Alexander Derevianko
90 lines
3.8 KiB
Org Mode
90 lines
3.8 KiB
Org Mode
#+TITLE: Installing NixOS on a Proxmox VM using nixos-anywhere
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#+AUTHOR:
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#+DATE:
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#+OPTIONS: toc:t num:nil
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*Abstract*
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This guide documents the process for a minimal installation of NixOS on a Proxmox virtual machine. It leverages the =nixos-anywhere= tool for remote deployment and =disko= for declarative disk partitioning.
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* Table of Contents :TOC:
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- [[#prerequisites-on-the-target-vm][Prerequisites on the Target VM]]
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- [[#installation-process][Installation Process]]
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- [[#deploying-nixos][Deploying NixOS]]
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- [[#note-on-hardware-configuration][Note on Hardware Configuration]]
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- [[#key-configuration-details][Key Configuration Details]]
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- [[#disko-configuration-for-proxmox-mbr-boot][Disko Configuration for Proxmox (MBR Boot)]]
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- [[#todos][TODOs]]
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* Prerequisites on the Target VM
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Before attempting to install NixOS with =nixos-anywhere=, you must first perform a critical setup step on the target Proxmox VM.
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The minimal NixOS installation ISO does not have a default password for the =root= user. The =nixos-anywhere= command requires SSH access, which necessitates a password.
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1. Boot the Proxmox VM using the minimal NixOS installation ISO.
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2. Open a terminal on the VM's console.
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3. Set a password for the =root= user by running the following command:
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#+begin_src sh
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passwd
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#+end_src
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You will be prompted to enter and confirm a new password.
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* Installation Process
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** Deploying NixOS
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With the root password set on the target VM, you can now run =nixos-anywhere= from your local machine to deploy your NixOS configuration.
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The following command uses =nix run= to execute =nixos-anywhere=, pointing it to a specific flake output (=.#susano-minimal=) and the IP address of the target VM.
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#+begin_src sh
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nix run github:nix-community/nixos-anywhere -- \
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--flake .#susano-minimal \
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--target-host root@192.168.1.85
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#+end_src
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** Note on Hardware Configuration
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While not used in the command above, =nixos-anywhere= can automatically generate a hardware configuration file from the target machine. This is useful for capturing machine-specific settings.
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To do this, include the =--generate-hardware-config= flag in your command. The following example shows how to generate the file and save it as =./hardware-configuration.nix= in your local flake directory.
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#+begin_src sh
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nix run github:nix-community/nixos-anywhere -- \
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--flake .#your-flake-output \
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--target-host root@192.168.1.85 \
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--generate-hardware-config ./hardware-configuration.nix
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#+end_src
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* Key Configuration Details
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** Disko Configuration for Proxmox (MBR Boot)
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A critical requirement for ensuring a NixOS VM can boot correctly in Proxmox is the disk partition scheme. Proxmox expects a Master Boot Record (MBR) compatible setup.
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When using =disko= for declarative disk management, you must configure it to create a GPT partition table that includes a special 1M BIOS boot partition (type =EF02=). This partition is specifically used by GRUB for MBR compatibility.
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Here is an example snippet for the =disko= configuration:
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#+begin_src nix
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{
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disko.devices = {
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disk = {
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main = {
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device = "/dev/sda";
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type = "disk";
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content = {
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type = "gpt";
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partitions = {
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boot = {
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size = "1M";
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type = "EF02"; # for grub MBR
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};
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# ... your other partitions like root, swap, etc.
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};
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};
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};
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};
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};
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}
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#+end_src
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For a complete example, you can refer to the official =disko= repository: [[https://github.com/nix-community/disko/blob/master/example/gpt-bios-compat.nix][gpt-bios-compat.nix]].
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* TODOs
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- [ ] Refactor the =disko= configuration to make the disk device name (e.g., =/dev/sda=) a variable. This will avoid hardcoding the value and make the configuration more portable across different hardware setups.
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