Guide to Setting Up ARM64 AARCH64 Virtual Machines on Proxmox for Raspberry Pi 5 Development

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Anexgohan

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Sep 25, 2022
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Complete Guide: Setting Up ARM64 Virtual Machines on Proxmox for Raspberry Pi 5 Development
Overview
This guide documents how to create ARM64 virtual machines on Proxmox for Raspberry Pi development and testing. Based on real-world experience setting up VM ID 277 with Debian ARM64 and Raspberry Pi OS.
Prerequisites
  • Proxmox VE 8.x or later
  • ARM64 ISO (Debian ARM64, Raspberry Pi OS ARM64, etc.)
  • Minimum 2GB RAM, 8GB storage
Step 1: Check Available ARM64 CPUs
Code: 
qemu-system-aarch64 -cpu help | grep -i cortex
Common available CPUs:
  • cortex-a53 - ARMv8, 4-core
  • cortex-a57 - ARMv8, 4-core (baseline)
  • cortex-a72 - ARMv8, +20% performance
  • cortex-a76 - ARMv8.2, +40% performance (RPi5-like)
Step 2: Create ARM64 VM
Method A: Command Line
Code: 
qm create <VM-ID> --name vm-rpios-aarch64 --arch aarch64 --machine virt --cpu cortex-a76 --sockets 1 --cores 4 --memory 2048
qm set <VM-ID> --bios ovmf
qm set <VM-ID> --scsi0 local-lvm:8,format=raw
qm set <VM-ID> --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0
Method B: Web Interface
  • Create VM → OS Type: Linux → Version: 6.x - 2.6 Kernel
  • Advanced → Architecture: aarch64
  • BIOS: OVMF (UEFI)
Step 3: Fix CPU Type Issues
Common Error:
Code: 
vm <VM-ID> - unable to parse value of 'cpu' - Built-in cputype 'cortex-a76' is not defined
Solutions:
  • Use custom prefix:
    Code: 
    qm set <VM-ID> --cpu custom-cortex-a76
  • Use args override:
    Code: 
    qm set <VM-ID> --args "-cpu cortex-a76"
  • Remove old setting:
    Code: 
    qm set <VM-ID> --delete cpu
Step 4: Complete Configuration
Working <VM-ID>.conf:
Code: 
agent: 1
arch: aarch64
args: -cpu cortex-a76
balloon: 2048
bios: ovmf
boot: order=scsi0
cores: 4
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-<VM-ID>-disk-2,efitype=4m,size=64M
memory: 2048
name: vm-rpios-aarch64
net0: virtio=XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX,bridge=vmbr0
ostype: l26
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-<VM-ID>-disk-0,size=8G
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
sockets: 1
Step 5: Install ARM64 OS - Two Methods
Method 1: Install Debian ARM64 then Convert to Raspberry Pi OS
  • Download Debian ARM64 ISO:
    Code: 
    wget https://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/current/arm64/iso-dvd/debian-12.9.0-arm64-DVD-1.iso
  • Attach and install Debian ARM64:
    Code: 
    qm set <VM-ID> --scsi1 /path/to/debian-12.9.0-arm64-DVD-1.iso,media=cdrom
  • After Debian installation, convert to Raspberry Pi OS:
    Code: 
    # Install Raspberry Pi kernel and packages
curl -fsSL https://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/raspberrypi.gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/raspberrypi-archive-keyring.gpg
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/raspberrypi-archive-keyring.gpg] http://archive.raspberrypi.org/debian/ bookworm main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/raspi.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install raspberrypi-kernel raspberrypi-bootloader raspi-config
  • Follow official conversion guides:
    https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/linux_kernel.html#kernel
    https://github.com/jiangcuo/pxvirt/wiki/Install-or-upgrade-from-repo
Method 2: Direct Raspberry Pi OS Installation (Recommended)
Step 6: Start VM
Code: 
qm start <VM-ID>
Step 7: Post-Installation Setup
Update Operating System
After first boot, update the system packages:
Code: 
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y
Install QEMU Guest Agent
Install for better Proxmox integration:
Code: 
sudo apt install qemu-guest-agent -y
sudo systemctl enable qemu-guest-agent
sudo systemctl start qemu-guest-agent
Verify Installation
Check if guest agent is running:
Code: 
sudo systemctl status qemu-guest-agent
Troubleshooting
CPU Type Issues
Code: 
qemu-system-aarch64 -cpu help | grep cortex
Performance Issues
- Increase memory if needed
- Use virtio drivers for storage/network
Boot Issues
- Verify UEFI firmware: bios: ovmf
- Check ISO is properly attached
- Ensure ARM64 ISO (not x86_64)
Useful Commands
Code: 
qm config <VM-ID>
qm showcmd <VM-ID> | grep -E "(arch|machine|cpu)"
qm status <VM-ID>
qm monitor <VM-ID>
CPU Information Commands
Code: 
# Install system information tools
sudo apt install neofetch cpufetch -y
# Display system information
neofetch
# Display detailed CPU information
cpufetch
Notes
  • ARM64 emulation uses software (TCG) - expect 20-40% native performance
  • GPIO and RPi-specific hardware not available
  • Use for software development, not hardware-specific testing
  • Consider real RPi5 for final testing
Based on real-world setup of VM with virtualized cortex-a76 CPU and 4GB RAM
zen_8VaKGCOlAm.png
neofetch && cpufetch
WindowsTerminal_KfKY8QncKi.png

This writeup was formatted and enhanced using AI tools for better readability and completeness.
 
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Reactions: reinob, UdoB and Johannes S
Hi,

i'm a beginner. Normaly i code PLC-Systems.

Anexgohan is it possible to make a backup and send it? i need a RPI for testing something but it don't works. o_O​

 
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