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Proxmox on IONOS

Proxmox on IONOS: setup, clusters, and operations

Proxmox Authorized Reseller

We design single nodes and HA clusters on suitable IONOS dedicated servers, including networking, storage, backup, and optional managed operations.

Proxmox
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IONOS
Support & hour packages

Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

The following are trademarks of their respective owners: IONOS (IONOS SE). WZ-IT is an independent service provider and has no business, partnership, or contractual relationship with these companies. We offer independent migration, installation, hosting, and operations services. Proxmox is a trademark of Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH. WZ-IT is an authorized reseller partner of Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH. Our managed services and service levels are agreed separately from Proxmox subscriptions.

Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

Stadtwerke BrühlDGHO e.V.ABCO Water SystemsGolem.deEVADXBnextGYMAInergyml&sOdiseo SolutionsAnnotaARGESweetConnect GmbH

Why Proxmox on IONOS?

Enterprise virtualization without vendor lock-in on IONOS Dedicated - with unlimited traffic and private networking.

Unlimited Traffic

IONOS Dedicated Servers include unlimited traffic - no surprises on the bill.

Cost

Proxmox is open source. IONOS Dedicated at competitive prices. No per-socket licenses.

EU & GDPR

IONOS data centers in Germany. German company, European data sovereignty.

Performance

Dedicated hardware = consistent performance. No noisy neighbors, no throttling.

Typical Use Cases

Private Cloud
VDI
Dev/Prod Separation
Legacy VMs
Traffic-intensive Apps

Single Node Setup - Best Practice

Proxmox works as single node or as cluster. For many SMB setups, a properly operated single-node system is sufficient - what matters is backups, monitoring and documented updates.

When Single Node Makes Sense

Budget focus, simpler management, manageable workloads

Single Node ≠ Insecure

Professionally operated with backups, restore tests and monitoring

Upgrade Path to HA

Can be expanded to cluster anytime when requirements grow

Single Node vs HA Cluster

Single Node

  • Simple setup & management
  • Lower costs
  • Backup/restore as DR strategy

HA Cluster (3+ Nodes)

  • Automatic failover
  • Live migration without downtime
  • Maintenance during operation

Architecture Options

Which architecture fits your requirements? We help with the decision.

Option 1: Single Node Proxmox on IONOS Dedicated

One dedicated server for smaller workloads or cost focus. Full performance, unlimited traffic, simple setup.

  • Simple setup & management
  • Unlimited traffic included
  • Predictable monthly costs
  • Ideal for SMB & dev/test
RECOMMENDED FOR HA

Option 2: Proxmox Cluster on IONOS Dedicated (HA)

3+ nodes for true high availability. Automatic failover, live migration, maximum resilience.

  • True HA failover
  • Live migration without downtime
  • Maintenance without outage
  • Enterprise-ready

Option 3: Separate Management + Proxmox Nodes

Separate bastion/jump server for secure access. Proxmox nodes only reachable via private network.

  • Enhanced security
  • Clean access separation
  • Monitoring on jump server
  • Best practice for compliance

Network Design (Private Network / VLAN)

IONOS offers Private Network and tagged VLAN for dedicated servers - we configure it optimally for Proxmox.

Private Network (Cloud Panel)

Logical network segmentation via IONOS Cloud Panel. Private IPs for internal communication between dedicated servers.

Tagged VLAN for Dedicated Servers

IONOS enables tagged VLAN setup for dedicated servers - isolated networks for cluster, storage and management.

Separated Networks

Best practice: Management, cluster/Corosync and storage on separate VLANs for security and performance.

Best Practice: Separated Networks via Tagged VLAN

Management

Web GUI, SSH, API access

Cluster/Corosync

Heartbeat, quorum, cluster sync

Storage (optional)

Ceph, NFS, iSCSI traffic

Cluster & High Availability

Proxmox Cluster Manager and HA Manager enable automatic failover on node failures. We configure this for you.

Cluster Setup

pvecm, naming concept, network requirements

HA Manager

Automatic failover of VMs and containers

Quorum & Split-Brain

3-node recommendation, QDevice for 2-node setups

Storage Design

ZFS (Lokal)

Fast, simple, ideal for local storage and single node. But: HA/live migration requires shared storage.

Recommended for single node

Ceph (Verteilt)

Shared storage, HA-friendly, self-healing. More complex, requires dedicated network via VLAN.

Recommended for HA clusters

Backup, Updates, Monitoring

Professional operations mean: automation, monitoring, documented processes.

Backup Strategy

  • Proxmox Backup Server (PBS)
  • Defined RPO/RTO
  • Immutable & offsite backups
  • Regular restore tests

Update Management

  • Rolling updates
  • Documented runbooks
  • Coordinated maintenance windows
  • Rollback plans

Monitoring & Alerting

  • Host/VM/storage metrics
  • Backup job monitoring
  • Alerting on issues
  • Capacity planning

Project Process

How we work - transparent and structured.

