Install Proxmox 8.4 on server with Adaptec 8405 RAID controller?

[DrNoname]

I'm planning to use my old server hardware, still on ESXi, as a "cold standby" server with ESXi replaced by Proxmox. The old server has 3 pairs of disks (4 SSDs, 2 HDDs) on an Adaptec 8405 RAID-controller in RAID1 mode. ESXi system is installed on an internal USB stick.

Now my question: is it possible to install Proxmox on that old system? Do I need additional drivers for the Adaptec Controller? Can I use one of the RAID-disk-pairs as system disk for Proxmox, the other two for VMs? Do I need to change settings for boot-disk in the RAID controller? Would it be better to install an additional SSD not on the RAID controller as Proxmox system disk?

 

[mariol]

Now my question: is it possible to install Proxmox on that old system?

There are no very specific hardware requirements [0]. Proxmox VE is based on Debian Linux with its own kernel. The Proxmox VE kernel, which is responsible for the drivers, is based on the Ubuntu Kernel (currently 24.04). There should not be any issues regarding hardware support. You can either check for Ubuntu compatibility [1] or since our products are freely available, do a test installation [2], [3].

Do I need additional drivers for the Adaptec Controller?

The controller should work without any intervention [4].

Can I use one of the RAID-disk-pairs as system disk for Proxmox, the other two for VMs?

There is no reason why not.

Do I need to change settings for boot-disk in the RAID controller?

Maybe, you can see after installation whether the boot order is correct.

Would it be better to install an additional SSD not on the RAID controller as Proxmox system disk?

You can do that too. In any case, we always recommend installing Proxmox VE on at least one RAID mirror so that there is no single point of failure if a drive failed.



[0] https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/pve-admin-guide.html#install_recommended_requirements
[1] https://ubuntu.com/certified
[2] https://www.proxmox.com/de/downloads/proxmox-virtual-environment/iso
[3] https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/pve-admin-guide.html#chapter_installation
[4] https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Raid_controller#Adaptec

 

[DrNoname]

Dear Mario,
thank you very much! I'll try and report!