the home site for me: also iteration 3 or 4 of my site
dunkirk.sh
1+++
2title = "Install TrueNAS Core on Proxmox"
3date = 2023-07-10
4slug = "install-truenas-core-proxmox"
5description = "How to install TrueNas Core on proxmox with drive passthrough"
6
7[taxonomies]
8tags = ["tutorial", "archival"]
9
10[extra]
11has_toc = true
12+++
13
14{{ img(id="https://cloud-f19fn8u8j-hack-club-bot.vercel.app/0image.png" alt="screenshot of the vault vm in proxmox" caption="my active vault storing 1.8TB of old projects") }}
15
16## Introduction
17
18> Note: I have since found out that running TrueNAS in a VM passing through the drives may not be a very good solution as it essentially just creates a large virtual disk that is the size of the drive you are passing through. Because of this I will not be using this setup in my homelab and will instead create a large ZFS pool on Proxmox. However if you are fine with those downsides, then have fun and enjoy the tutorial.
19
20To install [TrueNAS Core](https://www.truenas.com/download-truenas-core/#) on [Proxmox](https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-ve) you need three things:
21
221. A copy of [Proxmox](https://www.proxmox.com/en/proxmox-ve) — A complete, open-source server management platform for enterprise virtualization.
232. A [TrueNAS CORE](https://www.truenas.com/download-truenas-core/#) ISO — World’s #1 NAS Operating System
243. HDDs — You can use whatever you want, but I will be using three Barracuda ES 750GB drives
25
26## Install TrueNAS Core
27
28Sign-in to Proxmox and upload your ISO to the local storage or, download the file directly from the link using the built-in ISO fetcher.
29
30{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/Ww212rUDQ_Ms9P2WhJMwz.png" alt="download iso tool in proxmox") }}
31
32Next to create the VM, the only thing that needs to be changed from the defaults is the memory, which I set to `8192 MB` (8 GB).
33
34{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/bDT9VdIMMG1LWvv1RwNKl.png" alt="create a vm modal in proxmox") }}
35
36Now finish creating the VM and click on the VM after it is created. Go to options and enable start at boot.
37
38{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/ImxOHWJNuRL3yiF12cQfe.png" alt="start at boot checkbox") }}
39
40Next, we need to pass through the physical drives to the VM. Open a terminal on the Proxmox server (use the built-in terminal or ssh in) and run the following command. Only run the part after the #.
41
42> root@thespia:~# lsblk -o +MODEL,SERIAL
43```bash
44NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT MODEL SERIAL
45sda 8:0 0 698.6G 0 disk ST3750330NS 9QK2GT8R
46sdb 8:16 0 698.6G 0 disk ST3750640NS 3QD0AYE0
47sdc 8:32 0 698.6G 0 disk ST3750640NS 3QD0BQ5G
48sdd 8:48 1 111.8G 0 disk Hitachi_HTS543212L9SA02 090130FBEB00LGGJ35RF
49├─sdd1 8:49 1 1007K 0 part
50├─sdd2 8:50 1 512M 0 part /boot/efi
51└─sdd3 8:51 1 111.3G 0 part
52 ├─pve-swap 253:0 0 8G 0 lvm [SWAP]
53 ├─pve-root 253:1 0 37.8G 0 lvm /
54 ├─pve-data_tmeta 253:2 0 1G 0 lvm
55 │ └─pve-data-tpool 253:4 0 49.6G 0 lvm
56 │ ├─pve-data 253:5 0 49.6G 1 lvm
57 │ ├─pve-vm--100--cloudinit 253:6 0 4M 0 lvm
58 │ └─pve-vm--101--cloudinit 253:7 0 4M 0 lvm
59 └─pve-data_tdata 253:3 0 49.6G 0 lvm
60 └─pve-data-tpool 253:4 0 49.6G 0 lvm
61 ├─pve-data 253:5 0 49.6G 1 lvm
62 ├─pve-vm--100--cloudinit 253:6 0 4M 0 lvm
63 └─pve-vm--101--cloudinit 253:7 0 4M 0 lvm
64sde 8:64 0 465.8G 0 disk WDC_WD5000AAKS-65YGA0 WD-WCAS83511331
65├─sde1 8:65 0 465.8G 0 part
66└─sde9 8:73 0 8M 0 part
67zd0 230:0 0 32G 0 disk
68├─zd0p1 230:1 0 100M 0 part
69├─zd0p2 230:2 0 16M 0 part
70├─zd0p3 230:3 0 31.4G 0 part
71└─zd0p4 230:4 0 522M 0 part
72zd16 230:16 0 80G 0 disk
73├─zd16p1 230:17 0 1M 0 part
74└─zd16p2 230:18 0 80G 0 part
75zd32 230:32 0 4M 0 disk
76zd48 230:48 0 80G 0 disk
77├─zd48p1 230:49 0 1M 0 part
78└─zd48p2 230:50 0 80G 0 part
79zd64 230:64 0 1M 0 disk
80zd80 230:80 0 32G 0 disk
81```
82
83In my server `sda, sdb, and sdc` are my drives. I can tell because they have no partitions and are `698.6G`. Next, based on the serial numbers of the disks, find the `dev/disk/by-id` of the drive.
