Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH, developer of the open-source virtualization platform Proxmox VE, today announced the general availability of version 5.2. Proxmox VE 5.2 comes with new features like the Cloud-init package for automation of VM provisioning, a CIFS/SMB storage plug-in, and the Let’s Encrypt certificate management via the graphical user interface. The Proxmox development team further expands the cluster functionality making the creation and configuration of Proxmox VE clusters possible via the web interface. The open-source virtualization management platform Proxmox VE 5.2 is based on Debian 9.4, and an updated and modified Linux Kernel 4.15.

Cloud-Init support for automating VM provisioning

Proxmox VE 5.2 now supports Cloud-Init, a multi-distribution package that handles initial setup of a virtual machine as it boots for the first time, and allows provisioning of VMs that have been deployed based on a template. With the Cloud-Init package Proxmox users can easily configure host names, add SSH keys, set up mount points or run post-install scripts via the graphical user interface. It also enables for example automation tools like Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Salt, and others to access pre-installed disk images and copy a new server from that.

SMB/CIFS Storage Plug-in

The flexible Proxmox VE storage model now integrates a SMB/CIFS storage plug-in manageable via the web interface. CIFS, as well as NFS, are the primary file systems used in network attached storage (NAS). CIFS is the "Common Internet File System" used by Windows operating systems for file sharing and it allows to connect to Windows file servers or other SMB-compatible servers with the SMB/CIFS backend.

Let’s Encrypt Certificate Management via GUI

With the new version 5.2 Proxmox users can now manage their Let’s Encrypt certificates via the Proxmox interface, easing the work of administrators significantly. Let’s Encrypt is an automated and open certificate authority (CA) providing free, digital certificates needed to enable secure HTTPS (SSL/TLS) for websites. Proxmox users already have been able to create Let’s Encrypt certificates since version 4.2, now they can issue and renew the certificates with two simple clicks via the web interface.

Proxmox VE 5.2 delivers numerous additive features for improved usability, scalability, and security including:

Creation of clusters via the graphical user interface. This feature makes creating and joining nodes to a Proxmox cluster extremely simple and intuitive even for novice users.
Expanded functionality of LXC: Creating templates or moving disks from one storage to another now also work for LXC. The move-disk function can be used for stopped/paused containers and instead of backup/restore.
If the QEMU guest agent is installed, the IP address of a virtual machine is displayed on the GUI
Administrators can now easily create and edit new roles via the GUI.
Setting I/O limits for restore operations is possible (globally or more fine-grained per storage) to avoid I/O load getting too high while restoring a backup.
Configuration of ebtables in the Proxmox VE Firewall.
Availability

Proxmox VE 5.2 is now available for download at https://www.proxmox.com/downloads. Proxmox VE is licensed under the free software license GNU Affero GPL, v3. Enterprise support is available from Proxmox Server Solutions on a subscription basis starting at EUR 74.90 per year and CPU.