Technical Tip: How to create Manager/Aggregator/Core VMs in Proxmox

[feldmana]

Description

Proxmox is an open-source enterprise-grade hypervisor which uses KVM as a backend for virtualization.

This article describes creating FortiEDR Manager/Aggregator/Core components VMs in a Proxmox virtualization environment.

Scope

This setup applies to FortiEDR version 6.2 and later, running on Proxmox Virtual Environment 8.4.0.

Solution

Uploading ISO Images to Proxmox:

To make ISO images available for use in Proxmox, upload them using either of the following methods:

Option 1: Web Interface.

1. Navigate to Storage -> ISO Images.
   
2. Select the upload button to add the desired ISO file.
   

   

Option 2: Direct Upload via File System.

Upload ISO files directly to the Proxmox host by placing them in:

/var/lib/vz/template/iso/

Note: Ensure sufficient storage is available. A temporary file is created during the upload in /var/tmp at the Proxmox host Server.

Creating a VM:

Before creating a VM, make sure the required ISO files are uploaded.

1. 'Right Click' on the Node or from the top toolbar, and select Create VM.
   
                                                                 
2. Specify a name for the virtual machine.
   

VM Naming Convention:

vm-<VMID>-<NAME>.<FORMAT>

Example: ubuntu-prod-manager-v6.2.

                          

3. Select Type as Linux, choose the uploaded ISO, and select Next.

   

4. Optional: Install the qemu-guest-agent in the guest OS to enable better interaction between the host and VM.
   More info: Qemu Guest Agent - Proxmox Wiki.
   
   
   

5. Change the disk size according to system requirements.
   Refer to the System Requirements article and select the appropriate FortiEDR version for your deployment.
   

Note: The Manager, Aggregator, and Core components were tested using VirtIO disk configuration and confirmed to work successfully.

For more info: https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/pve-admin-guide.html#_system_requirements

When selecting a storage format type for virtual disks, it's important to be aware that not all storage types support snapshots.

Refer to the official Proxmox documentation for details:
Proxmox Storage Types

6. Set the number of processors based on system requirements.
   Refer to the System Requirements article and select the appropriate FortiEDR version for your deployment.
   
   
   Type: Select Host to pass through native hardware capabilities without emulation.
   
   
   

7. Set the RAM according to system requirements.

   Refer to the System Requirements article and select the appropriate FortiEDR version for your deployment.
   
   
   
8. Specify the Network Device.
    
   

   Note: In Proxmox VE, enabling the firewall at the VM level without defining rules may block all network traffic by default. To avoid unintended connectivity issues, make sure the Firewall option is unchecked when creating or configuring VMs, unless specific firewall rules are intentionally applied.
   
   

   For more information, refer to the official documentation: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Firewall

   
   
   
   
9. Finalize: Verify the Configurations and select Finish.