Proxmox

Containers & Virtual Machines

https://www.proxmox.com/en/

Yes. Proxmox VE 9.1 can be installed directly on a single 4 TB NVMe using ZFS, and this is a common, supported configuration.

Below is the precise guidance you need to decide how to do it and what to watch for.

Supported ZFS installation modes (single NVMe)

During the installer, select ZFS (Advanced). With one disk, you’ll get:

1. ZFS Single Disk

• Topology: stripe (no redundancy)

• Pros

  • ZFS features: snapshots, checksums, compression
  • Simple, fast

• Cons

  • No redundancy (disk failure = restore from backup)

➡️ Recommended if you already have backups (e.g., PBS, restic, off-host).

2. ZFS RAID0 (single disk)

• Functionally identical to Single Disk
• No practical advantage over the default single-disk ZFS option

Installer settings you should explicitly tune

When you click Options in the ZFS installer screen:

ZFS pool settings (recommended)

Partitioning behavior (normal)

Proxmox will create:

• EFI System Partition
• ZFS boot pool (rpool)
• Swap on ZFS (zvol)

This is expected and correct.

NVMe + ZFS considerations (important)

Memory

• ZFS benefits from RAM, but does not require “1 GB per TB”.

• Practical minimums:

  • 16 GB RAM: acceptable
  • 32 GB RAM: comfortable
  • 64 GB RAM: ideal if running many VMs

TRIM

Enable after install (recommended for NVMe):

zpool set autotrim=on rpool

Boot reliability

• ZFS-on-root is fully supported.
• GRUB + ZFS boot works reliably in Proxmox 9.x.
• Keep /etc/kernel/proxmox-boot-uuids intact.

What you should not do

• ❌ Do not mirror with partitions on the same NVMe
• ❌ Do not disable compression
• ❌ Do not oversize swap (default is fine)
• ❌ Do not expect redundancy from single-disk ZFS

When ZFS is not the right choice

Consider ext4 + LVM instead if:

• You have <16 GB RAM
• This is a disposable lab host
• You don’t care about snapshots or integrity

Otherwise, ZFS is objectively superior.

Bottom line

Yes — installing Proxmox VE 9.1 on a 4 TB NVMe with ZFS is fully supported and recommended. Use ZFS single disk + lz4 compression, enable autotrim, and rely on external backups.

If you want, I can:

• Propose an optimal dataset layout (rpool/data, VM disks, containers)
• Tune ARC / swappiness post-install
• Review this for homelab vs production use cases

In the Proxmox VE installer, DHCP selection is not automatic or obvious, but it is supported. The key point is what you leave empty.

How to use DHCP during Proxmox VE install (PVE 9.1)

Step-by-step (installer UI)

1. Proceed normally until Network Configuration

2. You will see fields such as:

   • Management interface
   • Hostname (FQDN)
   • IP Address / CIDR
   • Gateway
   • DNS server

3. Do this to enable DHCP:

   • Select the correct NIC (e.g. eno1, enp1s0)

   • Enter the Hostname (FQDN) ← this is mandatory

   • Leave the following fields EMPTY:

     • IP Address
     • Gateway
     • DNS

4. Continue the installation

➡️ The installer will configure the management interface to use DHCP.

What Proxmox does internally

After install, you’ll see something like this in /etc/network/interfaces:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

iface eno1 inet manual

auto vmbr0
iface vmbr0 inet dhcp
    bridge-ports eno1
    bridge-stp off
    bridge-fd 0

Key line:

iface vmbr0 inet dhcp

Important caveats (do not skip)

1. Hostname must still resolve

• Proxmox requires a valid FQDN

• Example:

  pve01.lab.local

• Your DHCP-provided DNS must resolve this hostname back to the IP (forward resolution at minimum)

If not, you’ll see:

• Web UI login issues
• pveproxy warnings
• Cluster problems later

2. DHCP is acceptable for:

• Lab / homelab
• Initial install
• Temporary staging

DHCP is not recommended long-term for:

• Production
• Clusters
• Corosync environments

Best practice is:

• DHCP reservation or
• Convert to static IP after install

Verify after install

Once logged in:

ip a show vmbr0

Confirm:

• IP assigned
• Correct gateway

If you want to convert to static later

I can:

• Generate the exact /etc/network/interfaces stanza
• Validate DNS & /etc/hosts
• Make it cluster-safe (important if you plan HA)

Bottom line

To select DHCP during install:

✔️ Leave IP, Gateway, and DNS fields empty ✔️ Enter a valid hostname ✔️ Select the correct NIC

If you want, tell me:

• Single node or future cluster?
• Homelab or production?
• IPv4 only or dual-stack?

I’ll tailor the post-install network config accordingly.

Short answer: leave the PIN interface unused unless you explicitly need it.

Below is the precise reasoning and what not to do.

What the PIN network interface is

In the Proxmox installer, PIN = Proxmox Installer Network.

• Used only during installation

• Provides temporary connectivity for:

  • Package access (if needed)
  • Installer environment

• Not persisted after reboot

Once installation completes, the system boots using:

• vmbr0 (management bridge)
• Your selected physical NIC

What you should do in practice

During install

• Do nothing

• Do not assign:

  • IP
  • VLAN
  • Bridge

• Leave it as-is

After install

• The PIN interface disappears

• It is not visible in:

  • /etc/network/interfaces
  • Proxmox Web UI
  • ip a

No cleanup required.

Common mistakes to avoid

❌ Trying to:

• Assign a static IP to PIN
• Bridge PIN to vmbr0
• Use PIN for management
• Troubleshoot connectivity via PIN after install

These will not work and can break assumptions during install.

When PIN would matter (rare)

Only relevant if:

• You are performing custom automated installs
• PXE or scripted installer environments
• Debugging installer-level networking

For a normal install (including DHCP + ZFS), ignore it completely.

Recommended post-install network layout (single NIC)

Physical NIC (eno1)
        ↓
     vmbr0 (DHCP or static)
        ↓
 Proxmox host + VMs

Clean, supported, and cluster-safe.

Bottom line

PIN is temporary installer plumbing. Leave it untouched and forget it exists.

If you want, next we can:

• Harden the network layout (mgmt vs VM traffic)
• Add VLAN-aware bridges
• Prepare the node for future clustering

Just say the word.