setup to give me 64 Gig maxroot, and 860 Gig maxvz. Should I have just allocated the whole thing to maxroot by leaving it blank, and can I change it in Proxmox after install. I can only work on it remotely by remotePC through my desktop right now because I'm traveling. This video seems to explain what I need to do to start installing VMs on it. https://youtu.be/qq4_7QAyq9Y?si=YO29_bv1hdjEAhXV. Is this the correct instructions to set up disks?
2. A friend is guiding me through getting this set up, but doesn't answer texts very often, and is just answering off his experience of setting it up, not from deep IT understanding. My goal is to have this MiniPC running all my ARRs, Unifi controller, Nextcloud, various other utils. This leaves my WindowsPC to only run Plex, Blue Iris, and DrivePool (all windows only). Have a 10 bay Istar case with 130TB of drives. I've built this system over the last 7 years, upgraded the MB CPU and mem, so this is what I've got, I can't/won't be switching to a NAS or anything soon unless I hit the lottery. Any suggestions of the setup for these apps? All seperate containers or in a stack (which I don't understand fully yet). Please point me to a good tut video if you know one. I saw this tut I'll use when I get to that point. Is it the proper way? https://youtu.be/-PQtE6Nb0Cw?si=pn9Hlu4cWXyEgkza
3. He says I need to install Ubuntu VM, then Docker for containers, then Portainer for managing. Are these all seperate containers within Proxmox? I'm not making the connection as to why these are all needed and not just Proxmox. Is this the proper way or this there a newer all in one way since when he set his up? We tend to get things installed and let it run for 5 years until it breaks then dive in deep over days to get it up and running again. Neither of us work in IT with this stuff every day.
4. Is there a way to back up Proxmox and reinstall it remotely without booting to the USB and installing it from the ISO? Just in case I F-it up and need to at least get back to my current fresh setup?

I'm sure I have more questions but this is where I'm at right now, and I appreciate any time you can take helping me out. Thanks.

I think the confusion mainly comes from mixing several different layers of virtualization and containers.

Proxmox itself is a hypervisor and management platform, not a Docker platform. Docker (and Portainer) is a separate container ecosystem that usually runs inside a VM or a Linux environment.

There are two common approaches for running services like ARR, UniFi Controller, or Nextcloud on Proxmox:

Option 1: VM → Docker stack (very common)
Create a Linux VM (for example Ubuntu), then run Docker / Docker Compose / Portainer inside that VM and deploy all services there.

Pros:

• Huge ecosystem and documentation
• Most Docker tutorials assume this setup
• Easier compatibility with complex containers

Cons:

• One extra virtualization layer
• Troubleshooting may involve three layers (Proxmox → VM → Docker)

Option 2: Use Proxmox LXC containers directly (my preferred approach in my homelab)
Run services inside LXC containers (CTs) managed by Proxmox.

Pros:

• Much lighter than full VMs
• Better performance and lower resource overhead
• Proxmox manages containers directly

Cons:

• Some applications expect full VM environments
• Running Docker inside LXC can require additional configuration (privileged containers, mounts, etc.)

So there isn’t a single “correct” way. Many people start with the VM + Docker approach because it is simpler and well documented, while others prefer LXC containers for better efficiency once they are comfortable with Proxmox.

The key point is that Proxmox manages VMs and LXC containers, while Docker is another container runtime that typically runs inside a VM or Linux environment.

 

[pulipulichen]

Is there a way to back up Proxmox and reinstall it remotely without booting to the USB and installing it from the ISO? Just in case I F-it up and need to at least get back to my current fresh setup?

Regarding reinstalling Proxmox remotely, there are two different things to consider.

Backing up VMs or containers remotely is absolutely possible.
You can use vzdump or set up a Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) to back up your VMs and CTs to another machine or storage location.

However, reinstalling the Proxmox host itself remotely is usually not possible unless you have some form of out-of-band management.

Typically you would need something like:

• IPMI / iKVM
• A remote console with virtual media (to mount an ISO remotely)

These features are common on enterprise servers, but most mini PCs or appliances (such as Protectli boxes) do not provide them.

So if you only have normal SSH access, you can back up your guests, but you generally cannot safely reinstall the Proxmox host remotely because you would lose access once the installer starts.