Proxmox Backup Server¶

In this article

• Proxmox Backup Server. Key Features
• Getting Started after Deploying Proxmox Backup Server
• Authentication
• Creating a Datastore (Storage)
• Datastore Management Interface
• Backup Types and Monitoring
• Using ZFS for Storage
• Integration of Proxmox Backup Server with Proxmox VE
• Ordering Proxmox Backup Server via API

Proxmox Backup Server. Key Features¶

• Efficient Data Storage: Client-side and server-side data deduplication, compression, and incremental backups to save disk space and time.
• High Security: End-to-end encryption using modern algorithms (AES-256-GCM), key-based authentication, and support for two-factor authentication.
• Easy Administration: Intuitive web interface, RESTful API, and command-line tools for convenient backup management.
• Flexible Storage Options: Ability to create a datastore on a single disk or use ZFS, LVM, and support for remote storage via S3-compatible services.
• Integration with Proxmox VE: Seamless integration with Proxmox Virtual Environment for simplified virtual machine and container backups.
• Data Verification: Automatic integrity check of backups to ensure reliable recovery.
• Task Scheduling: Flexible scheduling of backup tasks using schedules and retention policies.
• Monitoring and Notifications: Tools for monitoring backup processes, receiving task status notifications, and error alerts.
• High Performance: Optimized for fast creation and restoration of backups with minimal impact on system performance.
• Cluster Support: Configuration of a high-availability cluster to ensure continuous backup and data recovery.

Deployment Features¶

Getting Started after Deploying Proxmox Backup Server¶

After payment, an email notification will be sent to the address specified at registration indicating that the server is ready for operation. It will include the VPS IP address and credentials for access. Our company's clients manage equipment through the Server Management Panel and API — Invapi..

Authentication data can be found either in the Info >> Tags tab of the server management panel or in the sent email: - Username: root; - Password: Sent by email upon server readiness post-deployment.

Authentication¶

To start working with Proxmox Backup Server, you need to:

1. Open a web browser and enter in the address bar: https://<IP-address-of-the-server>:8007
2. Accept the SSL certificate security warning (on first connection);
3. Enter credentials:
   • Username: root;
   • Password: Received upon server order;
   • Realm: Select Linux PAM standard authentication;
4. Click the Login button:

It is also possible to connect via SSH to execute commands in the terminal:

ssh root@<IP-address-of-the-server>

Creating a Datastore (Storage)¶

Proxmox Backup Server allows you to configure a datastore on a separate disk or in a directory on one disk. To create a datastore:

1. In the web interface, go to the Data Storage section
2. Click the Add Datastore button

3. Fill in the necessary fields:

   • Name: Enter a unique name for the datastore. Important: The name should contain only lowercase Latin letters, numbers, and underscores (e.g., my_datastore). Spaces, uppercase letters, and special characters are not allowed;
   • Backing Path: Specify the absolute path to the directory for storing backups;
   • Garbage Collector Schedule: Choose a garbage collector schedule (e.g., daily);
   • Deletion Schedule: Select a cleanup schedule for old copies (e.g., daily);
   • If necessary, mark the option Removable datastore - allows marking the datastore as removable (e.g., an external disk);
   • Comment: Add a comment (optional).

Creating a Datastore on One Disk in a Separate Directory¶

A feature of Proxmox Backup Server is the ability to create a datastore on one disk in a separate directory: 1. First, create a directory that will be used for storing backups through SSH or console:

mkdir /backups

After that, the created datastore will be available for use and management:

Datastore Management Interface¶

After creating a datastore, you will have access to various management tools through tabs:

• Summary: Main information about the datastore, including disk space usage and deduplication factor;
• Contents: View and manage saved backups;
• Prune & GC Jobs: Set up clean-up and garbage collection tasks;
• Sync Jobs: Set up synchronization with other datastores;
• Verify Jobs: Set up regular integrity checks of data;
• Settings: Change datastore settings;
• Permissions: Manage access permissions to the datastore.

Backup Types and Monitoring¶

Proxmox Backup Server supports several types of backups:

• Container: Backups of LXC containers;
• Host: Backups of physical servers;
• Virtual Machine: Backups of virtual machines (QEMU/KVM).

The system displays for each type the number of groups and snapshots in the datastore.

