Virtualization Settings

The Virtualization Settings category optimizes Proxmox VE for enhanced virtualization performance, compatibility, and functionality.

Available Optimizations

1

Enable VFIO IOMMU Support

This setting enables IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) and configures VFIO (Virtual Function I/O) for PCI passthrough, allowing direct assignment of PCI devices to virtual machines.

Why it's beneficial:Enables near-native performance for PCI devices, such as GPUs or network cards, by allowing direct access from VMs. This is essential forGPU acceleration, low-latency networking, and high-performance workloads, reducing hypervisor overhead and improving efficiency.

This adjustment automates the following commands:

# For Intel CPUs
echo "intel_iommu=on" | sudo tee -a /etc/default/grub
# For AMD CPUs
echo "amd_iommu=on" | sudo tee -a /etc/default/grub

echo "vfio vfio_iommu_type1 vfio_pci vfio_virqfd" | sudo tee -a /etc/modules

sudo update-grub
sudo update-initramfs -u -k all
      

2

Install Relevant Guest Agent

This optimization installs the appropriate guest agent based on the virtualization environment.

Why it's beneficial:Enhances host-guest integration by enabling graceful shutdown, file sharing, performance monitoring, and better resource allocation. This improves VM management and overall system efficiency.

This adjustment automates the following commands:

# For QEMU/KVM VMs
sudo apt-get install -y qemu-guest-agent

# For VMware VMs
sudo apt-get install -y open-vm-tools

# For VirtualBox VMs
sudo apt-get install -y virtualbox-guest-utils
      

3

Configure KSM (Kernel Samepage Merging)

This setting enables and configures KSM to optimize memory usage by sharing identical memory pages across multiple virtual machines.

Why it's beneficial:Reduces RAM consumption in environments with similar VMs, allowing for higher VM density on a single host. This is particularly useful for systems running multiple instances of the same OS or application, improving memory efficiency and overall performance.

This adjustment automates the following commands:

sudo apt-get install -y ksm-control-daemon

echo "KSM_ENABLED=1" | sudo tee -a /etc/default/ksm
echo "KSM_SLEEP_MSEC=100" | sudo tee -a /etc/default/ksm

sudo systemctl enable ksm
sudo systemctl start ksm