1

Assessment

Analysis of existing workloads, network, storage and requirements

2

Architecture & Sizing

Planning the optimal configuration for your requirements

3

Build

Setup of cluster/single node, private network/VLAN, storage and backup

4

Test

Failover tests, restore tests, live migration validation

5

Migration

Cutover of existing workloads with minimal downtime

6

Operations & Support

Ongoing maintenance, monitoring and support as needed

Support & Operating Models

One-time Setup

We set up your Proxmox server/cluster, document everything and hand over to your team.

Co-Managed

Your team handles daily operations, we support with updates, troubleshooting and expansions.

Fully Managed

We handle complete operations: monitoring, updates, backups, support - you focus on your business.

For professional secrecy holders

Operate Proxmox in the Section 203 Managed Cloud

If Proxmox processes client, patient or other professional secrets, WZ-IT plans the application, infrastructure, access, backups and ongoing operations within a purpose-built operating model.

Enquiry

Plan Proxmox with the selected provider

Name provider resources, required topology, and affected workloads.

Where should we start?

Choose the appropriate starting point and add the technical context.

How should we get back to you?

We usually respond within one business day. Please do not submit credentials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Proxmox on IONOS - Answers to Your Questions

Basics

Yes - Single Node on Dedicated is a very common starting point. Proxmox explicitly supports Single Node; for high availability you then need multiple nodes.

For true HA with stable quorum: 3+ nodes is standard. Two nodes only work with additional quorum strategy and more "ops overhead".

Proxmox has no license cost; costs depend on Dedicated sizing, storage concept and your support/operating model. We calculate transparently based on your workloads and desired response times.

For Proxmox, RAM/IOPS usually matters more than CPU clock. We size based on your VM profiles, storage write rate and growth; for Single Node we recommend "stable and enough reserve" rather than calculated tight.

Traffic & Costs

IONOS advertises "Unlimited Traffic" for Dedicated Servers, which provides planning security for many workloads. Still worth checking contract details (e.g. special cases/abuse/port speed) to avoid misunderstandings.

Not "hidden", but often forgotten: additional public IPs, backup solutions, monitoring stack, and operational overhead (updates/on-call). We list these items separately in quotes so you have true TCO.

Yes, that's often possible - important is then clean routing/NAT so management and VM traffic doesn't go "wild". We plan Public IPs as "edge", not as internal cluster network.

Network & VLAN

At IONOS this works via tagged VLANs (802.1Q) - IONOS has dedicated step-by-step guides (Linux/Windows). This is exactly how you build a private network between Dedicated Servers.

As always: Management separated from Corosync/Cluster. If Ceph/storage is added: own storage network (preferably via VLAN), so traffic stays stable.

IONOS describes Private Network as a way to logically connect/segment systems. In Dedicated-only setups we often use VLAN as the "reliable" base and build separation on top.

Often it's VLAN tagging/interface MTU/802.1Q modules or wrong IP plans. IONOS explicitly describes tagged VLAN setup; we set it up so Corosync/storage runs stable.

Storage

Starting small = usually ZFS on Single Node. Ceph is more worthwhile when you have 3+ nodes and a dedicated storage network and really want to use HA/live migration.

Operations & Migration

We do inventory + test migration, then cutover with plan/checklist. Important: Storage and network decisions upfront, otherwise it gets expensive/complicated later.

VPN/bastion instead of open GUI, plus firewalling and clean roles. This keeps the admin interface from being "public".

Backups are "design", not feature: Define RPO/RTO, automate, offsite/immutable as needed, restore tests as routine. Without restore tests the backup doesn't count as finished for us.

Single Node: Maintenance window + rollback plan. Cluster: Rolling update node-by-node with tests and monitoring.

Support

Yes. Hour packages for ad-hoc help/changes; retainer/managed for predictable operations, monitoring and defined response times.

One-time setup (handover), co-managed (you operate, we support), fully managed (we operate end-to-end). This is particularly practical for Proxmox since updates/backups/monitoring are ongoing.

Free intro call

Let's talk about your project - honest and no strings attached

  • Straight with Timo and Robin - no sales team, no pitch
  • An honest take, including when we are not the right fit
  • Concrete next steps for infrastructure, software or AI

No risk: worst case, you leave with a clearer understanding of your project than before.

Timo and Robin, founders of WZ-IT
Jakob Öschlberger
WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.
Jakob ÖschlbergerInno7 GmbH
Reviews

Proxmox proof from real projects

Customer feedback on virtualization, backup, VPN, security and ongoing cluster operations.

AInergyAphy AGEVADXBnextGYMStadtwerke BrühlDGHO e.V.ABCO Water SystemsAnnotaCORGOSRekorderKeymateFührerscheinmacher
GermanyNetworking & ProvisioningVPNAutomationOperations

WZ-IT moved our studio infrastructure from decentralised individual devices to a central platform: every site is securely connected via VPN, new devices are onboarded automatically and an entire site is provisioned from a template, without manual steps on location. What impressed me most is the breadth and depth of their knowledge: Timo and Robin are not a typical IT provider who sets up a server and leaves. The two of them think their way into highly complex infrastructure and software topics, work through every requirement we put in front of them, and build networking, provisioning and operations so that everything fits together in the end. WZ-IT is an excellent partner for complex software, network and architecture projects.

