Proxmox question

[Xa3phod]

Is it possible to install Proxmox and the VMs on a particular computer then use that same computer to boot into the VMs? I just want to install proxmox and a few Operating systems and when I turn on the computer I can choose the OS I wish, sort of like Dual or triple booting, but its all virtualized. This way I can run two monitors and 2 GPU and run 2 separate OSs at the same time. OSX for video stuff while playing games on the other monitor all on the same computer. Or even run two VMs of Windows 10, one for work and one for play. I got 24 threads and most are going to waste.

[Electronics Wizardy]

Do you want to do gpu passthrough? You can normally change the vms that use a gpu, but this can depend on the hardware.

 

You can run different vms with different gpus at the same time.

 

Why not give it a try?

[Windows7ge]

This should be possible the only problem I see is you would need to pass a USB controller through to both VM's and use something like a KVM switch to switch between the two. Both will also require a dedicated GPU. I have guides & tutorials that could get you started on this if your drive is strong enough.

[Xa3phod]

I'm happy to give it a shot. I have lots of GPU's floating around and USB controllers are pretty cheap. Let me know, thanks!

[brwainer]

3 minutes ago, Xa3phod said:

I'm happy to give it a shot. I have lots of GPU's floating around and USB controllers are pretty cheap. Let me know, thanks!

How about you try it and let us know how it goes? I think what you are asking is possible, although you wouldn’t choose which OS you want from the BIOS boot screen - you would start and stop them from the Proxmox interface (from your phone or other computer).

[Xa3phod]

Could you install proxmox over a lightweight linux build which has a gui with a browser?

[Xa3phod]

2 hours ago, brwainer said:

How about you try it and let us know how it goes? I think what you are asking is possible, although you wouldn’t choose which OS you want from the BIOS boot screen - you would start and stop them from the Proxmox interface (from your phone or other computer).

I was hoping he would give me one of his guides. I wasn't asking him to do it for me

[brwainer]

2 hours ago, Xa3phod said:

Could you install proxmox over a lightweight linux build which has a gui with a browser?

Yes, you can first install Debian with your choice of GUI, and then add proxmox to it. I did this for about 2-3 years on a workstation - Debian/Proxmox booted, I logged into the local GUI, launched a browser, and from there I started whichever VM(s) I wanted. The only difference between what I did and what you are asking, is that I used SPICE to create a virtual GPU for the VM, and to display it fullscreen, all with just the integrated graphics. I think you want to assign a GPU to the VM, and then swap your monitor's input from the iGPU (with the Debian/Proxmox/Browser) to the GPU assigned to the VM. This should work well enough.

 

Instructions for adding Proxmox on top of a working Debian install: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_Buster