Create Ubuntu Server Template in Proxmox

These commands are for a NETLAB+ infrastructure and datastore named NETLAB1. If you are using a basic Proxmox install, your template location and datastore name may differ.

Download IMG to Proxmox

Go to your Proxmox datastore Navigate to Datacenter → Storage → ISOs.

Download the Ubuntu cloud image

Ubuntu Server Cloud Images

https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/releases/noble/release/ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img

Open a shell on your Proxmox host

Change into your ISO template directory

cd /mnt/pve/NETLAB1/template/isos

Add guest-fs tools

Install the guest‑fs tools if not already present:

apt update
apt install -y libguestfs-tools

Add QEMU Guest Agent

Inject the QEMU guest agent into the image:

virt-customize \
 -a ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img \
 --install qemu-guest-agent

Enable SSH Password Logins

Create a cloud‑init config file that allows SSH password authentication:

virt-customize \
  -a ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img \
  --write /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg.d/99_enable_pwlogin.cfg:"#cloud-config
chpasswd:
  list: |
    ubuntu:password
  expire: False
ssh_pwauth: True
"

Warning: Storing passwords in plaintext is insecure—use this only for testing or within a secured network.

Remove Existing Machine ID

Ensure each VM has a unique machine-id:

virt-customize \
  -a ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img \
  --run-command 'sed -i "1d" /etc/machine-id'

Create & Configure the Template VM

Create VM ID 7000 (adjust as needed) with 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, and one virtio NIC bridged to vmbr0:

qm create 7000 \
 --memory 2048 \
 --cores 2 \
 --name ubuntu-cloud \
 --net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0

Import the customized disk into storage NETLAB1:

qm importdisk 7000 \
 ubuntu-24.04-server-cloudimg-amd64.img \
 NETLAB1

Attach the disk as a SCSI device and enable cloud‑init:

qm set 7000 --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci --scsi0 NETLAB1:7000/vm-7000-disk-0.raw
qm set 7000 --ide2 NETLAB1:cloudinit

Configure boot order, QEMU agent, CPU, networking, and console:

qm set 7000 --boot c --bootdisk scsi0
qm set 7000 --agent enabled=1,fstrim_cloned_disks=1
qm set 7000 --cpu host
qm set 7000 --ipconfig0 ip=dhcp
qm set 7000 --serial0 socket --vga serial0

Mark the VM as a template so it can be cloned:

qm template 7000

Now you have a Proxmox VM template (ubuntu-cloud) ready to clone, with cloud‑init and QEMU guest agent installed. Cloned VMs will get fresh machine IDs and DHCP’d networking on first boot.

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