PROXMOX, HYPERVISOR

Creating, Joining, and Removing Nodes in a Proxmox Cluster

Creating, Joining, and Removing Nodes in a Proxmox Cluster

Proxmox VE offers powerful clustering capabilities, allowing you to build and manage a cluster of Proxmox nodes for enhanced performance and high availability. In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of creating a Proxmox cluster, adding nodes to it, and removing a node when needed.

Create a Proxmox Cluster

Step 1: Create a Cluster (On proxmox1)

  • Navigate to Datacenter > Cluster > Create Cluster on proxmox1.
  • Provide a Cluster Name, such as ABCcluster.
  • Click the Create button to create the cluster.

Step 2: Retrieve Join Information

  • In the newly created cluster, navigate to Datacenter > Cluster > Create Cluster.
  • Click the Join Information button.
  • Copy the provided cluster join information to your clipboard.

Step 3: Join a Cluster (On proxmox2 or Target Node)

  • On the node you want to add to the cluster (e.g., proxmox2), navigate to Datacenter > Cluster > Create Cluster.
  • Click the Join Cluster button.
  • Paste the copied cluster join information from proxmox1.
  • Enter the password for proxmox1.
  • Click Join ‘ABCcluster’ to initiate the joining process.

Note: The “Join Cluster” window may appear to hang, but the cluster join process typically takes only about 30-60 seconds. To confirm if proxmox2 has successfully joined the cluster, check proxmox1.

Creating, Joining, and Removing Nodes in a Proxmox Cluster

Remove a Node from a Proxmox Cluster

Step 1: Prepare the Node

Before removing a node from the cluster, make sure to:

Step 2: SSH into a Running Node

SSH into a working/running node within the cluster, such as proxmox1:

ssh root@IPADDRESS

Step 3: Check Online Nodes

Check which nodes are currently online in the cluster:

pvecm nodes

Step 4: Remove Offline Nodes

To remove the offline node, use the following command, replacing node name with the actual name of the node you want to remove:

pvecm delnode <node name>

After executing this command, you will need to refresh the Proxmox GUI to complete the removal process fully.

Managing a Proxmox cluster provides flexibility and resilience to your virtualization infrastructure. By following these steps, you can efficiently create, expand, and manage your Proxmox cluster as your needs evolve.

📝 For more information about Proxmox, visit the Proxmox VE Documentation Index.