Single Disk Install Questions

[virtualme]

Hello, experts!
I'm new with Proxmox, so please excuse any dumb questions.
I have a couple of old MacMini's (Intel, 16GB, 1TB SSD) that I currently have ESXi running on, but would like to try out Proxmox. I currently run everything on a single SSD disk and need to do the same with Proxmox. Any suggestions on how to install so I can maximize my limited resources? Can I use a single partition, and what file system would you suggest?

Thank you in advance!

 

[LnxBil]

Any suggestions on how to install so I can maximize my limited resources? Can I use a single partition, and what file system would you suggest?

What's wrong with going with the defaults? e.g. LVM thin or ZFS?

 

[Dunuin]

ZFS for data integrity but will shred consumer SSDs, requires a lot of RAM, won't be that fast and you will lose some capacity as you shouldn't fill it too much.
LVM-Thin if you just care about performance. But with the latter you need to decide how much space of that 1TB you want for system+files&folders (like backups, ISOs, Container templates, ...) and how much space for virtual disks for your VMs/LXCs.

And in case you are planning to run a cluster with all those MacMinis it gets more complex as you then probably want a shared storage or ZFS with replication.

 

[virtualme]

Thank you guys for the info!
So, it sounds like ZFS isn't a good fit since I'm very constrained on memory and using a consumer SSD. So LVM-Thin sounds like the way to go. Can I format the entire disk with LVM-Thin and not have to carve up the drive into partitions? If not, any suggestions on how to carve things up?
Thank you guys for taking the time to help!

 

[Dunuin]

By default PVE will use the whole disk and install 3 partitions. 1st for legacy reasons, 2nd for booting, 3rd for LVM. That LVM partition is then split into a ext4 formated LV for the system + ISO + backups + templates (and the only place you can store files) and another LV that is a thin pool that will store the virtual disks (which are thin volumes).

 

[Neobin]

https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Installation -> "Advanced LVM Configuration Options"