Proxmox Cheat Sheet

Discover essential Proxmox commands to boost your virtualization and networking skills. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, this guide will help you manage virtual machines and containers more efficiently. Start exploring now!

Proxmox Cheat Sheet Commands

Network engineers and system administrators often depend on essential Proxmox commands for managing virtualization tasks and ensuring seamless operations.

To help streamline your workflow, we’ve compiled a comprehensive Proxmox Cheat Sheet for managing virtual machines and containers. No need to search online for Proxmox commands—everything you need is right here. This cheat sheet will assist you in performing configuration and management tasks efficiently, just like other popular resources for platforms such as VMware or Hyper-V.

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Community

Basics

qm list
qm create <vmid>
qm start <vmid>
qm suspend <vmid>
qm shutdown <vmid>
qm reboot <vmid>
qm reset <vmid>
qm stop <vmid>
qm destroy <vmid>

List VMs
Create or restore a virtual machine
Start a VM
Suspend virtual machine
Shutdown a VM
Reboot a VM
Reset a VM
Stop a VM
Destroy the VM and all used/owned volumes

qm monitor <vmid>
qm pending <vmid>
qm sendkey <vmid> <key> [OPTIONS]
qm showcmd <vmid> [OPTIONS]
qm unlock <vmid>
qm clone <vmid> <newid>
qm clone <newid> --full --name <name>
qm migrate <vmid> <target-node>
qm migrate <vmid> <target-node>

Enter Qemu Monitor interface
Get the VM’s current and pending configuration
Send key event to virtual machine
Show command line which is used to start the VM
Unlock the VM
Clone a VM
Clone a VM in full clone mode and also set the name
Migrate a VM
Show VM status

Cloudinit

Disk

Get automatically generated cloudinit config
Get the cloudinit current and pending config
Regenerate and change cloudinit config drive

qm disk import <vmid> <source> <storage>
qm disk move <vmid> <disk> [<storage>] [OPTIONS]
qm disk rescan [OPTIONS]
qm disk resize <vmid> <disk> <size> [OPTIONS]
qm disk unlink <vmid> --idlist <string> [OPTIONS]
qm rescan

Enter Qemu Monitor interface
Move volume to different storage or to a different VM
Rescan storages and update disk sizes and unused images
Extend volume size
Unlink/delete disk images
Rescan volumes

Snapshot

Others

qm listsnapshot <vmid>
qm snapshot <vmid> <snapname>
qm delsnapshot <vmid> <snapname>
qm rollback <vmid> <snapname>
qm terminal <vmid> [OPTIONS]
qm vncproxy <vmid>

List all snapshots
Snapshot a VM
Delete a snapshot
Rollback a snapshot
Open a terminal using a serial device
Proxy VM VNC traffic to stdin/stdout

Execute Qemu Guest Agent commands
Executes the given command via the guest agent
Gets the status of the given pid started by the guest-agent
Sets the password for the given user to the given password

PV, VG & LV Management

Storage Management

pvcreate <disk-device-name>
pvremove <disk-device-name>
pvs
vgcreate <vg-name> <disk-device-name>
vgremove <vg-name>
vgs
lvcreate -L <lv-size> -n <lv-name> <vg-name>
lvremove <vg-name>/<lv-name>
lvs

Create a PV
Remove a PV
List all PVs
Create a VG
Remove a VG
List all VGs
Create a LV
Remove a LV
List all LVs

pvesm add [OPTIONS]
pvesm alloc [OPTIONS]
pvesm free [OPTIONS]
pvesm remove
pvesm list [OPTIONS]
pvesm lvmscan
pvesm lvmthinscan
pvesm scan lvm
pvesm scan lvmthin
pvesm status [OPTIONS]

Create a new storage
Allocate disk images
Delete volume
Delete storage configuration
List storage content
An alias for pvesm scan lvm
An alias for pvesm scan lvmthin
List local LVM volume groups
List local LVM Thin Pools
Get status for all datastores

What is Proxmox?

Proxmox is an open-source virtualization platform that integrates KVM and LXC technologies, enabling the management of virtual machines and containers. It features a web-based interface for easy deployment, scaling, and orchestration of workloads. With support for high availability, live migration, and backups, Proxmox is ideal for optimizing IT infrastructure in both enterprise and personal environments.

Proxmox VE Configuration Files

Proxmox VE utilizes a variety of configuration files to manage the virtualization environment effectively. Below are key aspects to consider when working with these files:

Aliases: Use meaningful names for configuration files (e.g., datacenter.cfg for data center settings) to streamline management.
Authentication: Manage public and private keys with /etc/pve/authkey.pub and /etc/pve/priv/authkey.key to ensure secure access.
Cluster Configuration: Edit /etc/pve/ceph.conf for Ceph settings and /etc/pve/corosync.conf for cluster communication to maintain high availability
Firewall Rules: Apply general rules with /etc/pve/firewall/cluster.fw, and configure specific node rules with /etc/pve/firewall/<NAME>.fw to enhance security.
HA Operations: Monitor current HA actions using /etc/pve/ha/crm_commands and check status with /etc/pve/ha/manager_status to ensure resources are managed efficiently.
Node Configurations: Access node-specific settings in /etc/pve/nodes/<NAME>/config and VM configurations in /etc/pve/nodes/<NAME>/qemu-server/<VMID>.conf.
SSL Certificates: Handle SSL keys and certificates with /etc/pve/nodes/<NAME>/pve-ssl.key and /etc/pve/nodes/<NAME>/pve-ssl.pem to secure communications.
Backup Management: Schedule backups using /etc/pve/vzdump.cron to ensure data integrity and availability.
Storage Configuration: Define storage options in /etc/pve/storage.cfg to manage resources effectively.
Documentation: Refer to Proxmox documentation for detailed configuration guidelines and troubleshooting tips.

Understanding these configuration files is essential for managing a Proxmox VE environment effectively. Regular maintenance and proper management of authentication, firewall settings, and backups will ensure a secure and reliable virtualization infrastructure.

GNS3 Knowledge Base

Discover a wealth of information and expert tips in our GNS3 Knowledge Base, your go-to resource for mastering network simulations. Whether you need detailed tutorials, expert tips, or troubleshooting advice, our Knowledge Base has everything to enhance your skills and solve any challenges. Dive in now to enhance your skills and troubleshoot any challenges with ease!

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