Setting up a Proxmox Backup Server

When I switched to using a HP Proliant ML110 Gen9 tower server for my homelab use, I used a Proxmox Backup Server VM to backup the VMs on the Dell Poweredge R720 that I wanted to migrate, then used the backups to move those VMs to the ML110 Gen9. This made me realise how useful such a backup server is.

Previously, I had a Proxmox cluster that included the Dell Poweredge R720, another Dell Poweredge R430, and a Raspberry Pi 4 as a cluster node for quorum. This allowed me to migrate VMs between nodes in the cluster, but I have since deleted that cluster because I really didn't need something so elaborate. However, that also means that it is a bit more troublesome if I need to move a VM from one server to another, since it usually entails finding a way to copy the backup file from one server to another.

Proxmox Backup Server allows me to keep the backups on a single server which can be easily shared by several servers. If I need to move a VM, I just have to backup that VM (onto the backup server), then restore it on another server.

So I got myself a second-hand NAS that has four bays, runs on an Intel Celeron J1900 processor, and gave it 8GB of RAM. It also came with a 8GB SATA SSD plugged directly onto one of the SATA ports on the motherboard, but I thought I should give it a bit more space for the main boot disk, so I am using a 32GB USB thumb drive as the boot disk instead.

 

Installing Proxmox Backup Server was very simple. Just download and flash the ISO onto a thumb drive, and boot from that thumb drive. Follow the prompts to install the server onto the 32GB USB thumb drive, and set the BIOS to boot from that.

After booting, I needed to add a datastore to the backup server to store my backups. When I got the NAS, it came with a 2TB HDD, so I just reused it to add a "Directory" storage.

 

Then, I went into my other servers and, under the "Datacenter", added a "Proxmox Backup Server" under "Storage". This will allow me to choose that backup server as a storage location for future backups. For good measure, I backed up all the VMs on the R430, so that I can reinstall the R430 to use a 1TB SSD as the boot disk (instead of the 256GB USB SSD that I am using right now). It also means that, if I ever so decide, I can switch the R430 to another tower server instead of having to hear jet engines roaring every time I boot it up. 😅

Oh, the backup server uses about 19W of power, by the way.