Add new drive to PBS container running on PVE

[neilsonwheels]

My setup:

• Proxmox VE 8
• Proxmox Backup Server running on a Debian 12 unprivileged container (hosted on the above PVE)

I've connected a new 4tb SSD to my PVE host which I want to use for storing my PBS backups. I'm unsure of the steps required to do so and hoping someone can provide some details.

I'm guessing I need to get the new drive visible and mounted on PVE first then passed through to PBS.

If it's easier to run PBS as a VM to achieve this, I'm happy to start over.

 

[Dunuin]

If it's easier to run PBS as a VM to achieve this, I'm happy to start over.

Maybe easier and also keep in mind that running PBS in an LXC is not officially supported. While it's running fine right now no one of the developers will do internal testing if an update will break PBS running in an LXC. So not a solution you can really trust.
And it would be better to get a dedicated host for your PBS. Backups in the same machine are not really useful backups:
1.) failing CPU or RAM or HBA and this will destroy your guests as well as your backups
2.) failing PSU/power outage and this might destroy your guests and backups
3.) PVE host gets compromised and this will destory your guests and backups
4.) theft/lightning strike/fire/water damage/... and you will lose your guests and backups...but here a dedicated PBS at home won't help and you need an additional offsite PBS your onsite PBS will sync to

Even a 10 years old laptop/office PC or a cheap (50€?) thin-client would do a usable job as a dedicated PBS server in a small homelab. 2-4 cores and 2-4GB RAM + single slot for a SSD would do the job.

For a PBS VM you should passthrough the whole SSD as described here: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Passthrough_Physical_Disk_to_Virtual_Machine_(VM)
And then don't forget to have recent backups of your PBS VM (using VZDump to a NAS or external disk) and of your PVe hosts "/etc" folder (especially "/etc/pve").

 

[neilsonwheels]

Maybe easier and also keep in mind that running PBS in an LXC is not officially supported. While it's running fine right now no one of the developers will do internal testing if an update will break PBS running in an LXC. So not a solution you can really trust.
And it would be better to get a dedicated host for your PBS. Backups in the same machine are not really useful backups:
1.) failing CPU or RAM and this will destroy your guests as well as your backups
2.) failing PSU/power outage and this might destroy your guests and backups
3.) PVE host gets compromised and this will destory your guests and backups
4.) theft/lightning strike/fire/water damage/... and you will lose your guests and backups...but here a dedicated PBS at home won't help and you need an offsite PBS

Even a 10 years old laptop/office PC or a cheap (50€?) thin-client would do a usable job as a dedicated PBS server in a small homelab. 2-4 cores and 3-4GB RAM + single slot for a SSD would do the job.

For a PBS VM you should passthrough the whole SSD as described here: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Passthrough_Physical_Disk_to_Virtual_Machine_(VM)
And then don't forget to have recent backups of your PBS VM (using VZDump to a NAS or external disk) and of your PVe hosts "/etc" folder (especially "/etc/pve").

Excellent advice and thanks for the guidance. I'm mainly wanting to play about with PBS for a while to get to know it. I do intend to create a dedicated machine in the coming months.