Steve Kirchner

Steve Kirchner

Managing Director, nextGYM GmbH

Pascal Block
GermanyProxmox & BackupProxmoxBackupDocumentation
Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.

Pascal Block

Project Manager, Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH

Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.

Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH
Secure your Proxmox & backup setup
John Hellmerichs
GermanyProxmox & VirtualizationBackupVPNSecurity
WZ-IT provided very competent support in implementing our server and virtualization infrastructure. As part of the project, a Proxmox-based virtualization environment was set up along with a virtual machine for our application systems. Additionally, a structured backup concept was implemented. A particular focus was on security: the setup of a VPN tunnel and the clean implementation of encryption and access concepts were professionally executed. The structured consulting as well as the reliable and swift implementation deserve special mention. We are very satisfied with the services provided and are happy to recommend WZ-IT.

John Hellmerichs

Managing Director, AInergy GmbH

AInergy - consultancy for energy and facility management.

AInergy GmbH
Virtualize with Managed Proxmox
Pascal Hakkers
SwitzerlandManaged ProxmoxClusterMonitoringHigh Availability
WZ-IT manages our Proxmox cluster reliably and professionally. The team handles continuous monitoring and regular updates for us and responds very quickly to any issues or inquiries. They also configure new nodes, systems, and applications that we need to add to our cluster. With WZ-IT's proactive support, our cluster and the business-critical applications running on it remain stable, and high availability is consistently ensured. We value the professional collaboration and the noticeable relief it brings to our daily operations.

Pascal Hakkers

Aphy AG

Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.

Aphy AG
Build a high-availability Proxmox cluster
Aleksandr Shuliko
UAECloud MigrationAWS ExitProxmox81% Cost Reduction
I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.

Aleksandr Shuliko

CTO, EVA Real Estate

EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.

EVA Real Estate
Cut cloud cost - up to −81%
Christoph Mußmann
GermanyInfrastructure ModernizationData SovereigntyGDPRDocumentation
Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.

Christoph Mußmann

Project Officer, DGHO e.V.

DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.

DGHO e.V.
Modernize your infrastructure - sovereign
Andrea Pawlowski
GermanyArchitecture ConsultingSovereign Software SelectionOpen Source Strategy
I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)

Andrea Pawlowski

Communications Manager, Golem.de

Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.

Golem.de
Plan a sovereign open-source stack
H
GermanyLocal AI IntegrationTechnical IntegrationImplementation
While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)

Henrik Jeche

Head of IT Administration

ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.

ml&s
Integrate a local AI solution
Sonja Aßer
GermanySoftware DevelopmentPHP ModernizationAPI Extension
With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)

Sonja Aßer

Data Manager, ARGE

ARGE Neue Medien - master data & digital standards for plumbing and building technology.

ARGE
Modernize your legacy software
Matthias Zimmermann
GermanyOpen Source ArchitectureImplementationTechnical Consulting
We have had very good experiences with Mr. Wevelsiep and WZ-IT. The consultation was professional, clearly understandable, and at fair prices. The team not only implemented our requirements but also thought along and proactively. Instead of just processing individual tasks, they provided us with well-founded explanations that strengthened our own understanding. WZ-IT took a lot of pressure off us with their structured approach - that was exactly what we needed and is the reason why we keep coming back. (translated)

Matthias Zimmermann

Managing Director, Annota GmbH

Annota - healthtech startup with an AI documentation assistant.

Annota
Design an open-source AI architecture
Sebastian Maier
BulgariaSovereign CollaborationOpen Source StackOperationsMaintenance
Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)

Sebastian Maier

Managing Director, Yonju GmbH

Yonju - business coaching and AI products.

Yonju
Get collaboration fully managed
Gabriel Sanz Señor
SpainProduction DeploymentCI/CDPaaSOperations
Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.

Gabriel Sanz Señor

Managing Director, Odiseo Solutions

Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.

Odiseo Solutions
Ship your prototype to production
Kai Clauß
GermanyNetBird & KubernetesNetBirdKubernetesConsulting
WZ-IT supported us professionally with the provisioning and setup of NetBird. Alongside the technical implementation, we also received well-founded advice on connecting our Kubernetes clusters. The recommendations were concrete and directly actionable. The collaboration was consistently reliable, fast and on equal terms. We can recommend WZ-IT without reservation.

Kai Clauß

Head of Development, SweetConnect GmbH

SweetConnect - cross-manufacturer Industry 4.0 platform for confectionery production.

SweetConnect GmbH
Connect sites and clusters securely
Contact

Let's Talk About Your Idea

Whether a specific IT challenge or just an idea - we look forward to the exchange. In a brief conversation, we'll evaluate together if and how your project fits with WZ-IT.

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Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

  • ml&s
  • Rekorder
  • Keymate
  • Führerscheinmacher
  • SolidProof
  • ARGE
  • Boese VA
  • nextGYM
  • SweetConnect GmbH
  • Golem.de
  • Millenium
  • Paritel
  • Yonju
  • EVADXB
  • Mr. Clipart
  • Aphy AG
  • Negosh
  • ABCO Water Systems
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