documentation/procedures/pve-post-install-optimization.md

Procedure: Proxmox VE Post-Install Optimization

Scope: Single-node PVE 9.2 (Debian Trixie) post-install cleanup — storage repartitioning, repository configuration, subscription-nag removal, and DNS fix. Author: F.R.I.D.A.Y. Date: 2026-05-31 Prerequisites: PVE 9.2 installed, node reachable via SSH as root, node has internet (or will after DNS fix).

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1. Storage Repartitioning (Remove local-lvm, Expand Root)

Goal: Delete the default thin pool and give all disk space to the root volume for LXC/VM root disks.

1.1 Remove the LVM Thin Pool and LV

# Check current layout
lvs
vgs
pvs

# Remove the Proxmox data thin pool LV
lvremove pve/data
# Confirm with "y" when prompted

1.2 Expand pve/root to Fill Free Space

# Extend the root logical volume to 100% of free VG space
lvextend -l +100%FREE pve/root

# Resize the ext4 filesystem online (no reboot needed)
resize2fs /dev/mapper/pve-root

# Verify
lvs
df -h /

Expected: pve-root is now ~930G–945G depending on disk size.

1.3 Remove local-lvm from Proxmox Storage Config

Critical: Deleting the LV does NOT remove the storage definition. The web UI will still show local-lvm as missing/unavailable until you do this:

cfg="/etc/pve/storage.cfg"

# Backup
cp "$cfg" "$cfg.bak"

# Remove the lvmthin: local-lvm block (including all indented lines)
sed -i '/^lvmthin: local-lvm/,/^[^[:space:]]/ { /^lvmthin: local-lvm/d; /^[[:space:]]/d }' "$cfg"

# Trim leading blank lines
sed -i '/./,$!d' "$cfg"

# Restart services
cat "$cfg"
systemctl restart pvestatd pveproxy

1.4 Add Missing Content Types to local Storage

Critical: After removing local-lvm, the remaining dir: local storage may only have content iso,vztmpl,backup,import. You must add images,rootdir or you cannot create VMs/LXCs — there will be no default storage for disk images and containers.

cfg="/etc/pve/storage.cfg"

# Ensure local storage has ALL content types
cat > "$cfg" <<'STORAGE_EOF'
dir: local
        path /var/lib/vz
        content rootdir,images,iso,vztmpl,backup,import
STORAGE_EOF

# Restart to pick up changes
systemctl restart pvestatd pveproxy

Verify in web UI: Datacenter > Storage > local should show all content types enabled.

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2. Repository Configuration

Goal: Disable enterprise/ceph repos (require subscription) and enable the no-subscription repo.

2.1 Disable Enterprise Repos

for f in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-enterprise.list \
         /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ceph.list; do
    if [ -f "$f" ]; then
        mv "$f" "$f.disabled"
        echo "Disabled: $f"
    fi
done

Important: Both pve-enterprise.list AND ceph.list must be disabled. The PVE installer enables both by default.

2.2 Add No-Subscription Repo

cat > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pve-no-subscription.list <<'REPO_EOF'
deb http://download.proxmox.com/debian/pve trixie pve-no-subscription
REPO_EOF

Note: trixie = Debian 13. Adjust if on a different Debian base.

2.3 Update Package Lists

apt update

If DNS resolution fails (see Section 4), fix DNS first then re-run apt update.

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3. Remove Subscription Nag Screen

Goal: Kill the "No valid subscription" warning popup in the web UI.

js="/usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js"

# Backup
cp "$js" "$js.bak"

# Patch: replace the status check with literal false
sed -i "s/data.status !== 'Active'/false/g" "$js"

# Restart web UI
systemctl restart pveproxy

Verify: Log into the web UI — no subscription warning should appear.

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4. Fix DNS Resolution

Problem: PVE 9.2 PXE installs often get nameserver 127.0.0.1 in /etc/resolv.conf, but no local DNS server is running.

cat > /etc/resolv.conf <<'DNS_EOF'
search ai.home
nameserver 192.168.7.7
nameserver 192.168.18.1
nameserver 1.1.1.1
DNS_EOF

Adjust nameservers to match your network. 192.168.7.7 is the Technitium DNS in the Iron Legion fleet.

After fixing DNS, re-run:

apt update

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5. Verification Checklist

Run these on each node to confirm everything is clean:

echo "=== Storage ==="
df -h /
lvs
echo ""
echo "=== Repos ==="
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/*.list 2>/dev/null | grep -v disabled || echo "no active list files"
echo ""
echo "=== Nag Patch ==="
grep -c "false" /usr/share/javascript/proxmox-widget-toolkit/proxmoxlib.js
echo ""
echo "=== DNS ==="
cat /etc/resolv.conf
echo ""
echo "=== Apt Test ==="
apt update

Expected results:

• pve-root is ~930G+ and only root + swap LVs exist
• No local-lvm in /etc/pve/storage.cfg
• local storage has content rootdir,images,iso,vztmpl,backup,import
• No .list files with enterprise or ceph in the name (only pve-no-subscription.list)
• proxmoxlib.js contains false in the subscription check line
• apt update completes without "Temporary failure resolving" errors

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6. Known Issues & Fixes

Issue	Cause	Fix
local-lvm still shows in UI	LV removed but storage.cfg still has definition	Run Section 1.3
Cannot create VM/LXC	local storage missing images,rootdir	Run Section 1.4
apt update fails with DNS errors	resolv.conf points to 127.0.0.1	Run Section 4
Enterprise repo still active	Only pve-enterprise disabled, ceph.list left behind	Run Section 2.1 (disable BOTH)
Subscription nag still appears	pveproxy not restarted after patch	Run Section 3 + restart pveproxy

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Last updated: 2026-05-31