Proxmox fresh installation - Management interface detects wireless interface ONLY (no ETH0)

Melste

New Member
Jun 2, 2024
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Hi, I am new to Proxmox and Linux. I have attempted many times over last 24 hours to make this work, but so far no luck.
I am trying to install PROXMOX from the beginning (again), and management interface is stuck as "wlpls0", which is wireless interface. There is no WIFI connected to the NUC. Ethernet cable I currently connected between NUC and ETHERNET. Before installing PROXMOX, Ethernet worked on windows.

Installed with this option, it failed to ping to gateway and internal/externam DNS (1.1.1.1 & 8.8.8.8)

Also, I list the additional information that I could gather during the troubleshooting.

Any guidance would be

Hardware: INTEL NUC (N100) with Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
Proxmox VE 8.2 with web GUI

Proxmox install configuration
[B]Management interface[/B] wlpls0
[B]Hostname [/B]pve.home
[B]IP address (CIDR) [/B]192.168.20.60 (this is confirmed unassigned static IP address)
[B]Gateway [/B]192.168.20.1
[B]DNS Server[/B] 192.168.20.1/ 1.1.1.1/ 8.8.8.8 (All three IP address tested during troubleshooting)

Router setting
[B]Start IP address[/B] 192.168.20.2
[B]End IP address[/B] 192.168.20.254
[B]Primary DNS[/B] 192.168.20.1

/etc/network/interfaces
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

iface wlp1s0 inet manual

auto vmbr0
iface vmbr0 inet static
address 192.168.20.60/24
gateway 192.168.20.1
bridge_ports wlp1s0
bridge_stp off
bridge_fd 0

source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

ip a (I am not sure but "3" is missing;1-lo 2-wlps0 3-missing 4- vmbr0)
1: lo: <LOOPBACK,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 65536 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000
link/loopback 00:00:00:00:00:00 brd 00:00:00:00:00:00
inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
inet6 ::1/128 scope host
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
2: wlp1s0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 qdisc noop state DOWN group default qlen 1000
link/ether 70:cf:49:dc:2e:04 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
4: vmbr0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST,UP,LOWER_UP> mtu 1500 qdisc noqueue state UNKNOWN group default qlen 1000
link/ether 66:27:3f:81:89:31 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
inet 192.168.20.60/24 scope global vmbr0
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever
inet6 fe80::8427:4fff:fefd:d4c4/64 scope link
valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever


lspci | grep 'Ethernet'
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 2b)


dmesg | grep firmware -A 3
[ 4.323983] platform regulatory.0: Direct firmware load for regulatory.db failed with error -2
[ 4.323985] cfg80211: failed to load regulatory.db
[ 4.524206] Bluetooth: hci0: Failed to load Intel firmware file intel/ibt-11-5.sfi (-2)



lsmod | grep r8169
r8169 81920 0
 
Last edited:
WiFi won't work with a virtual bridge. It's not supported but it can work in NAT but that requires installing additional software and manual setup (which is annoying without network).
Your network controller might be too new and/or you might need to install drivers yourself. I have seen several threads about (problems with) Realtek 8411.
Alternatively, use another network PCIe add-in card or a USB dongle (which will make installing drivers or WiFi much easier).
 
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WiFi won't work with a virtual bridge. It's not supported but it can work in NAT but that requires installing additional software and manual setup (which is annoying without network).
Your network controller might be too new and/or you might need to install drivers yourself. I have seen several threads about (problems with) Realtek 8411.
Alternatively, use another network PCIe add-in card or a USB dongle (which will make installing drivers or WiFi much easier).
Hi Thank you for your reply. I found the guide for installing r8168 driver. This is my first time with linux and not having internet connection to the NUC meaning I have to download files using my windows machine and transfer to proxmox NUC, which is difficult for my skill level. But I am going to try the linked solution.

Just to clarify, I do not need wifi feature at all, it is frustrating that the proxmox would pick up only the wifi interface :'(
 
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Just to clarify, I do not need wifi feature at all, it is frustrating that the proxmox would pick up only the wifi interface :'(
This is not specific to Proxmox and other Linux like Ubuntu (on which the kernel is based) will have the same issue. You might even find work-arounds or guides for your problem in other places on the internet. You bought hardware that is not well suited for a clustered enterprise hypervisor ;-)
 
This is not specific to Proxmox and other Linux like Ubuntu (on which the kernel is based) will have the same issue. You might even find work-arounds or guides for your problem in other places on the internet. You bought hardware that is not well suited for a clustered enterprise hypervisor ;-)
Hey, thank you very much for the encouragement. I would've given up if it wasn't for your comment.
Given my level of experience, terminal-based troubleshooting was too complicated (I can barely navigate between folders). So I decided to install Debian 12, and then install Proxmox on top of it.

Wifi worked out of the box with Debian 12, I used it to download the Ethernet driver. Ethernet worked with Debian, but as soon as Proxmox was installed the driver disappeared and back to WIFI only. After some additional troubleshooting, I somehow managed to have Proxmox and Ethernet connection on Debian 12. Now I am going to figure out how to set up Proxmox on Debian12.

I just thought to let you know this :) Thanks so much again!
 
