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Setup Proxmox Cluster

Proxmox is a powerful open-source virtualization platform. In this post, I'll show you how to set up a basic Proxmox cluster for your home lab or small business.

Important Note

Only hosts that do not have any virtual guests running can be added to a cluster!

Step 1: Prepare All Nodes

  • Ensure all nodes are running the same Proxmox version.
  • Set unique hostnames and static IP addresses for each node.
  • Make sure /etc/hosts is correct on all nodes (add all cluster node IPs and hostnames).

Example /etc/hosts: 

192.168.1.101  pve1
192.168.1.102  pve2
192.168.1.103  pve3

Step 2: Initialize the Cluster (on the first/master node)

Replace CLUSTERNAME with your desired cluster name and IP with the master node's IP address:

pvecm create CLUSTERNAME

Check cluster status: 

pvecm status

Step 3: Add Additional Nodes to the Cluster

On each additional node, join the cluster using the master node's IP address:

pvecm add <MASTER_NODE_IP>

You will be prompted for the root password of the master node.

Check status on any node: 

pvecm nodes

Step 4: Troubleshooting Corosync Issues

If you have issues adding a new node (e.g., corosync service hangs), try the following steps on the master node:

systemctl stop pve-cluster
systemctl stop corosync
pmxcfs -l
rm /etc/pve/corosync.conf
rm -r /etc/corosync/*
killall pmxcfs
systemctl start pve-cluster

Step 5: Verify Cluster Health

On any node, check: 

pvecm status
pvecm nodes

For more information, see the Proxmox documentation.