Upgrading Proxmox VE 8 to 9

Proxmox VE 9 (based on Debian 13 “trixie”) is supported for NETLAB+. Existing host servers running Proxmox VE 8.4 can be upgraded in place to Proxmox VE 9.x without reinstalling — there is no need to rebuild your hosts or re-import your NETLAB+ VM.

Note

Proxmox VE 8.4.x remains the baseline for fresh installs (see the Installation section). This Upgrade section is for administrators who already run a Proxmox VE 8.4 cluster and want to move to Proxmox VE 9.x.

What changes in Proxmox VE 9

  • The base operating system moves from Debian 12 (bookworm) to Debian 13 (trixie).

  • APT repositories move to the modern deb822 (.sources) format.

  • A newer Linux kernel is installed, which can change network interface names on some hardware (see Post-Upgrade Tasks).

  • Ceph, if used, must be on the Squid (19.2) release before upgrading.

Upgrade at a glance

The upgrade is performed from the shell of each Proxmox host, one node at a time:

  1. Prerequisites & Preparation — update to 8.4.1+, back up, and run pve8to9.

  2. Update the APT Repositories — switch from bookworm to trixie.

  3. Perform the Upgrade — apt dist-upgrade and reboot.

  4. Post-Upgrade Tasks — verify, re-run the NDG Post Install Script, and check networking.

Danger

Do not begin the upgrade during an active class or lab reservation. Read the Prerequisites & Preparation page in full before you start, and ensure you have a tested backup of your NETLAB+ VM and pods.

Tip

This guide follows the official Proxmox VE 8 to 9 upgrade documentation, with guidance specific to NETLAB+ deployments.