If you’ve recently started experimenting with virtualization and want to optimize VM performance in Proxmox, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk through best practices for performance tuning, using Pop!_OS as the guest OS with the following VM specifications:
- Memory: 4GB
- CPU: 2 Sockets, 2 Cores
- Storage: 40GB HDD
- Virtualization Platform: Proxmox
- Optimization Tool: Yoast plugin for SEO tuning
Whether you’re a hobbyist or running a lightweight Linux VM in your lab, here’s how to optimize VM performance in Proxmox with minimal effort.
Table of Contents
Why Optimize Your Proxmox VM?
Optimizing your virtual machines isn’t just about speed—it’s about efficiency, responsiveness, and resource management. A poorly configured VM can result in sluggish performance, excessive disk usage, and even kernel panics.
To optimize VM performance in Proxmox, we’ll focus on four major areas:
- CPU & Memory Configuration
- Disk I/O Improvements
- Guest OS (Pop!_OS) Tweaks
- Proxmox-Specific Optimizations
Step 1: Optimize CPU & Memory Settings in Proxmox
Use the Right CPU Type
In the Proxmox VM settings:
- Set CPU Type to
hostto allow the VM to use your host CPU features. - This improves compatibility and enhances performance for Pop!_OS.
Set NUMA (Non-Uniform Memory Access)
- If your system supports it, enable NUMA in the VM settings.
- This helps in distributing memory access more efficiently across CPU cores.
Enable Ballooning
Memory ballooning allows dynamic memory management:
- In the Proxmox VM Hardware tab, enable ballooning.
- Set minimum and maximum values. For your 4GB VM, try:
- Minimum: 2048 MB
- Maximum: 4096 MB
This will allow the VM to expand or shrink memory use based on demand.
Step 2: Improve Disk I/O Performance
Use VirtIO for Disk
To reduce overhead and boost speed:
- In the VM’s Hardware tab, change the disk bus to VirtIO.
- This allows your guest OS to communicate more efficiently with Proxmox storage.
Enable Write Back Cache
- Turn on Write Back cache in the disk options.
- This reduces disk latency, which is especially helpful in Linux-based VMs like Pop!_OS.
Align Disk Size and Use fstrim
- Ensure your 40GB disk is fully aligned.
- In Pop!_OS terminal, run:
sudo fstrim -avThis command helps reclaim unused disk space and improves SSD performance.
Step 3: Tweak Pop!_OS for Better VM Performance
Disable Unused Services
Pop!_OS comes with some services you may not need in a VM:
sudo systemctl disable cups.service
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth.service
This reduces background resource consumption.
Enable Swappiness Tuning
To avoid excessive swapping:
echo 'vm.swappiness=10' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p
This tells Linux to avoid using swap unless absolutely necessary.
Step 4: Use Proxmox Tools for Performance Insights
Use Proxmox Tools
- Use the Proxmox “Summary” tab to monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage in real-time.
- Check “Logs” for any signs of bottlenecks.
Enable KVM Hardware Virtualization
In VM Settings → Options:
- Ensure KVM Hardware Virtualization is enabled.
- This drastically improves CPU efficiency.
Conclusion
To optimize VM performance in Proxmox, follow these steps consistently: choose the right hardware settings, tweak disk options, optimize Pop!_OS from within, and always monitor system resources.
By applying these strategies—even with limited resources like 4GB RAM and 2-core CPU—you’ll notice smoother operation and more responsive performance from your VM.
