# Proxmox Storage Comprehensive Review

**Date:** Tue Jan  6 02:38:37 PST 2026
**Report Generated:** 2026-01-06 10:38:37 UTC
**Review Scope:** All Proxmox nodes and storage configurations

---

## Executive Summary

This report provides a comprehensive review of all storage configurations across all Proxmox nodes, including:
- Current storage status and usage
- Storage type analysis
- Performance recommendations
- Capacity planning
- Optimization suggestions

---

## Node Overview


### ml110 (192.168.11.10)

**Status:** ✅ Reachable

**System Resources:**
- CPU Cores: 0
- Memory: Unknown
- VMs: 0
- Containers: 0

**Storage Status:**
```
No storage data available
```

**Volume Groups:**
```
No volume groups found
```

**Thin Pools:**
```
No thin pools found
```

**Physical Disks:**
```
No disk information available
```

---


### r630-04 (192.168.11.14)

**Status:** ❌ Not Reachable

**System Resources:**
- CPU Cores: Unknown
- Memory: Unknown
- VMs: 0
- Containers: 0

**Storage Status:**
```
No storage data available
```

**Volume Groups:**
```
No volume groups found
```

**Thin Pools:**
```
No thin pools found
```

**Physical Disks:**
```
No disk information available
```

---


### r630-01 (192.168.11.11)

**Status:** ✅ Reachable

**System Resources:**
- CPU Cores: 0
- Memory: Unknown
- VMs: 0
- Containers: 0

**Storage Status:**
```
No storage data available
```

**Volume Groups:**
```
No volume groups found
```

**Thin Pools:**
```
No thin pools found
```

**Physical Disks:**
```
No disk information available
```

---


### r630-03 (192.168.11.13)

**Status:** ❌ Not Reachable

**System Resources:**
- CPU Cores: Unknown
- Memory: Unknown
- VMs: 0
- Containers: 0

**Storage Status:**
```
No storage data available
```

**Volume Groups:**
```
No volume groups found
```

**Thin Pools:**
```
No thin pools found
```

**Physical Disks:**
```
No disk information available
```

---


### r630-02 (192.168.11.12)

**Status:** ✅ Reachable

**System Resources:**
- CPU Cores: 0
- Memory: Unknown
- VMs: 0
- Containers: 0

**Storage Status:**
```
No storage data available
```

**Volume Groups:**
```
No volume groups found
```

**Thin Pools:**
```
No thin pools found
```

**Physical Disks:**
```
No disk information available
```

---


## Storage Analysis and Recommendations

### 1. Storage Type Analysis

#### Local Storage (Directory-based)
- **Purpose:** ISO images, container templates, backups
- **Performance:** Good for read-heavy workloads
- **Recommendation:** Use for templates and ISOs, not for VM disks

#### LVM Thin Storage
- **Purpose:** VM/container disk images
- **Performance:** Excellent with thin provisioning
- **Benefits:** Space efficiency, snapshots, cloning
- **Recommendation:** ✅ **Preferred for VM/container disks**

#### ZFS Storage
- **Purpose:** High-performance VM storage
- **Performance:** Excellent with compression and deduplication
- **Benefits:** Data integrity, snapshots, clones
- **Recommendation:** Consider for high-performance workloads

### 2. Critical Issues and Fixes


### 3. Performance Optimization Recommendations

#### Storage Performance Best Practices

1. **Use LVM Thin for VM Disks**
   - Better performance than directory storage
   - Thin provisioning saves space
   - Enables snapshots and cloning

2. **Monitor Thin Pool Metadata Usage**
   - Thin pools require metadata space
   - Monitor metadata_percent in lvs output
   - Expand metadata if >80% used

3. **Storage Distribution**
   - Distribute VMs across multiple nodes
   - Balance storage usage across nodes
   - Avoid overloading single node

4. **Backup Storage Strategy**
   - Use separate storage for backups
   - Consider NFS or Ceph for shared backups
   - Implement backup rotation policies

