Proxmox Preparation

Goal

Prepare Proxmox to host the isolated lab.

Required ISOs

• OPNsense ISO
• Windows Server 2025 ISO
• Windows 11 Enterprise ISO
• VirtIO drivers ISO

Recommended bridge layout

Bridge	Purpose
vmbr0	WAN / provider network
vmbr1	Internal lab network

Validation

Run on Proxmox:

ip link show
bridge link

Confirm that:

• vmbr0 exists and has WAN/provider connectivity.
• vmbr1 exists or is created for internal lab switching.
• Windows VMs are not connected directly to vmbr0.

Snapshot policy

Take snapshots before major changes:

• After OS install
• Before domain promotion
• After successful domain promotion
• Before major GPO or DNS/DHCP changes