Proxmox install, and migrate, to a Mac, Mini 2018

When migrating a Proxmox(PX) install from a standard Intel server to a Mac Mini(MC) i got some problem. The MC booted from the USB, using the PX ISO file, but it froze direct after I had selected the installation method.

So after searching the net it ended up with first installing Debian 13, which worked very well, and after that adding the PX software.

Please note !!! that if you have a Mac with the T2 security chip, like the Mac mini 2018, you can’t boot, by default, from en external or removable media without changing security.

Another thing is autostart after power failure which is descibed in this post.

Install

Here is the link to to the install and since it's described so well it could be that there been some trouble for others to ? 😉

The bridge 

PX needs a bridge to the network card which the VM:s and containers use. In a standard installation it's created but here you have to do it maually

On the node level "proxmox"

System => Network => Create => Linux Bridge

Name:            vmbr0

IPv4/CIDR:       192.168.68.202/24

Gateway:         192.168.68.1

Bridge ports:    enp4s0

Autostart:       Yes

The "Bridge ports:" name is found at "System => Network", Type Network Device, and the IP info shall match your setup.

Migration

At the source server do a local backup on all the VM:s and containers. The backup files will be available at "/var/lib/vz/dump", if you used "local" storage, as below examples

Containers =>

vzdump-lxc-208-2026_07_16-09_36_30.tar.zst

VM:s =>

vzdump-qemu-209-2026_07_16-09_37_46.vma.zst

Copy them to the target server. Could be 

scp vzdump-qemu-209-2026_07_16-09_37_46.vma.zst proxmox@192.168.68.202:

and at the target server use, as root, the respective command

Container restore =>

pct restore  208 /home/proxmox/vzdump-lxc-208-2026_07_11-16_13_43.tar.zst

VM restore =>

qmrestore /home/proxmox/vzdump-qemu-209-2026_07_16-09_37_46.vma.zst 209 --storage local

Start them up and check !

Remarks

Restore

Please note that the VM restore command includes "--storage local" at the end of the command.

The migration was done from an Intel machine, source, which was created as a standard install with the Proxmox ISO file. The installation creates a storage with name "local-lvm", storing VM:s, which isn't created in this setup for the target machine. So to make the restore of the VM to work you most point to "--storage local" instead of the default. More about LVM here.

If the VM restore goes wrong and you have to clean up use "qm destroy 209".

If the restored VM/LXC doesn't start use "pct start 209 --debug" from shell at Node level.

"mount:s" added to "fstab" in the source server will have to be added manually in the target

Services

There are a lot of Proxmox services running "under the hood".... check them with 

systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running | grep -i pve

Filezilla

If you don't like the copy commands above you can use Filezilla, or some other FTP client, and use the PX:s built in SFTP server. First download from the source to your client and then move them to the target.

USB-C doesn't work

A classic Apple phenomenon under Linux is that if the computer's firmware doesn't detect any device in the USB-C/Thunderbolt port at the exact moment the power is turned on, the entire controller shuts down to save power. By doing a "cold boot", with the cable/device plugged in, you are forcing the hardware to keep the port alive.

Mail notification

Notifications can be sent for several events. For me the best an easiest method for getting the notifications was using SMTP as target. With this method you send emails directly to an SMTP mail relay.

I'm using iCloud mail where you have to use an app-specific password and then created a notification target, "Apple"

Mail server:    smtp.mail.me.com

Encryption:    STARTTLS

Port:               587

Setup is done via "Datacenter => Notifications"

Then at "Notification Matchers" edit matcher "default-matcher => Targets to notify" and select "Apple" and deselect "mail-to-root".

System report

Is found at "Node proxmox => Subscription => System Report"

qemu-guest-agent

Don't forget to always have the qemu-guest-agent installed on your VM:s !

Errors

The system log is available at "Node Poxmox => System log"

no efidisk configured! Using temporary efivars disk.

A Proxmox EFI disk is a small virtual disk used by virtual machines (VMs) running with UEFI/OVMF boot mode. In my case, using Home Assistant, this wasn't created ? So stop the VM and "VM(nn) => Add => EFI disk => EFI Storage => Pre-Enroll keys => Deselect => OK" and then start the VM again.

Proxmox kernel, Mac T2

I was a little interested in getting Mac fan control so checked "mbfan". This app needs some kernel moodules loaded which can be checked with "lsmod | grep -e applesmc -e coretemp".

The "applesmc" didnt appear and this seems to be the T2 chips "fault". So this led to the Proxmox kernel for Mac T2:s........ but it ended up with using Node-RED to just monitor the temperature with "cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone1/temp".

Network Backup

In my case I use the Samba share and started with adding the Storage "Datacenter => Storage => Add => Backup => SMB/CIFS" and fill the appropriate fields. "Contet" must be "Backup". Click on the drop down in the "Share" field and the server will be scanned for shares.

Then go to "Datacenter => Backup => Add" and create with the new storage. The backup will create a folder "dump" at the selected share.