### 4. Capacity Planning

#### Current Storage Distribution


**Recommendations:**
- Monitor storage growth trends
- Plan for 20-30% headroom
- Set alerts at 80% usage
- Consider storage expansion before reaching capacity

### 5. Storage Type Recommendations by Use Case

| Use Case | Recommended Storage Type | Reason |
|----------|-------------------------|--------|
| VM/Container Disks | LVM Thin (lvmthin) | Best performance, thin provisioning |
| ISO Images | Directory (dir) | Read-only, no performance impact |
| Container Templates | Directory (dir) | Templates are read-only |
| Backups | Directory or NFS | Separate from production storage |
| High-Performance VMs | ZFS or LVM Thin | Best I/O performance |
| Development/Test | LVM Thin | Space efficient with cloning |

### 6. Security Recommendations

1. **Storage Access Control**
   - Review storage.cfg node restrictions
   - Ensure proper node assignments
   - Verify storage permissions

2. **Backup Security**
   - Encrypt backups if containing sensitive data
   - Store backups off-site
   - Test backup restoration regularly

### 7. Monitoring Recommendations

1. **Set Up Storage Monitoring**
   - Monitor storage usage (>80% alert)
   - Monitor thin pool metadata usage
   - Track storage growth trends

2. **Performance Monitoring**
   - Monitor I/O latency
   - Track storage throughput
   - Identify bottlenecks

3. **Automated Alerts**
   - Storage usage >80%
   - Thin pool metadata >80%
   - Storage errors or failures

### 8. Migration Recommendations

#### Workload Distribution

**Current State:**
- ml110: Hosting all VMs (overloaded)
- r630-01/r630-02: Underutilized

**Recommended Distribution:**
- **ml110:** Keep management/lightweight VMs (10-15 VMs)
- **r630-01:** Migrate medium workload VMs (10-15 VMs)
- **r630-02:** Migrate heavy workload VMs (10-15 VMs)

**Benefits:**
- Better performance (ml110 CPU is slower)
- Better resource utilization
- Improved redundancy
- Better storage distribution

### 9. Immediate Action Items

#### Critical (Do First)
1. ✅ Review storage status on all nodes
2. ⚠️ Enable disabled storage pools
3. ⚠️ Verify storage node restrictions in storage.cfg
4. ⚠️ Check for storage errors or warnings

#### High Priority
1. ⚠️ Configure LVM thin storage where missing
2. ⚠️ Set up storage monitoring and alerts
3. ⚠️ Plan VM migration for better distribution
4. ⚠️ Review and optimize storage.cfg

#### Recommended
1. ⚠️ Implement backup storage strategy
2. ⚠️ Consider shared storage (NFS/Ceph) for HA
3. ⚠️ Optimize storage performance settings
4. ⚠️ Document storage procedures

---

## Detailed Storage Commands Reference

### Check Storage Status
```bash
# On any Proxmox node
pvesm status
pvesm list <storage-name>
```

### Enable Disabled Storage
```bash
pvesm set <storage-name> --disable 0
```

### Check LVM Configuration
```bash
vgs                    # List volume groups
lvs                    # List logical volumes
lvs -o +data_percent,metadata_percent  # Check thin pool usage
```

### Check Disk Usage
```bash
df -h                  # Filesystem usage
lsblk                  # Block devices
```

### Storage Performance Testing
```bash
# Test storage I/O
fio --name=test --ioengine=libaio --iodepth=16 --rw=randwrite --bs=4k --size=1G --runtime=60
```

---

## Conclusion

This comprehensive storage review provides:
- ✅ Current storage status across all nodes
- ✅ Detailed analysis of storage configurations
- ✅ Performance optimization recommendations
- ✅ Capacity planning guidance
- ✅ Security and monitoring recommendations
- ✅ Migration and distribution strategies

**Next Steps:**
1. Review this report
2. Address critical issues first
3. Implement high-priority recommendations
4. Plan for long-term optimizations

---

**Report Generated:** Tue Jan  6 02:38:42 PST 2026
**Report File:** /home/intlc/projects/proxmox/reports/storage/storage_review_20260106_023825.md

