Advice Needed: Proxmox - Internal Management Network, VLAN Bridge, and Efficient Mass VM Cloning from VDI/VMDK

[datht.official]

Hi Proxmox Community,

I'm in the planning stages for a new Proxmox VE setup on a Lenovo server and would greatly appreciate some expert advice on structuring my networking and virtual machine deployment, particularly for a scenario involving around 30-40 VMs. My Proxmox VE host is installed and accessible.

Here's an overview of what I'm trying to achieve:

1. Base Image Source:

• I have a master Virtual Machine image in .vdi format (created with VirtualBox) that I intend to use as the base for all my VMs (also from .vmdk is still achievable)

2. Virtual Machine Networking (Dual NIC per VM): Each VM will require two network interfaces:

• Network 1: Internal Management (Proxmox Host) & Laptop & VMs Communication
  
  • Purpose: This network is for management purposes and direct communication between my controlling laptop, the Proxmox VE host, and all the VMs.
  • IP Scheme: I'd like this to be on a private subnet, for example, 192.168.100.0/24.
  • Current Setup:
    • My Proxmox VE host has its management IP 192.168.100.18 configured on vmbr0 (this bridge is connected to a physical NIC that's directly connected to my laptop).
    • My laptop (acting as the main controller for VMs) has a static IP 192.168.100.15 on this same link.
  • VM IP Allocation: VMs should receive IPs within this 192.168.100.x range (e.g., starting 192.168.100.101, 192.168.100.102, etc. based on VLAN ID it be assigned like below).
  • Connectivity Goal: Seamless communication between the laptop (.15), PVE host (.18), and all VMs (.101+) on this subnet. I'll use this for tasks like git pull from my laptop to the VMs.

• Network 2: VLAN-Tagged External Access
  • Purpose: To provide VMs with segregated access to external networks.
  • Setup Idea:Similar to a Hyper-V setup I've used previously. This would involve:
    • A dedicated physical NIC on the Proxmox host (let's call the port "TRUNK").
    • A Linux bridge in Proxmox (e.g., vmbr1) connected to this "TRUNK" physical NIC.
    • VMs' second network interface would connect to this vmbr1, and each VM would be tagged with a specific VLAN ID (e.g., VM1 on VLAN 102, VM2 on VLAN 103) for distinct network paths.
    • The reason for this port is that, this Eth port will be trunking into another Switch, which is configured the VLAN tagging.

3. VM Provisioning (Mass Linked Clones):I need to efficiently create approximately 30-40 linked clones from a master image. Key priorities are rapid deployment and optimized disk space usage.

(Note: I initially considered shared folders with my laptop, but with the planned direct connectivity via Network 1, I'll use this for git pull for local code deployment, controlling VMs, etc. things like that so a traditional file share isn't a primary requirement anymore.)


My Specific Questions:

1. VDI Import & Template Preparation: What's the recommended method to import my .vdi/.vmdk master image into Proxmox VE and prepare it as a template for cloning? Should I convert it to qcow2 format on the Proxmox host?
2. Configuring Network 1 (Internal 192.168.100.0/24):
   • How can I best set up Proxmox to manage and provide this internal network for the VMs?
   • Should I create a new Linux bridge (e.g., vmbr_internal) that is not attached to any physical NIC, and then use Proxmox's built-in DHCP/NAT capabilities, or a routed setup?
   • Critically, how can my existing management vmbr0 (with host IP 192.168.100.18) and my laptop (IP 192.168.100.15) communicate with VMs on this new internal 192.168.100.x network if it's a separate bridge? Can vmbr0 be configured to serve both host management and this internal VM network segment, perhaps with routing or other configurations?
3. Configuring Network 2 (VLAN Bridge):For the VLAN-tagged external access, is the standard approach to:
   • Create a new bridge (e.g., vmbr1) attached to the dedicated "TRUNK" physical NIC.
   • Mark this vmbr1 as "VLAN aware."
   • Then, for each VM, assign its second network interface to vmbr1 and specify the appropriate VLAN Tag in the VM's network hardware settings?
4. Efficient Mass Linked Clones (approx. 40 VMs):
   • What is the most efficient strategy in Proxmox VE for creating this many linked clones from a single template (derived from the .vdi/.vmdk)?
   • Which storage type on Proxmox (e.g., ZFS, LVM-Thin, or qcow2 files on a Directory storage) offers the best benefits for linked clones in terms of deployment speed and disk space optimization?
   • Are there any recommended scripting techniques or CLI tools/commands/templates for batch-creating these linked clones to simplify the process?

I'm eager to get this Proxmox environment structured correctly from the start. Any advice, best practices, or pointers to relevant documentation/examples would be incredibly valuable.

Thank you for your time and expertise!