[SOLVED] Proxmox VE for this or VMware ?

[selfhost_is_king]

Hello there! I was wondering if someone could possibly assist me with a little something. You see, I'm quite new to promox ve and I have this goal of hosting my very own web server and setting it up as a DMZ. Additionally, I have a few other VM's that I need to run on the machine and I would like to keep them separate. However, I find myself in a bit of a predicament. The server is located in a different place from where I am and unfortunately, I don't have a managed switch. It's just not within my budget at the moment.

I was hoping if someone could guide me on how to set up the server in such a way that it prevents anyone who manages to get through the hosting control panel or server (if they happen to be clever enough) from seeing any other IP addresses of the other VM's on the system. It would also be great if they couldn't access the ISP router to make any undesirable changes. On the flip side, I still need all the VM's to have access to the internet when necessary, but I don't want to give them unrestricted access without certain ports without the need of using a smart switch.

I'm aware that achieving this is possible by using the firewall built-in to the software. Moreover, there's mention of VLAN technology, which is a bit new to me, and unfortunately, I don't have a switch to make use of it. Could anyone kindly point me in the right direction on how to accomplish this? Additionally, I would like to segregate the management portal from the rest of the VM's.

Lastly, just to give you an idea, I have the option to install another ethernet card with four ports into the machine that will be handling all of this. I'm currently using a simple HP compact workstation desktop that has been upgraded by a friend. I hope that makes sense and any guidance would be much appreciated!

 

[jlauro]

You could do either, but given vmware stopped the free licensing tier (although vmware workstation isn't as overpriced as vmware esxi is now and is capable), and generally can only run esxi on enterprise servers your best bet is proxmox. The learning curve on proxmox is a bit higher,

How many public IPs do you have? Are there other devices besides the VMs that will need access to the internet (ie: a wifi router, and other pcs, game consoles, etc...)?

You can setup a router inside a vm along with virtual netwrok including DMZ to the vms to keep it separated from the rest of the network, also put vpn software on that vm if remote management to any of the vms is needed and also setup a proxy server so multiple domains can be routed to different vms with their own web server using the same IP.

 

[selfhost_is_king]

hi jlauro,
Thank you so much for your response to my post at, https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/should-i-be-using-proxmox-ve-for-this-or-vmware.141297/ – I genuinely appreciate it. It's truly heartening to find supportive community members like you. To summarize my current situation, I've dabbled a bit in fruit knowledge and ESI, successfully setting up a test lab at home using a ProLiant axe enterprise tower server. The router, a MikroTik, resides in a different part of the building due to noise concerns.
While I've explored FreePBX, Unify Controller, and CWP Control Panel, all running smoothly, I've encountered challenges with internet security. After a few lessons learned the hard way about leaving ports unnecessarily open, leading to a server hack, I've come a long way in understanding code basics, reading it, following commands for updates, and utilizing shell access over the past two years.
Having had ESXi 7.0 securely installed on my server, recent events have prompted a switch to Proxmox. I've successfully migrated some VMs from VMware to Proxmox and now aim to host everything full-time. I'm particularly interested in setting up an internal switch or router with VLANs for VMs, ensuring communication with the original MikroTik router. The network includes diverse devices such as IP phones, computers, and Wi-Fi devices connected through a Unify Controller hotspot setup.
In addition, I aspire to run web services like email and web hosting from home, leveraging the server's capabilities. Despite lacking an enterprise switch, I'm eager to achieve this securely. Any suggestions, information, or pointers to do-it-yourself resources, especially YouTube tutorials, would be immensely appreciated. Networking is a current learning curve for me, and I'm grateful for any guidance.

 

[jlauro]

You can get used enterprise switches from ebay pretty cheap (but they also tend to make a lot of noise), or you can get a fanless Zyxel switch that supports vlan tagging at a low cost. Pretty sure your MikroTik router should be able to handle vlan tagging, and most things can probably be handled internally within the proxmox host so you you shouldn't need a switch until you have more than one proxmox host.