We will be installing Proxmox VE onto my old 2011 Macbook Pro to create a base of operations for the homelab. From there we can install Ubuntu Server as a VM in the Proxmox environment.
Config:
Hostname: pve.tower.home
IP Address: 10.31.94.2
Gateway: 10.31.94.1
E-Mail: michael.busbee@protonmail.com
Timezone: America/New York
All other settings were left at default
First connection
Now to log in I need to go to
https://10.31.94.2:8006/
in my browser to see the web application interface.
User name: root
Password: ********
And it works!
I am able to see the Proxmox Admin panel from my other computer.
Getting updates
Now according to our guide Proxmox is configured to get updates from the enterprise repository. We don’t get access to this since we are only using the free version. Following are the steps to get us connected to the Community Repository so we can get updates from there.
On the left panel there is a drop down menu currently set to Server View
In that section I click pve under Datacenter in the hierarchy tree.
With pve selected I now click >_ Shell | v button up in the top right corner of the panel. This will open a new window that gives you access to a shell window to control the PVE.
Now we have the shell open we need to insert the following commands:
cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d
mv pve-enterprise.list pve-enterprise.list.disabled
echo 'deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve bullseye pve-no-subscription' > pve-community.list
apt update
apt -y dist-upgradeThe blog summarizes what these commands do much quicker than I could:
- Move to the directory where Advanced Package Tool (APT) looks for software update repositories
- Rename the Enterprise configuration file to have .disabled at the end so it is ignored by APT
- Create a configuration file for the Community repository
- Update APT’s package list
- Install all available software updates
I received some failed lines on my update command. I am not sure if this will impact updating but I am taking note just in case
The error lines received after doing the command
W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/bullseye/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'ftp.us.debian.org'
W: Failed to fetch http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/bullseye-updates/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'ftp.us.debian.org'
W: Failed to fetch http://security.debian.org/dists/bullseye-security/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'security.debian.org'
W: Failed to fetch http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve/dists/bullseye/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'download.proxmox.com'
W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.Shutting the Macbook lid
One problem I have noticed is in order to keep the PVE running I have to keep the macbook open and screen turned on. When I shut the lid it turns off the screen and I no longer have access to the web interface.
I found an article at dannyda.com that explains how to fix this issue. It outlines a few steps we want to accomplish.
- Open a shell from the web interface or the console directly
- Edit
/etc/systemd/logind.conffile with nano
nano /etc/systemd/logind.conf- Under [Login] add:
HandleLidSwitch=ignore
HandleLidSwitchDocked=ignore- Save the file and exit
CTRL+X,Y,ENTER - Update the changes
systemctl restart systemd-logind.serviceNote:
In the logind.conf file there are several lines under the [Login] section that start with #. These appear to be commented out config options that could be used in this file as example.
After testing the above commands it seems the Macbook is now working as intended with the lid closed so I don’t presently see a need to experiment with these settings further.