How to import ISO image to disk in Proxmox

Importing an ISO image to a disk in Proxmox involves several steps. This guide will walk you through the process of converting an ISO to a disk image and managing it using Proxmox tools like qm and qemu-img.

Table of Contents

• How to Import an ISO to Disk in Proxmox Using qm
  • Step 1: Upload the ISO to Proxmox
    • Upload via Web Interface
    • Upload via Command Line
  • Step 2: Convert ISO to Disk Image
  • Step 3: Import the Disk Image into Proxmox Storage
  • Step 4: Attach the Imported Disk to an Existing VM (Optional)
• Alternative: Using qemu-nbd to Attach an ISO Directly
  • Step 1: Load nbd Kernel Module
  • Step 2: Connect ISO to nbd Device
  • Step 3: Copy ISO Content to Disk Image
  • Step 4: Disconnect the ISO
  • Step 5: Import the Disk Image
  • Summary

How to Import an ISO to Disk in Proxmox Using qm

Step 1: Upload the ISO to Proxmox

Before importing an ISO, you need to upload it to your Proxmox server. You can use either the web interface or the command line.

Upload via Web Interface

1. Log in to the Proxmox Web Interface:

   • Open your browser and go to https://<your-proxmox-ip>:8006.

2. Navigate to the Storage View:

   • Click on the Datacenter in the sidebar.
   • Select the Storage where you want to upload the ISO (e.g., local or local-lvm).

3. Upload ISO:

   • Click on the Content tab.
   • Click Upload.
   • Choose ISO Image from the Content dropdown.
   • Select the ISO file from your local machine and click Upload.

Upload via Command Line

1. Upload the ISO using scp:

   scp /path/to/your.iso root@<your-proxmox-ip>:/var/lib/vz/template/iso/

   Replace /path/to/your.iso with the path to your ISO file and <your-proxmox-ip> with the IP address of your Proxmox server.

Step 2: Convert ISO to Disk Image

The next step involves converting the ISO to a disk image format (e.g., QCOW2 or RAW) that can be used by Proxmox.

1. Convert ISO to Disk Image

   Use qemu-img to convert the ISO:

   qemu-img convert -O qcow2 /path/to/storage/your-iso-file.iso /path/to/storage/your-disk-image.qcow2

   Replace /path/to/storage/your-iso-file.iso with the path to your ISO file and /path/to/storage/your-disk-image.qcow2 with the path where you want to save the disk image.

   Notes:

   • qcow2 is a commonly used disk image format. You can also use raw format:

     qemu-img convert -O raw /path/to/storage/your-iso-file.iso /path/to/storage/your-disk-image.raw

Step 3: Import the Disk Image into Proxmox Storage

1. Identify Your Storage

   List available storages with:

   pvesm status

2. Import Disk Image

   Use the qm importdisk command to import the disk image:

   qm importdisk VMID /path/to/storage/your-disk-image.qcow2 STORAGE --format qcow2

   Replace VMID with a temporary or placeholder VM ID, /path/to/storage/your-disk-image.qcow2 with the path to your disk image, and STORAGE with the storage name.

Step 4: Attach the Imported Disk to an Existing VM (Optional)

1. Attach Disk Image to VM

   Use qm set to attach the imported disk to an existing VM:

   qm set EXISTING_VMID --scsi0 STORAGE:vm-disk.qcow2

   Replace EXISTING_VMID with your VM ID, STORAGE with the storage name, and vm-disk.qcow2 with the name of the imported disk.

2. Verify the Disk is Attached

   Check the VM’s configuration with:

   qm config EXISTING_VMID

Alternative: Using qemu-nbd to Attach an ISO Directly

If you need to attach an ISO directly to a disk image without creating a VM, use qemu-nbd.

Step 1: Load nbd Kernel Module

Load the nbd kernel module:

modprobe nbd max_part=8

Step 2: Connect ISO to nbd Device

Connect the ISO file to an nbd device:

qemu-nbd --connect=/dev/nbd0 /path/to/your-iso-file.iso

Step 3: Copy ISO Content to Disk Image

Create a new disk image and copy the ISO content:

dd if=/dev/nbd0 of=/path/to/disk-image.img bs=4M

Step 4: Disconnect the ISO

Disconnect the nbd device:

qemu-nbd --disconnect /dev/nbd0

Step 5: Import the Disk Image

Import the disk image into Proxmox:

qm importdisk VMID /path/to/disk-image.img STORAGE

Summary

• Convert ISO to Disk Image: Use qemu-img for conversion.
• Import Disk Image: Use qm importdisk for importing.
• Attach Disk Image: Use qm set to attach the disk to a VM.
• Alternative: Use qemu-nbd for direct ISO attachment.

This guide provides steps to convert and manage ISO files within Proxmox effectively.