Proxmox install - best use of storage

[teopi]

Hi everyone

I am new to Proxmox and would like to install it in the most optimal way for my hardware. I have the following:
1. CPU: Intel i5-12600k
2. 64 GB RAM DDR5
3. 2 NVME drives x 2 TB (total 4 TB)
4. 1 SSD on SATA with 256 GB
5. Intel X540-T2 Network Card 10Gbit
6. Another 2.5 Gbit Network Card

I plan on doing the following:
1. One VM to run TrueNas Scale
2. Three to four Ubuntu VM's (one of which running MsSQL Server or Apache Spark)


I have a few short questions for the pro's please:
1. On the installation:
- Where should I best install the proxmox OS, on the SSD or on the NVME?
- Will the speed of my VM's running on Proxmox decrease if I put the Proxmox OS on the SSD's?
- How would you advise me to install the Porxmox OS and make the best use of my disks?

2. On the network card
- Can I pass the Intel X540-T2 Nic to the TrueNas Scale VM? I heard this might not work. Is there a way to use passthrough?

Many Thanks to everyone who can help.

 

[Dunuin]

Hi everyone

I am new to Proxmox and would like to install it in the most optimal way for my hardware. I have the following:
1. CPU: Intel i5-12600k
2. 64 GB RAM DDR5
3. 2 NVME drives x 2 TB (total 4 TB)
4. 1 SSD on SATA with 256 GB
5. Intel X540-T2 Network Card 10Gbit
6. Another 2.5 Gbit Network Card

I plan on doing the following:
1. One VM to run TrueNas Scale
2. Three to four Ubuntu VM's (one of which running MsSQL Server or Apache Spark)


I have a few short questions for the pro's please:
1. On the installation:
- Where should I best install the proxmox OS, on the SSD or on the NVME?

Depends...how do you want to use your TrueNAS VM? Best option would be to PCI passthrough the NVMe SSDs or a HBA card with all its disks attached to it into the TrueNAS VM. If you install PVE to the single SATA SSD you would be able to PCI passthrough the two NVMes to the TrueNAS VM. But then neither the host, nor other guests can directly use these NVMe SSDs. They could only indirectly access data on it though iSCSI/NFS/SMB with the additional network overhead. And running DB VMs from a network share isn't great.

I personally would buy more disks. Dedicated HBA + disks just for TrueNAS, then use the two NVMes in raid1 for the PVE system + guest storage for your VMs. I wouldn`t use that single 256GB SSDs, as it got no redundancy.

Also keep in mind that TrueNAS uses ZFS and its highly recommended to use ZFS with enterprise grade SSDs with powerloss protection and ECC RAM. ZFS can shred consumer/pro-sumer SSDs in no time, especially when hit by alot of sync writes, which you especially get when running DBs, as without powerloss protection sync writes can't be cached to optimize writes for less disk wear.

- Will the speed of my VM's running on Proxmox decrease if I put the Proxmox OS on the SSD's?

PVE isn't that demanding. Even a HDD might be fine. So PVE sharing a SSD with guests should not really slow down the guests.

2. On the network card
- Can I pass the Intel X540-T2 Nic to the TrueNas Scale VM? I heard this might not work. Is there a way to use passthrough?

See: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Pci_passthrough

 

[LnxBil]

So PVE sharing a SSD with guests should really slow down the guests.

There is a "not" missing in that sentence.

 

[Dunuin]

There is a "not" missing in that sentence.

Jup, thanks. That`s what I wanted to write. I edited it.

 

[leesteken]

I would install Proxmox on a 16GB triple mirror (using the beginning of both NVMe's and the SSD), use the rest of the SSD as ISO and torrent storag and use the rest of the two NVMe drives as a mirror for the VM/CT storage. I also would not run TrueNas but use the ZFS of Proxmox instead.