Why aren’t these two NVMe disks already RAID-1 under Proxmox?

Why this machine works as a host

The CPU is a single AMD EPYC 7543P, 32 cores / 64 threads, with AMD-V and nested virtualization. Memory is DDR4-3200 ECC RDIMM, 128GB or 256GB. It cannot be added after the order. If you split a database, sites, and a jump host into separate virtual machines, the limit is usually the disk layout and the backups, not the core count.

Servers are deployed in Tokyo, Japan. Linux is reached by SSH. The order page can install Proxmox VE 8 or 9 directly. You do not have to install Ubuntu first and swap the image later. Windows is a separate path, over RDP, and it is not this host layout.

Do not hand all 32 cores to one “do everything” virtual machine at the start. A steadier split leaves the host 4–8 cores and at least 8–16GB, then divides the rest among sites, the database, and build machines. ECC matters when several virtual machines stay up for a long time. Memory is 128GB or 256GB. The wrong size cannot be corrected by adding modules later. Add up the peak of the guests before you order.

See the two disks clearly

The default delivery is 2 × 1TB NVMe, no hardware RAID, disks attached directly. Read that as 2TB usable: both disks are present. They were not mirrored into a RAID-1 that leaves you 1TB. An extra 2TB disk is also attached directly. It is not added to a hardware array.

If “2×1TB” is read as a finished 1TB mirror, Proxmox will show a second disk after install, or the capacity will look short. That is the spec, not a fault. Two NVMe devices in lsblk is the expected result.

Three layouts people actually use

There is no standard layout. Three of them are common, and easy to explain.

The first layout fits “get it running, keep backups off the machine.” The second is for people who want disk redundancy and accept half the capacity. The third is only reasonable if a full backup already exists and a rebuild is acceptable. In every case, keep a backup off the machine. The console does not run a snapshot policy for you. If more than one person administers the host, write the layout into a ticket note or an internal doc: which disk is the system, which is data, and whether a software RAID exists. The next person can match that to lsblk, and will not format the backup disk into a new virtual disk.

What to choose during install

1. 1
   Choose Proxmox on the order page

   The operating system is a single choice. Ubuntu 24.04 is the default. Switch it to Proxmox VE 8 or 9. You do not install something else first.

2. 2
   Size memory to the guest peak. It cannot be added later.

   128GB is $465 a month. 256GB is $592 a month. The host needs memory of its own. For 256GB, choose that model. There is no memory-upgrade SKU.

3. 3
   Identify the disks in the installer. Do not accept an array wizard by accident.

   The Proxmox installer may offer a ZFS mirror. That is an installer option, not a factory array. Match it to the layout you chose above.

VMware ESXi is not among the free images. Virtualization here is Proxmox. The two disks are still attached directly. Do not treat them as RAID-1.

What to check after install

When the instance is running, the console shows SSH. Sign in as root, confirm both NVMe devices are in lsblk, then open the Proxmox web UI and create storage. Do not stop at “local” in the installer summary. That often covers only the disk you selected.

If you need more disks, the order page allows up to two extra 2TB drives, $83 a month each, still attached directly. Do not expect them to join an existing array on their own. After they arrive, extend ZFS or mdadm yourself, or add them as new LVM storage. Bandwidth starts at 250 Mbps, unmetered. Raise it to 1 Gbps or 2 Gbps when guest egress grows.

Storage names are easy to mix up. When the installer uses the first disk, you usually see local and local-lvm. The second disk does not appear in the virtual-disk dropdown by itself. Add the whole disk or a partition under Datacenter → Storage. Directory storage suits ISO files and a backup buffer. LVM-thin or ZFS suits guest images. Write the role of each disk in a note, so an expansion months later does not hit the wrong one.

Do not keep the only backup on the second disk

A backup on the second disk of the same machine can survive a deleted guest. It does not survive a machine power loss, a facility incident, or both disks failing in turn. At minimum, an important guest also exists off the machine: object storage, another server, or a pull from your own office network.

Proxmox Backup Server can run as another guest. If it and the source guest live on the same two disks, the protection is thin. Write “off the machine” into the procedure first. Then decide whether the second disk is an ISO library or a local snapshot buffer.

Nested virtualization can be enabled. Running another Proxmox inside a guest should not be the default design. This machine is already dedicated to one tenant. Another layer is useful when you need an isolated lab. Production sites and databases belong on the first layer of guests, with one less failure domain. If you need a Windows guest, install it inside Proxmox. Do not reinstall the whole machine as Windows Server for a single Windows workload. That removes the host path.

How this matches the server you order

This note is not a product page. The disk plan still has to use the published numbers: servers are deployed in Tokyo, Japan; memory is 128GB or 256GB; the default disks are attached directly; there is no setup fee. Monthly total = model price + extra disks × 83 + bandwidth add-on + extra IPv4 × 2 + operating-system add-on. Amount due is that monthly total times the number of months in the term. Proxmox is one of the free images. It does not add an operating-system charge.

You can complete an order without signing in. Power actions (on, off, restart) are tickets in the console. They are not the same path as an SSH login. Reinstalling the operating system from the browser is not a feature of this site. A reinstall, or a change of disk layout, follows the ticket steps on the help page.