# Proxmox Host Preparation

> Minimal preparation steps on the Proxmox host before creating LXCs, VMs, and the ZFS storage pool.

# Proxmox Host Preparation

This covers the minimal steps on the Proxmox host before creating any VMs or LXCs.

## Update the system

After installing Proxmox VE, update it fully before doing anything else:

```bash
apt update && apt upgrade -y
```

No additional Proxmox plugins or repositories are needed for this setup.

## Verify the network bridge

The default bridge `vmbr0` is used for all LXCs and VMs. Verify it is connected to your main LAN interface:

Go to **Proxmox UI → Node → Network** and confirm `vmbr0` shows your physical interface as its bridge port.

All LXCs and VMs in this setup use `vmbr0`. No VLAN configuration is required.

## Identify data disks

Before creating the ZFS pool, identify which disks will be used for data:

```bash
lsblk
```

Or check in the Proxmox UI under **Node → Disks**.

Make sure the data disks are empty. Any existing data will be destroyed when the ZFS pool is created.

Keep the system disk (Proxmox OS) separate from data disks.

## Optional: iGPU passthrough preparation

Only needed if you plan to use hardware transcoding in Plex.

**1. Enable IOMMU in BIOS**

- Intel: enable **VT-d**
- AMD: enable **AMD-Vi**

**2. Enable IOMMU in the Proxmox kernel**

Edit `/etc/default/grub` and add `intel_iommu=on` (or `amd_iommu=on`) to `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT`:

```
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet intel_iommu=on iommu=pt"
```

Then update grub and reboot:

```bash
update-grub
reboot
```

**3. Verify**

After reboot:

```bash
dmesg | grep -e DMAR -e IOMMU
```

You should see lines indicating IOMMU is enabled. The actual GPU passthrough configuration happens later in the Plex LXC step.

## Result

At this point:

- Proxmox host is updated and running
- Network bridge is verified
- Data disks are identified
- IOMMU enabled (if GPU transcoding is planned)