This article provides a detailed guide on how to use Proxmox virtual machines, including hardware simulation through QEMU, steps for creating virtual machines, and the process of making and cloning system templates. It covers everything from creating resource pools and adding storage to installing operating systems, configuring CPU, memory, and hard drives, and finally explains how to convert a configured virtual machine into a template for quick deployment of other virtual machines in the same environment.  

I. Introduction to Proxmox Virtual Machines  

Proxmox virtual machines are simulated and managed using QEMU (short for QEMU Emulator). QEMU is an open-source virtual machine management software primarily used to simulate physical computers. To the host running QEMU, it appears as a regular user process, virtualizing the host’s local resources such as disk partitions, files, and network cards into physical hardware devices and mapping them for use by the simulated computer. When the operating system of the simulated computer accesses these virtual hardware devices, it behaves as if it is accessing actual physical hardware. For example, if you configure QEMU parameters to map an ISO image to the simulated computer, the operating system will detect a CDROM disc inserted into a CD drive.  

II. Steps for Creating and Installing a Virtual Machine  

1. Create a resource pool  

2. Add storage to the resource pool  

3. Upload the operating system ISO image  

4. Create a virtual machine  

5. Select the operating system ISO file  

6. Choose the SCSI controller type  

7. Set the disk type and capacity  

8. Configure the number of CPU cores  

9. Set the memory size  

10. Confirm the virtual machine configuration  

11. Start the operating system installation  

The process of installing the operating system is no different from that on a physical machine; follow the prompts step by step to complete the installation.  

III. Creating a Virtual Machine Template  

1. Basic system configuration and installation of common software  

   – Modify the hostname  

     [root@sxxx ~]# hostnamectl set-hostname sxxx  

   – Configure the IP address  

     [root@sxxx ~]# vim /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0  

   – Install commonly used commands and software  

     [root@sxxx ~]# yum install -y wget vim lrzsz  

     [root@sxxx ~]# yum install -y net-tools  

   Generally, you can pre-install all the configurations and software that you think every host you manage will need into the template.  

2. Shut down the virtual machine  

3. Convert the virtual machine into a template  

4. Clone virtual machines using the template  

5. Start the cloned virtual machines