84
85> root@thespia:~# ls /dev/disk/by-id/
86```bash
87ata-Hitachi_HTS543212L9SA02_090130FBEB00LGGJ35RF
88ata-Hitachi_HTS543212L9SA02_090130FBEB00LGGJ35RF-part1
89ata-Hitachi_HTS543212L9SA02_090130FBEB00LGGJ35RF-part2
90ata-Hitachi_HTS543212L9SA02_090130FBEB00LGGJ35RF-part3
91ata-ST3750330NS_9QK2GT8R
92ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0AYE0
93ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0BQ5G
94ata-WDC_WD5000AAKS-65YGA0_WD-WCAS83511331
95ata-WDC_WD5000AAKS-65YGA0_WD-WCAS83511331-part1
96ata-WDC_WD5000AAKS-65YGA0_WD-WCAS83511331-part9
97dm-name-pve-root
98dm-name-pve-swap
99dm-name-pve-vm--100--cloudinit
100dm-name-pve-vm--101--cloudinit
101dm-uuid-LVM-i2jw2DEc8aJxdhf3mg7sAcAbc57lfeNL967xBhsO2KsTDqSJ5KB9pGqef5HjQJHk
102dm-uuid-LVM-i2jw2DEc8aJxdhf3mg7sAcAbc57lfeNLQ6hkWGll1H38yFz0ty3RmmJPSRSbj1sa
103dm-uuid-LVM-i2jw2DEc8aJxdhf3mg7sAcAbc57lfeNLrSofGgZtL41un6baoCpRHunOrbJeMTeO
104dm-uuid-LVM-i2jw2DEc8aJxdhf3mg7sAcAbc57lfeNLWPjyk8d4ik2D6KIcp2zaugdFsHB4TNOM
105lvm-pv-uuid-pRECVX-zqKA-evrD-PNof-sTYg-zNrD-WUelFe
106usb-Generic-_Multi-Card_20120926571200000-0:0
107wwn-0x5000c50015a53388
108wwn-0x5000cca562c751e4
109wwn-0x5000cca562c751e4-part1
110wwn-0x5000cca562c751e4-part2
111wwn-0x5000cca562c751e4-part3
112wwn-0x50014ee2ab77b23f
113wwn-0x50014ee2ab77b23f-part1
114wwn-0x50014ee2ab77b23f-part9
115```
116
117In my case, the ID of the drives I want are `ata-ST3750330NS_9QK2GT8`, `ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0AYE0`, and `ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0BQ5G`.
118
119Now find your VM_ID, mine is 102.
120
121{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/gwjgFbI5IrnJSTLTB0PeX.png" alt="vm list in proxmox") }}
122
123Run the following command, replacing the VM_ID and DISK_ID with yours.
124
125> root@thespia:~# qm set VM_ID -scsi1 /dev/disk/by-id/DISK_ID
126```bash
127root@thespia:~# qm set 102 -scsi1 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750330NS_9QK2GT8R
128update VM 102: -scsi1 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750330NS_9QK2GT8R
129root@thespia:~# qm set 102 -scsi2 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0AYE0
130update VM 102: -scsi2 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0AYE0
131root@thespia:~# qm set 102 -scsi3 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0BQ5G
132update VM 102: -scsi3 /dev/disk/by-id/ata-ST3750640NS_3QD0BQ5G
133```
134
135Here is how it appears in Proxmox:
136
137{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/QBpmqflEHmPiUHbd8JVk2.png" alt="hardware page of the vm in proxmox") }}
138
139If everything went well, then you can start your VM now. After it finishes booting up, you will get the screen below. Make sure Install/Upgrade is selected and hit enter.
140
141{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/UFqhrRdD3GkP1_No5lWaj.png" alt="truenas startup screen") }}
142
143You will then get this screen, use space to select the first drive and hit enter.
144
145{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/xD5QxmFtHxw10p624FgwM.png" alt="destination media screen") }}
146
147Hit enter one last time and enter your password.
148
149{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/MZy3mN1cXBaicgVolVYs5.png" alt="confirm erase page") }}
150{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/KWq2P7Iok9LThOF5Xoj6l.png" alt="repeat password page") }}
151
152Select BIOS, as this is the default mode for Proxmox VMs.
153
154{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/RfXwEGx6oug1vVF3UZuCj.png" alt="boot via bios or via uefi screen") }}
155
156After about five to ten minutes, the installation process will finish and the VM will ask you to remove installation media and reboot.
157
158{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/mFEH-FHY10H7NUAvYi0aE.png" alt="installation succeded message") }}
159{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/JPXkEQJgBmeATEE40HHpr.png" alt="hardware screen in proxmox") }}
160
161Select the installation media and remove it with the top button, go back to the console and hit enter, which will take you back to the main menu. On the main menu, select reboot with the arrow keys and hit enter.
162
163{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/IfvdMuF6AVU_f0-_rngqq.png" alt="power options screen in truenas") }}
164
165Once the machine restarts, it will display an IP address in the console.
166
167{{ img(id="https://cloud-pur64l07h-hack-club-bot.vercel.app/0image.png" alt="ip address displayed in proxmox console") }}
168
169Upon connecting to the IP address, you will get this screen. Use the root username and the password, previously configured, to login.
170
171{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/ghvCsvwAJMudUCUGvcnCu.png" alt="truenas web ui signin page") }}
172
173Once logged in, I updated the system using the button on the home screen.
174
175{{ img(id="https://assets.vrite.io/64974cb888e8beebeb2c925b/nrBop3a9ilvuc7h-0WPEG.png" alt="check for updates button in the truenas web ui") }}
176
177I chose not to save the configuration file when prompted, proceeded to install the updates, and rebooted.
178
179I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! My inspiration to make this came from watching [“How to run TrueNAS on Proxmox?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3pKprTdNqQ) by [Christian Lempa](https://www.youtube.com/@christianlempa). I encourage you to watch his video if you want a video guide to installing TrueNAS on Proxmox.
180
181* Written on `2023-07-10` and republished to this blog (with minor edits) on `2024-10-31`