Virtualization host

Proxmox VE Dedicated Server with AMD-V and NPT Enabled

Proxmox VE 8 and 9 are available as free operating system options.

Full access to processor virtualization features

The single-socket AMD EPYC 7543P provides 32 cores and 64 threads, with support for AMD-V (SVM) and nested page tables (NPT). The entire server is assigned to one customer, who can create VMs on the host and allocate compute, memory, and storage across those resources.

SVM provides processor virtualization; NPT handles memory address translation for VMs. Both are key foundations for running KVM VMs, but neither guarantees application performance. VM performance also depends on resource allocation, disk access patterns, and the load on the server.

Check the host for the svm and npt flags before deploying workloads that require hardware virtualization.
64 threads does not mean 64 physical cores. Distinguish physical cores from logical threads when configuring vCPUs; thread count is not a substitute for the number of independent cores.
Processor resources can be scheduled across the host, but host services, storage, and network tasks also need headroom. Avoid saturating every resource at once.

Processor feature check

Where to find CPU flags

flags : … svm … npt …

svm: AMD-V hardware virtualization
npt: Nested page table support
Processor resources: 32C / 64T

This example highlights the flags to check; it is not a report from a delivered server. Actual results depend on the information reported by the host system.

Run grep -m1 '^flags' /proc/cpuinfo on the host to check processor flags.

Hardware EPYC 7543P

AMD-V (SVM) and NPT

Host Proxmox VE 8 / 9

KVM manages VM resources

Lab environment KVM or Hyper-V inside a VM

Test installation, networking, and automation workflows

Each additional layer adds compute, memory, and disk overhead to the resource budget of the same host.

Use nested virtualization for testing and lab work

Running KVM or Hyper-V inside a Proxmox VM can help test virtualization platform installations, system deployment scripts, and multi-layer network setups. Processor-level virtualization support does not automatically make these features available to guest VMs; check the host module and VM CPU configuration separately.

Check the host module first. Read /sys/module/kvm_amd/parameters/nested to confirm whether nested virtualization is enabled in the KVM AMD module. Interpret the output and module behavior in the context of the current kernel version.
Then check the VM CPU type. To expose processor features to a guest, select the host CPU type in Proxmox. Shut down the target VM before making changes, then check the guest flags again after startup.
Finally, test the inner environment. Confirm that the required features are visible inside the guest before installing KVM or enabling Hyper-V. Check the inner system's version and feature requirements separately.

Nested environments are suited to feature testing and should not be used to estimate production capacity based on single-layer VM performance. Module parameter changes can affect running VMs. Save the configuration and stop affected workloads before applying changes; avoid reloading the module under load.

Four drive bays, each directly attached

The standard configuration includes two 1TB NVMe drives for 2TB of raw capacity, with two additional 2TB NVMe drives available as options. Every drive is directly attached, with no hardware RAID controller.

Bay 01 · Standard 1TB NVMe Direct-attached

Bay 02 · Standard 1TB NVMe Direct-attached

Bay 03 · Optional 2TB NVMe Direct-attached

Bay 04 · Optional 2TB NVMe Direct-attached

Dashed outlines indicate optional drive bays, not installed drives. Choose 0, 1, or 2 additional drives.

2TB raw capacity, not RAID-1

The two standard drives are not configured as a hardware mirror. Customers are responsible for software RAID, ZFS mirroring, and off-site backups. Using the drives as separate data disks also means taking responsibility for protecting that data.

For mirrored storage during Proxmox installation, select a ZFS mirror in the installer and verify each selected drive. A mirror made from two 1TB drives provides the capacity of a single drive, minus filesystem and other overhead; it cannot be planned as 2TB of VM disk space.

Installing Proxmox or rebuilding a storage pool can erase data on the selected drives. Confirm that backups can be restored before proceeding, and identify drives by capacity and device label rather than relying only on their displayed order.

A mirror primarily protects against a single drive failure; it does not replace backups. Accidental deletion, guest data corruption, and account errors can affect data on both mirrored drives, so separate backups and restore testing are still needed.

Keep the first IPv4 address for the host; assign the rest to VMs

The standard configuration includes 1 dedicated IPv4 address, with up to 255 additional addresses available at $1.7/month each. Plan address quantities around the VMs or services that need a public endpoint; not every VM needs its own public IP address.

The host keeps the first address in the console's address list, and SSH also uses that address. Other addresses can be connected to the relevant VMs through a bridge. Configure the bridge, routing, and guest network settings using the delivery details; do not guess the gateway or subnet mask.

Track address assignments. Record the VM name, purpose, and configuration location for each assigned address to prevent two VMs from using the same one.
Preserve management access. Save the current network configuration before changing the host bridge. Confirm that the management address will remain in place, then verify each VM's external connectivity.
Set access controls separately. A dedicated IPv4 address does not provide access isolation by itself. Configure firewalls and management access for the host and guests according to their roles.

250 Mbps is standard, with 1 Gbps and 2 Gbps options; all three bandwidth tiers are unmetered. VMs share the selected server bandwidth, and adding IP addresses does not provide additional outbound bandwidth for each address.

Address assignment overview

Record ownership in list order; no live connection details are shown.

First address: Proxmox hostReserved for management and SSH
Additional addresses: VMs needing a public endpointConfigure individually and record assignments
Server bandwidth: Selected bandwidth tierShared by the host and VMs

Whether a VM on a private network needs its own dedicated public IPv4 address depends on the service entry point and network design.

Plan memory before deciding on VM density

Both 128GB and 256GB configurations use DDR4-3200 ECC memory. The server cannot be upgraded in place after deployment; changing configurations requires ordering another server. Include the host, ZFS cache, guests, and expected workload growth in the plan before ordering.

AMD EPYC 7543P · 128GB

Suitable for deployments with known resource requirements and manageable VM counts and memory usage. Reserve memory for the host and storage first, then allocate resources based on each VM's actual needs rather than dividing memory evenly by VM count.

Track baseline guest memory use and workload peaks, not just allocated limits.
With ZFS, include cache and storage operations in the host's memory budget.
Keep capacity available for backups, restores, and temporary testing.

Configure 128GB

AMD EPYC 7543P · 256GB

Suitable for deployments with higher VM memory requirements, larger database caches, or several lab environments running at once. More memory does not change the processor or standard drives, so CPU scheduling and disk I/O pressure still need to be assessed.

Group memory use by service and distinguish steady workloads from temporary labs.
Check for resource contention when backing up or restoring multiple VMs at once.
Set resource limits separately for large-memory databases and nested VMs.

Configure 256GB

Include four areas in the memory budget

Total server memory budget = host services + ZFS cache + guest working sets + operating headroom

There is no universal figure for how many VMs a host can run. Requirements vary with guest operating systems, database buffer pools, container working sets, and nested labs. Memory overcommit is not a substitute for physical capacity. Validate peak usage against real workloads before adding more guests.

Configure the server around host resources

Choose a memory configuration, drive redundancy approach, and public IP requirements, then review the available options on the configuration page. Proxmox VE 8 and 9 are both available as free operating system options.

Configure Connection guide