Proxmox

Proxmox is an open-source virtual environment solution with an enterprise plan option. It provides a quick way to set up a server and deploy VMs, especially since VMware ESXi's free version was discontinued in 2024. This guide will help you build and set up a Tillered Node on Proxmox.

Prerequisites

• Ensure the node in Proxmox has internet access and can receive an IP via DHCP or a static IP.
• Create an account on the Tillered Hub.
• Ensure you can SSH into the Proxmox server

Setting Up a Tillered Node

1. Open the Proxmox Web Interface and Create a New VM a. Give the VM a name and note the VM ID number (e.g., 105).

2. Configure the VM
   • OS Tab: Select "Do not use any media" (we will import a disk).
   • System Tab:
     • Set the Machine to q35.
     • Set the BIOS to OVMF (UEFI).
     • Tick Add TPM.
     • Set TPM Storage to local-lvm.
   • Disks Tab: Delete the scsi0 disk (we will import one later).
   • CPU Tab:
     • Set the Cores to 4 (or 2 for a smaller VM, noting this affects performance).
     • Set the CPU Type to host.
   • Memory Tab: Set Memory to 8 GB (8192 MiB) or 4 GB (4096 MiB).
   • Network Tab: If your DMZ is on a different VLAN, set the VLAN; otherwise, use the Proxmox server's main interface if it's already on the DMZ.
   • Confirm: Click Next and Confirm (do not start the VM yet).
3. SSH into the Proxmox Server

# Download the disk
wget https://installcdn.tillered.com/tillered.qcow2

# Import the disk onto the VM (use your `VM ID` if different from `105`)
qm importdisk 105 /root/tillered.qcow2 local-lvm

4. Configure the VM in Proxmox Web Interface
   • Click on the VM and select Hardware.
   • Select "Unused Disk 0" and click Edit, then click Add to add the disk to the VM.
   • In Options, edit the Boot Order:
     • Enable the scsi0 disk and set it to the highest priority.
   • In Options, click SMBIOS Settings and copy the value in the UUID field to the Serial field.

5. Start the VM
   • Let the VM run. It will be ready when the console displays:

Tillered
IP: <its local IP>
<tillered UUID> login:

Register Your Node

After deploying the VM, register it with your Tillered account.

The node will configure itself to the virtual Tillered network. It may reboot during this phase, but it will be ready to use when the Tillered Hub node page shows the node as "Provisioned".