Proxmox Virtualization Lab

Project Overview

This project demonstrates a self-hosted virtualization lab designed to practice system administration, Windows Server management, Active Directory testing, Linux administration, networking, and VM resource management.

Architecture Diagram

Physical Proxmox Host
    |
    |-- OPNsense Firewall/Router VM
    |
    |-- Windows Server 2022 VM
    |     |-- Active Directory
    |     |-- DNS
    |
    |-- Windows 11 Client VM
    |     |-- Domain Join Testing
    |     |-- User Authentication Testing
    |
    |-- Ubuntu Server VM
          |-- Linux Administration
          |-- Service Testing

Network:
LAN Gateway
   |
Proxmox Host
   |
vmbr0 Bridge WAN
   |
OPNsense Firewall/Router
   |
vmbr1 Bridge LAN
   |
Windows Server 2022
Windows 11
Ubuntu Server

Host System

Installed Proxmox VE on dedicated hardware
Assigned a static management IP address for Proxmox web access
Created and managed virtual machines through the Proxmox web interface
Allocated CPU, memory, and storage resources for each virtual machine
Used Proxmox to monitor VM status, uptime, and resource usage

Proxmox dashboard showing host resource usage.

Proxmox node summary and hardware utilization.

Virtual Machine Environment

Multiple virtual machines were created to simulate a small business lab environment for server administration and endpoint testing.

Deployed Windows Server 2022 virtual machine
Deployed Windows 11 client virtual machine
Deployed Ubuntu Server virtual machine
Deployed OPNsense virtual machine
Configured VM storage, CPU cores, RAM, and network adapters
Used VMs to test domain services, Linux services, and network connectivity

Proxmox VM list — Virtual machines created inside Proxmox VE.

Proxmox VM hardware settings — VM hardware configuration example.

Virtualized Network Infrastructure

The lab uses Proxmox virtual networking to provide connectivity between Windows Server, Windows 11, Ubuntu Server, and OPNsense virtual machines. Proxmox was assigned a static management IP address, and connectivity was validated between infrastructure components to support Active Directory, DNS, authentication, and administrative services.

Assigned Proxmox a static IP address for management access
Configured virtual machine networking within Proxmox
Validated communication between the domain controller and Windows client VM
Confirmed Windows client connectivity to Active Directory services
Troubleshot DNS and domain join connectivity during lab deployment
Deployed an OPNsense firewall VM for network security and traffic management
Created and tested firewall rules to control communication between lab systems

Technologies Used

Proxmox VE
Windows Server 2022
Windows 11
Ubuntu Server
Active Directory
DNS
Linux Bridge Networking
Virtual Machines
System Administration
OPNsense

Security & Administration

Kept Proxmox management access limited to the internal network
Used separate virtual machines for server, client, and Linux testing
Maintained separation between lab workloads and public-facing services
Used screenshots instead of exposing administrative interfaces publicly

Lessons Learned

Configured and managed Type 1 hypervisor infrastructure
Troubleshot bridge networking and VM connectivity
Allocated CPU, memory, and storage resources across multiple VMs
Tested Windows domain services in an isolated lab environment
Improved understanding of virtualization used in system administration roles