Monitoring Datastore Usage¶

In the datastore section, you can track:

• Disk Space Usage: Total used and free space;
• Deduplication Factor: Indicator of data deduplication efficiency. A value above 1.0 means that the system effectively eliminates duplicate data. For example, a factor of 2.0 means that thanks to deduplication, twice as much space is saved;
• Usage Graph: Visual display of datastore filling dynamics over time;

Using ZFS for Storage¶

Proxmox Backup Server supports creating storage on ZFS, which provides additional benefits in the form of built-in data protection, compression, and snapshots at the file system level.

Installing Necessary Packages for ZFS (only for manual installation)¶

If you installed Proxmox Backup Server manually, you need to install the following packages to work with ZFS:

apt update

apt install -y zfs-dkms linux-headers-amd64

reboot

Creating a ZFS Pool¶

1. Identify available disks using the command:

   lsblk
   

2. Create a ZFS pool (example for one disk):

   zpool create backup-pool /dev/sdX
   

   Or for RAID-Z (similar to RAID-5, requires at least 3 disks):

   zpool create backup-pool raidz /dev/sdX /dev/sdY /dev/sdZ
   

3. Check the created pool:

   zpool status
   

Integration of Proxmox Backup Server with Proxmox VE¶

One of the key advantages of Proxmox Backup Server is the ability to seamlessly integrate with Proxmox Virtual Environment for efficient virtual machine and container backups.

Adding Proxmox Backup Server in Proxmox VE¶

1. Log into the Proxmox VE web interface (https://<IP-address_Proxmox_VE>:8006);

2. Go to Datacenter → Storage:

   

3. Click the Add button and select Proxmox Backup Server;

4. Fill in the necessary fields:

   • ID: Unique identifier of the datastore (e.g., pbs);
   • Server: IP address of the PBS server (format: <IP>:8007);
   • Datastore: Name of the datastore created on Proxmox Backup Server;
   • Username: Username for authentication (format: root@pam);
   • Password: User password;
   • Fingerprint: Leave the field empty on first connection attempt;
   • Click the Add button to save settings:

   

create storage failed: pbs: error fetching datastores - fingerprint '21:96:AE:EE:0A:5B:7E:CA:F0:9A:4C:69:E4:6D:71:C9:EB:0E:16:6C:DD:E1:97:65:70:DF:C2:EA:98:82:EB:DB' not verified, abort! (500)

proxmox-backup-client login --repository <IP-address PBS>:8007:<datastore-name>

Creating a Backup Task in Proxmox VE¶

1. Go to Datacenter → Backup:

   

2. Click the Add button

3. Configure backup parameters:

   • Storage: Select the previously added PBS datastore;
   • Schedule: Set a schedule;
   • Selection Mode: Choose which VMs to back up (All/Include/Exclude);
   • Compression: Choose a compression method (zstd is recommended);
   • Mode: Choose the copy mode (snapshot/pause/stop);
   • Enable: Activate the task;
   • Click Create to save the task:

Setting up Proxmox Backup Client on Proxmox VE¶

1. On Proxmox VE servers, the proxmox-backup-client is usually pre-installed. Check for the presence of the client:

   which proxmox-backup-client
   

2. Connect to Proxmox Backup Server with datastore specification:

   proxmox-backup-client login --repository <IP-address PBS>:8007:<datastore-name>
   

3. On first connection, the system will display a certificate fingerprint and request confirmation. Enter y to confirm. Remember or note this fingerprint - it is needed when adding the datastore in Proxmox VE.

4. To check connection status and information about the datastore:

   proxmox-backup-client status --repository <IP-address PBS>:8007:<datastore-name>
   

5. In Proxmox VE, when adding a PBS datastore, use the certificate fingerprint from step 3 in the "Fingerprint" field.

6. For all operations with Proxmox Backup Client version 3.4.0, it is necessary to explicitly specify the --repository parameter with the full repository address, including the datastore name.

Restoring Virtual Machines from Backups¶

1. In the Proxmox VE web interface, go to the PBS datastore by clicking on it in the sidebar: proxmox_<ID_server> → pbs (proxmox_<ID_server>);
2. Go to the Backups tab;
3. Select the desired backup from the list (when they appear);
4. Click the Restore button in the top panel;
5. In the opened dialog window, configure restore parameters;
6. Click Restore to start the process:

Ordering Proxmox Backup Server via API¶

To install this software using the API, follow these instructions.

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