Yes, Proxmox VE 9.x installs and runs well on the HP ProLiant ML350p Gen8, but the storage controller configuration is the critical part. Many ML350p Gen8 systems ship with the embedded HP Smart Array P420i RAID controller.
Recommended Installation Method
Option 1: Hardware RAID (Simplest)
- Enter Intelligent Provisioning (F10) during boot.
- Open Smart Storage Administrator (SSA).
- Create a RAID volume:
- RAID1 for two SSDs (recommended for Proxmox OS)
- RAID5/RAID6 for data arrays if desired
- Boot the Proxmox installer from USB.
- Install Proxmox onto the logical RAID volume.
Proxmox sees the RAID volume as a single disk and installs normally.
Option 2: ZFS (Preferred for Homelabs)
If you want ZFS mirrors, RAIDZ, snapshots, and integrity checking:
- Update the P420i firmware.
- Enable HBA Mode on the P420i.
- Install Proxmox using:
- ZFS Mirror (2 drives)
- RAIDZ1/RAIDZ2 (3+ drives)
The P420i supports HBA mode on Gen8 systems when configured correctly.
Important Warning
Several users report that when the P420i is placed in HBA mode, booting directly from drives attached to that controller may not work. Common solutions are:
- Install Proxmox on an internal SATA SSD
- Install Proxmox on a USB DOM or small SSD
- Use a separate HBA controller for storage disks
This issue is well documented by Proxmox and homelab users.
BIOS Settings
Before installation:
- Update BIOS and iLO4 firmware
- Enable Intel VT-x
- Enable Intel VT-d (for PCI passthrough)
- Set boot mode:
- UEFI preferred for Proxmox 8
- Legacy also works if required
- Disable unnecessary boot devices
Creating the Install USB
Download the latest Proxmox ISO from:
Use:
- Rufus (Windows)
- balenaEtcher
- Ventoy
Write the ISO to an 8GB+ USB drive.
Typical ML350p Gen8 Homelab Configuration
| Component | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| CPU | Dual Xeon E5-2660 v2 or E5-2690 v2 |
| RAM | 64–128 GB ECC DDR3 |
| OS Drives | 2× SATA SSD RAID1 |
| VM Storage | SSD ZFS mirror or RAID10 |
| Network | Intel 4-port Gigabit |
| Backup | Proxmox Backup Server on separate machine |
Example Disk Layout
- Bay 1–2: 240GB SSD RAID1 → Proxmox OS
- Bay 3–6: 4× 1TB SSD → ZFS pool for VMs
- Bay 7–8: Backup or ISO storage
If your ML350p Gen8 has the P420i controller, I can provide the exact steps for:
- Enabling HBA mode,
- Creating ZFS storage,
- Updating firmware from Intelligent Provisioning,
- Installing Proxmox VE 8.4 with screenshots and commands.
what is promox
Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) is a free, open-source virtualization platform that lets you run multiple virtual machines (VMs) and Linux containers on a single physical server.
Proxmox VE is based on Debian Linux and provides a web-based management interface, so you can administer servers, VMs, storage, backups, and networking from a browser.
What Proxmox Does
Instead of dedicating one physical server to one operating system, Proxmox allows you to run many systems simultaneously:
- Windows Server VM
- Windows 10/11 VM
- Ubuntu Server VM
- Kali Linux VM
- Docker hosts
- Linux containers (LXC)
- Network appliances such as pfSense or OPNsense
For example, your HP ML350p Gen8 could run:
- Windows Server for Active Directory
- Kali Linux for security testing
- Ubuntu for web services
- pfSense as a virtual firewall
- A NAS server for file storage
All at the same time on one machine.
Main Features
Virtual Machines (KVM)
Runs complete operating systems with their own virtual hardware.
Examples:
- Windows 11
- Windows Server 2025
- Ubuntu
- Kali Linux
Linux Containers (LXC)
Lightweight virtual environments that share the Linux kernel.
Advantages:
- Lower RAM usage
- Faster startup
- Better performance than full VMs
Web Management Interface
Manage everything from a browser:
- Create VMs
- Allocate CPU and RAM
- Configure networking
- Monitor performance
- Take snapshots
- Restore backups
Storage Options
Proxmox supports:
- ZFS
- RAID
- NFS
- SMB/CIFS
- iSCSI
- Local SSDs and HDDs
- Network storage
Backup Features
Built-in capabilities include:
- Scheduled backups
- VM snapshots
- Live migration (in clusters)
- Replication between servers
Typical Home Lab Uses
- Learning virtualization
- Running multiple operating systems
- Hosting websites
- File servers
- Media servers such as Plex Media Server
- Security labs with Kali Linux
- Home automation using Home Assistant
Proxmox vs VMware
| Feature | Proxmox VE | VMware ESXi |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (optional support subscription) | Limited free options; many features require licenses |
| Open Source | Yes | No |
| Web Interface | Yes | Yes |
| Containers | Yes (LXC) | No native LXC support |
| ZFS Support | Native | Limited |
| Home Lab Popularity | Very high | High |
Why It’s Popular for an ML350p Gen8
Your HP ML350p Gen8 has:
- Xeon processors with virtualization support
- ECC memory support
- Multiple drive bays
- Enterprise-grade hardware
That makes it well suited for running Proxmox as a home lab, virtualization host, backup server, or test environment.
A common setup is:
- Install Proxmox on SSDs.
- Create several VMs (Windows, Ubuntu, Kali).
- Access and manage everything through a web browser from another computer on your network.
I plan to have no less than four O/S running on the HP hardware. Windows 11, Windows Server, Ubuntu Linux, and Kali Linux.