Why a homelab? It lets you safely and conveniently experiment with new tools and systems in a controlled environment—without risking your daily driver.

TL;DR

• Download the official Proxmox VE ISO and prepare a bootable USB (beware fake download pages for tools like Rufus).
• Install Proxmox, note the DHCP‑assigned IP, and sign in at https://<IP>:8006 (self‑signed cert is expected).
• Upload an Ubuntu ISO, create a VM (min. 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, ~25 GB disk), and install the OS.
• You can adjust resources after stopping the VM—CPU/RAM oversubscription is fine in a homelab.

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1) Hardware — what’s enough to start

• Small SFF/mini PCs (e.g., off‑lease Dell OptiPlex 3060 with i5/i7, 16–32 GB RAM) work great.
• An older laptop is fine too—ideally with several CPU cores and 8–16 GB RAM.
• Oversubscription is common: you may allocate more total vCPU/RAM to VMs than you physically have, as long as peak loads don’t overlap constantly.

2) Download Proxmox VE and prepare the USB

1. Go to the official site: https://www.proxmox.com → Download → Proxmox VE ISO.
2. Download the latest ISO.
3. Make a bootable USB (Windows: Rufus; Linux/macOS: balenaEtcher or dd).
   • Security note: get Rufus only from https://rufus.ie/. Avoid sponsored/advert links that mimic the official page—malicious bundles exist.

3) Install Proxmox VE

1. Boot from the USB (Boot Menu: typically F12, F10, F8, or F2).
2. Go through the installer (GUI or text mode):
   • Select the target disk (default partitioning is fine to start).
   • Set locale/timezone/language/keyboard.
   • Set the root password and admin e‑mail.
   • Networking: default DHCP is fine—write the assigned IP down for browser access. Hostname example: pve01.home.
3. Start the installation and wait for completion; the system will reboot into Proxmox VE.

4) First login to the Web UI

1. From another machine, open https://<your Proxmox IP>:8006.
2. Your browser will warn about an invalid/self‑signed TLS cert—normal for a local lab. Proceed knowingly (Advanced → Continue).
3. Log in as root with the password you set.
4. The “no subscription” dialog is expected for home use (Enterprise is paid support).

5) Upload Ubuntu ISO and create your first VM

1. Download Ubuntu ISO (Desktop/Server): https://ubuntu.com/download.
2. In Proxmox: Datacenter → your node → local → ISO Images → Upload the ISO.
3. Create VM: Create VM and follow the wizard:
   • OS: select the uploaded ISO.
   • System: defaults OK (UEFI/BIOS as needed, SCSI/virtio).
   • Disks: ~25–35 GB to start (more for Desktop), SCSI + VirtIO SCSI recommended.
   • CPU: min. 2 vCPU.
   • Memory: min. 4 GB (Desktop) or 2 GB (Server).
   • Network: default bridge (vmbr0) to get a LAN DHCP address.
4. Start the VM, open Console, and perform a standard Ubuntu install (language, keyboard, wipe virtual disk, create user).

6) Tuning resources and good practices

• Stop the VM to edit RAM/CPU/disk allocations (most changes require a shutdown).
• A full desktop environment in a VM (Ubuntu Desktop) can be heavy; consider Ubuntu Server or a lighter DE if you want to save resources.
• Oversubscription is practical in a homelab—monitor usage (Proxmox Summary/graphs) to avoid constant throttling.

What’s next

• VM templates and fast cloning (cloud‑init).
• Networking: bridges, VLANs, NAT, and remote access.
• Storage: local, NFS/iSCSI, organizing ISO images and backups.
• Clustering and HA across multiple mini‑PC nodes.

Official links

• Proxmox VE: https://www.proxmox.com/en/downloads
• Rufus: https://rufus.ie/
• Ubuntu ISO: https://ubuntu.com/download

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If you’ve already set up Proxmox and your first VM, leave a comment under the YouTube video with what hardware you’re using and what you plan for your homelab.

In the next part, we’ll continue with more homelab components in Proxmox.