Set up Proxmox Backup Server and connect it to Proxmox VE

Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) stores VM and container backups with deduplication and incremental transfers, so daily backups are fast and use far less space than plain vzdump files. It should run on separate hardware from your Proxmox VE hosts.

Before you start

• A separate server or VM on other hardware with disks for backups.
• The Proxmox Backup Server ISO from the official Proxmox website.
• Network access from the Proxmox VE nodes to PBS on port 8007.

Install Proxmox Backup Server

1. Boot the ISO and follow the installer: disk, timezone, root password, hostname and IP.
2. Open https://PBS_IP:8007 and log in as root (realm Linux PAM).
3. Set up the repository: use the no-subscription repository if you have no subscription, then update.

Create a datastore

1. Administration → Storage / Disks: create a ZFS pool or directory on the backup disks, ticking Add as Datastore.
2. Name it, for example store1.

Create a backup user

1. Configuration → Access Control → User Management → Add: create pve-backup@pbs.
2. Under Datastore → store1 → Permissions, give that user the DatastoreBackup role.
3. Copy the PBS fingerprint from the Dashboard (Show Fingerprint).

Add PBS to Proxmox VE

1. In Proxmox VE: Datacenter → Storage → Add → Proxmox Backup Server.
2. Enter an ID, the PBS address, user pve-backup@pbs, password, datastore store1 and the fingerprint.
3. Optional: set Encryption to auto-generate a client-side key. Save that key somewhere safe; without it the backups cannot be restored.

Schedule backups and pruning

1. Datacenter → Backup → Add: choose the PBS storage, a schedule (for example daily at 02:00), and the VMs.
2. Mode Snapshot keeps VMs running during backups.
3. Set retention, for example keep-daily 7, keep-weekly 4, keep-monthly 6, either in the job or as a prune job on PBS.
4. On PBS, schedule Garbage Collection and Verify jobs for the datastore.

Restore

Select the PBS storage in Proxmox VE, pick a backup and click Restore. You can also restore single files with File Restore.

Troubleshooting

• Fingerprint mismatch: the PBS certificate changed; copy the new fingerprint into the storage entry.
• Permission denied: the user lacks DatastoreBackup on that datastore.
• Datastore fills up: garbage collection is not running, or retention is too long.

Frequently asked questions

Can PBS run as a VM on the same host?

It works for testing, but a host failure then takes your backups with it.

Are backups incremental?

Yes. After the first full backup, only changed chunks are sent, and chunks are deduplicated across VMs.

Can I still use vzdump files?

Yes, both methods can be used side by side (vzdump guide).

Next steps

• vzdump backups and restore
• Snapshots
• Storage types