Posting this to myself and other newbies.

Best solution
The easiest solution would be download and install realtek driver from their website on usb and install it. but if you can do this you probably wouldnt look for the solution online.

My work around.
I installed Debian12 with GUI so I can install the driver first and then Proxmox on top of it.

Summary of Troubleshooting Steps and Changes​

Installing Debian 12​

  1. Install Debian 12: Perform a standard installation of Debian 12.
  2. Connect via Wi-Fi: Establish an internet connection using Wi-Fi.

Installing the Realtek Driver on Debian 12​

  1. Update System:
    sh
  1. sudo ./autorun.sh
    sudo modprobe r8168
    echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    echo "r8168" | sudo tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
    sudo update-initramfs -u
    sudo reboot

Installing Proxmox on Debian 12​

  1. Install Proxmox VE on Debian 12 following Proxmox installation guide.
  2. Add Proxmox repository and install Proxmox VE packages.
  3. Reboot the system.

Disappeared Realtek Driver and Ethernet Connection After Installing Proxmox​

  1. Ethernet Interface Missing: Realtek Ethernet driver disappeared after Proxmox installation.

Reinstalling the Realtek Driver on Proxmox (on Debian 12)​

  1. Download the Driver:
    sh
  • cd /home/steven/Downloads/r8168-8.053.00
    tar -xjf r8168-8.053.00.tar.bz2
    cd r8168-8.053.00
  • Install the Driver:
    sh
  1. sudo ./autorun.sh
    sudo modprobe r8168
    echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    echo "r8168" | sudo tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
    sudo update-initramfs -u
    sudo reboot

Bringing Up the Ethernet Interface​

  1. Bring the Interface Up:
    sh
  • sudo ip link set enp2s0 up
  • Configure Network for DHCP:Edit /etc/network/interfaces:
    plaintext

  • auto lo
    iface lo inet loopback

    auto enp2s0
    iface enp2s0 inet dhcp
  • Restart Networking Service:
    sh

  • sudo systemctl restart networking
  • Verify Network Configuration:
    sh
  1. ip a

Installing PROXMOX (AGAIN?!)

This step, dont ask me why because I do not understand, After confirming the Driver was working, I followed this tutorial.
and it is working now

By following these steps, the Realtek Ethernet driver was successfully reinstalled and configured, restoring the Ethernet connection on the Proxmox system running on Debian 12.
 
i have same problem on new install pve8.2 。 when open the pve install GUI, it's just list wifi network card and no NIC card.
when i use CLI and command "lspci -v" ,it's same with your problem. i'm try to buy a USB network card and try to install again.
by the way, i'm from china and english not good. wrote on 2024/Oct/24.
 
Posting this to myself and other newbies.

Best solution
The easiest solution would be download and install realtek driver from their website on usb and install it. but if you can do this you probably wouldnt look for the solution online.

My work around.
I installed Debian12 with GUI so I can install the driver first and then Proxmox on top of it.

Summary of Troubleshooting Steps and Changes​

Installing Debian 12​

  1. Install Debian 12: Perform a standard installation of Debian 12.
  2. Connect via Wi-Fi: Establish an internet connection using Wi-Fi.

Installing the Realtek Driver on Debian 12​

  1. Update System:
    sh
  1. sudo ./autorun.sh
    sudo modprobe r8168
    echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    echo "r8168" | sudo tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
    sudo update-initramfs -u
    sudo reboot

Installing Proxmox on Debian 12​

  1. Install Proxmox VE on Debian 12 following Proxmox installation guide.
  2. Add Proxmox repository and install Proxmox VE packages.
  3. Reboot the system.

Disappeared Realtek Driver and Ethernet Connection After Installing Proxmox​

  1. Ethernet Interface Missing: Realtek Ethernet driver disappeared after Proxmox installation.

Reinstalling the Realtek Driver on Proxmox (on Debian 12)​

  1. Download the Driver:
    sh
  • cd /home/steven/Downloads/r8168-8.053.00
    tar -xjf r8168-8.053.00.tar.bz2
    cd r8168-8.053.00
  • Install the Driver:
    sh
  1. sudo ./autorun.sh
    sudo modprobe r8168
    echo "blacklist r8169" | sudo tee -a /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
    echo "r8168" | sudo tee -a /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
    sudo update-initramfs -u
    sudo reboot

Bringing Up the Ethernet Interface​

  1. Bring the Interface Up:
    sh
  • sudo ip link set enp2s0 up
  • Configure Network for DHCP:Edit /etc/network/interfaces:
    plaintext

  • auto lo
    iface lo inet loopback

    auto enp2s0
    iface enp2s0 inet dhcp
  • Restart Networking Service:
    sh

  • sudo systemctl restart networking
  • Verify Network Configuration:
    sh
  1. ip a

Installing PROXMOX (AGAIN?!)
This step, dont ask me why because I do not understand, After confirming the Driver was working, I followed this tutorial.
and it is working now

By following these steps, the Realtek Ethernet driver was successfully reinstalled and configured, restoring the Ethernet connection on the Proxmox system running on Debian 12.
i sloved this problem with your plan。 Thanks so much!
 

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