Re: Proxmox VE 9.1 Homelab: ZFS, LXC vs VM, Docker Migration advice?

[Andrei Boros <andrei@srr.ro>]

@Luis: nice setup.
Would love to learn more about your automation scripts.

One piece of advice from someone who got bit badly more then once by
RAID5. If possible, go to RAID6. I've had several instances with smaller
2TB disks when a disk failed and the second failed during array rebuild.
It was ugly after that. URE parameter for non high-end disks is modest.
Probability-wise it is reachable within surprisingly few equivalent disk
reads.

On 2026-03-11 5:02 PM, Luis G. Coralle wrote:
> Hello,
> I would like to share an overview of our current virtualization
> infrastructure based on Proxmox.
> *Compute cluster*
>
> Our environment consists of a *Proxmox cluster with nine compute nodes*,
> built using standard PC hardware. The nodes use a mix of *Intel Core i7 and
> Intel Core i9 processors*, with memory configurations ranging from *64 GB
> to 128 GB of RAM*, depending on the specific machine. Each node has a *local
> 1 TB SATA disk dedicated to the Proxmox installation*, formatted using
> the *BTRFS
> filesystem*. These local disks are used primarily for the operating system
> and local storage.
>
>
> *Shared storage*
>
> For shared storage we operate *three dedicated storage servers*, also built
> from standard desktop hardware. These machines have relatively modest
> specifications, for example *Intel Core i3 CPUs with around 4 GB of RAM*.
> Each storage server contains *four 4 TB SATA disks*, configured as a *software
> RAID-5 array using Linux MDADM*. The RAID arrays are formatted with the *XFS
> filesystem*, and each storage server exports its storage via *NFS*.
> The *Proxmox
> cluster mounts these NFS exports*, which are used as shared storage for
> virtual machines and related workloads.
>
>
> *Network configuration*
>
> Each compute node is equipped with *four Ethernet network interfaces*,
> which allows us to connect the servers to multiple physical networks and
> separate traffic types if necessary. The infrastructure includes a *managed
> switch with VLAN support*, where the corresponding VLAN configurations are
> defined. This allows *virtual machines within Proxmox to be assigned
> directly to specific VLANs*, depending on the network segmentation required.
>
>
> *VM templates and automation*
>
> We also maintain a set of *virtual machine templates*, for example *Debian
> 13 NetInstall*, which are used as base images for rapid VM deployment. On
> top of these templates we run a set of *custom Bash automation scripts*
> designed to manage large groups of virtual machines. These scripts allow us
> to operate *batches of VMs simultaneously*, where a batch may contain *16,
> 32, 90, or more virtual machines* depending on the environment. The scripts
> automate bulk VM creation from templates, batch start/stop/restart
> operations, large-scale VM removal, and lifecycle management of multiple VM
> groups. When new VM batches are deployed, the automation also generates the
> corresponding *iptables rules required for remote SSH access*, so that
> network access configuration becomes part of the provisioning workflow.
>
>
> In summary, the environment consists of:
>
>
>    -
>
>    *9 Proxmox compute nodes*
>    -
>
>    *Mixed Intel i7 / i9 CPUs*
>    -
>
>    *64–128 GB RAM per node*
>    -
>
>    *1 TB SATA BTRFS system disk per node*
>    -
>
>    *3 NFS storage servers*
>    -
>
>    *MDADM RAID-5 with 4 × 4 TB disks per storage server*
>    -
>
>    *XFS filesystem*
>    -
>
>    *Managed switch with VLAN segmentation*
>    -
>
>    *4 network interfaces per compute node*
>    -
>
>    *Automated VM provisioning using templates and Bash scripts*
>    -
>
>    *Automatic generation of iptables rules for SSH remote access*
>    This architecture has been designed to provide shared storage, flexible
>    VM provisioning, and automated operational management using simple and
>    cost-effective hardware
>
>
> Best regards.
>
> On Sun, Mar 1, 2026 at 6:59 PM Marco Malavolti <marco.malavolti@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Good evening to all Proxmox enthusiasts!
>>
>> I’m a future new user of Proxmox VE 9.1 and Proxmox Backup Server, and I’m
>> looking for what you think is the most long‑lasting solution within the
>> Proxmox ecosystem for a simple homelab.
>>
>> This is my hardware for Proxmox VE 9.1:
>>
>> 1) CWWK 12th Gen Intel Firewall Mini PC Alder Lake i3 N305 Fanless Soft
>> Router Proxmox DDR5 4800MHz 4xi226-V 2.5G (
>>
>> https://cwwk.net/products/12th-gen-intel-firewall-mini-pc-alder-lake-i3-n305-8-core-n200-n100-fanless-soft-router-proxmox-ddr5-4800mhz-4xi226-v-2-5g?_pos=1&_sid=cc36e8016&_ss=r&variant=44613920162024
>> )
>>
>> 2) 32GB of Crucial DDR5 RAM (https://amzn.eu/d/00DxTBLh)
>>
>> 3) 2TB NVMe M.2: https://amzn.eu/d/0f2XIxHV
>>
>> 4) Legrand Keor Multiplug LG-310082 800VA/480W UPS (
>> https://amzn.eu/d/06coyhv5)
>>
>> For Proxmox Backup Server I have a mini PC with an Intel i5-5250U 4‑core
>> CPU, 8GB RAM and a 1TB Samsung 870 SSD.
>>
>> I also have another external 1TB hard drive for an additional backup to
>> support a 3‑2‑1 strategy.
>>
>> At the moment, all my applications run directly on a mini PC with Debian 12
>> and Docker Compose: Immich, Nextcloud, Pi-hole, ProjectSend, Nginx Proxy
>> Manager.
>>
>> In the future I would like to move everything to Proxmox VE and PBS, but
>> I’d like to do it wisely. I’d like to set up a system that is both
>> high‑performance and long‑lasting. I’ve heard about ZFS, but I’d like to
>> better understand what is the best choice in my situation. LXC or VMs? I
>> understand that with LXC I would have a better level of separation than
>> putting everything in a single VM with Docker. Maybe you’ve already
>> discussed these topics before, and if you can point me to those threads
>> I’ll be happy to read them with curiosity.
>>
>> I came here to learn and move toward the best possible setup. Many thanks
>> for any help, for your experience, and for what you share!
>>
>> Marco Malavolti
>>
>

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*ing. Andrei Boros*

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