# Proxmox VM/Container Creation Runbook — Capacity and Availability

**Last Updated:** 2026-02-13  
**Purpose:** Create all planned VMs/containers on the Proxmox cluster using capacity and availability best practices. Use this when SSH'd to the Proxmox host or from a host that can SSH to Proxmox with access to env/config.

**Related:** [VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL](../02-architecture/VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL.md) | [PROXMOX_CLUSTER_ARCHITECTURE](../02-architecture/PROXMOX_CLUSTER_ARCHITECTURE.md) | [PROXMOX_COMPLETE_RECOMMENDATIONS](../10-best-practices/PROXMOX_COMPLETE_RECOMMENDATIONS.md) | [STEPS_FROM_PROXMOX_OR_LAN_WITH_SECRETS](../00-meta/STEPS_FROM_PROXMOX_OR_LAN_WITH_SECRETS.md)

---

## 1. Capacity and availability principles

- **Node spread:** Prefer **r630-01** (192.168.11.11) and **r630-02** (192.168.11.12) for new workloads; **ml110** (192.168.11.10) already runs 34 containers and is CPU/memory constrained. Distribute to improve redundancy and performance.
- **VMID ranges:** Use [VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL](../02-architecture/VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL.md) — e.g. DBIS Core 10000–10199, Sankofa 7800–8999, Besu 1000–4999. Do not reuse VMIDs.
- **Storage:** Use `local-lvm` or node-specific thin pools (e.g. r630-01 thin1, r630-02 thin2–thin6). Set `PROXMOX_STORAGE` per node if creating on a specific host.
- **High availability:** For critical services (DB, API), create primary and secondary on **different nodes** where possible (e.g. DB primary on r630-01, replica on r630-02).
- **Templates:** Use a single OS template (e.g. `local:vztmpl/ubuntu-22.04-standard_22.04-1_amd64.tar.zst`). Ensure template exists on the target node or use shared storage.
- **Network:** Use `vmbr0` (VLAN-aware). Assign static IPs from the allocated ranges; document in [ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS](../04-configuration/ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS.md) and [RPC_ENDPOINTS_MASTER](../04-configuration/RPC_ENDPOINTS_MASTER.md).

---

## 2. Cluster node summary

| Node     | IP             | CPU / RAM   | Storage        | Current load      | Use for                          |
|----------|----------------|------------|----------------|-------------------|----------------------------------|
| ml110    | 192.168.11.10 | 6c / 125GB | 907GB (26% used) | 34 containers     | Lightweight / management only    |
| r630-01  | 192.168.11.11 | 32c / 503GB| thin1 200GB+   | 0                 | New VMs (DBIS, Sankofa, RPC)     |
| r630-02  | 192.168.11.12 | 56c / 251GB| thin2–thin6    | Some VMs          | New VMs (HA pair, heavy workload)|
| r630-03  | 192.168.11.13 | 32c / 512GB| Available      | 0                 | Future expansion                 |
| r630-04  | 192.168.11.14 | 32c / 512GB| Available      | 0                 | Future expansion                 |

---

## 3. Create DBIS Core containers (6 LXC)

**VMIDs:** 10100 (PostgreSQL primary), 10101 (replica), 10120 (Redis), 10150 (API primary), 10151 (API secondary), 10130 (Frontend).  
**Specs:** See [dbis_core/config/dbis-core-proxmox.conf](../../dbis_core/config/dbis-core-proxmox.conf) (memory, cores, disk).

**From repo root (with SSH to Proxmox):**

```bash
# Default PROXMOX_HOST=192.168.11.10 (ml110). For HA, consider creating on r630-01/r630-02 by setting PROXMOX_NODE and storage.
export PROXMOX_HOST="${PROXMOX_HOST:-192.168.11.10}"
export STORAGE="${PROXMOX_STORAGE:-local-lvm}"
export TEMPLATE="${CONTAINER_OS_TEMPLATE:-local:vztmpl/ubuntu-22.04-standard_22.04-1_amd64.tar.zst}"

NON_INTERACTIVE=1 ./dbis_core/scripts/deployment/create-dbis-core-containers.sh
```

**Best practice:** To spread across nodes, run creation once per node with different VMID sets, or extend the script to accept `PROXMOX_NODE` and create API secondary / replica on r630-02.

**After creation:** Run DBIS Core deploy and configure (see dbis_core/scripts/deployment/deploy-all.sh, configure-database.sh).

---

## 4. Create missing Besu/RPC containers (if needed)

If VMIDs 2506–2508 or other RPC/validator slots are needed:

```bash
./scripts/create-missing-containers-2506-2508.sh
```

Check [VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL](../02-architecture/VMID_ALLOCATION_FINAL.md) and [create-chain138-containers.sh](../../scripts/create-chain138-containers.sh) for Chain 138–specific containers.

---

## 5. Sankofa / Phoenix (7800–8999)

- **7800:** Phoenix (initial). **7801:** Sankofa.  
- Create via Proxmox UI or `pct create` / `qm create` with VMIDs and IPs from [ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS](../04-configuration/ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS.md).  
- Prefer r630-01 or r630-02 for new VMs to avoid overloading ml110.

---

## 6. One-shot “create all” from LAN

From a host on LAN with SSH to Proxmox and repo cloned:

```bash
./scripts/run-all-operator-tasks-from-lan.sh --create-vms
```

This runs backup + Blockscout verify + (optionally) contract deploy, then **create-vms** which invokes `dbis_core/scripts/deployment/create-dbis-core-containers.sh`. For additional VM sets (e.g. Sankofa, Chain 138), run the specific scripts in §4–§5 after.

---

## 7. Checklist after creating VMs

- [ ] Update [ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS](../04-configuration/ALL_VMIDS_ENDPOINTS.md) with VMID, hostname, IP, node.
- [ ] Update [RPC_ENDPOINTS_MASTER](../04-configuration/RPC_ENDPOINTS_MASTER.md) if new RPC/explorer.
- [ ] Install and start services (DBIS: deploy-all.sh, configure-database.sh; others per service runbook).
- [ ] Enable monitoring (Cacti, Prometheus, or existing stack) for new nodes.
- [ ] Schedule backups if applicable (e.g. NPMplus backup cron; DB dumps for DBIS).