Virtualization with Raspberry Pi

Feb 11
2 min read

Sometimes it's not the complex problems that hold you back. Sometimes it's a small, inconspicuous mistake – that occupies you for two weeks.

This project actually started with great motivation: I wanted to delve deeper into virtualization and build my own learning environment for my apprenticeship final exam.

The idea was clear:

A dedicated server.

Own VMs.

Own test environment.

And all of this with Pimox – basically like Proxmox and the same system, but designed for the Raspberry Pi.

The plan: To build our own virtualization environment

I wanted to understand how hypervisors work. Not just theoretically for school, but practically:

Setting up VMs
Configure networks
Testing services
Simulate errors
Active Directory practice
Play through server roles

In addition, I also looked into VMware ESXi to learn about different virtualization concepts.

The Raspberry Pi was supposed to become my small control center.

My own testing environment. My own laboratory.

In my mind, it was all already finished.

In reality, the troubleshooting began.

Two weeks. Nothing but mistakes.

Proxmox could not be installed properly.

Error messages.
Abortions.
Packages that were incompatible.
Installations that appeared to work – but wouldn't boot.
I read the logs.
Newly installed.
I scoured through tutorials.
Searched forums.
Versions compared.

And yet: nothing.

At some point, you start to wonder:

Am I just too stupid for this?

Especially as an apprentice, when you are still learning, something like this can quickly feel like a personal failure.

The “stupid” mistake

After almost two weeks, I found the error.

...The wrong operating system.

One detail.

But one crucial one.

I had set up a system that did not fit the required architecture of Proxmox.

Of course, that couldn't work.

When I realized that, I was simultaneously:

relieved
annoyed
Proud to have found it myself
and a little stunned

Two weeks for something like that.

But that's exactly where I learned something important:

In IT, it's often not the big things.

It's the little details.

The moment when it finally worked

When Proxmox was finally installed correctly, the feeling was almost indescribable.

No click success.

No "Download complete".

But this real one:

I understood the problem – and solved it.

I hadn't given up.

I continued searching.

And in the end, my own Proxmox server was running.

My learning server for the apprenticeship final exam

After that, I actively use this server to prepare for my LAP.

I create:

Test environments
Multiple virtual machines
Network configurations
User structures
Server roles

And now I even have my own instance of Nextcloud running on my Proxmox server.

That was a real milestone for me.

Not just because it works technically – but because I know what's behind it.

What I learned from this project

Reading logs is more important than guessing.
Troubleshooting is a skill – not a coincidence.
Patience is just as important as knowledge in IT.

But above all, I learned:

Mistakes are not a sign of incompetence.

They are part of the process.

Conclusion

This project was more than just "virtualization with a Raspberry Pi".

It was a lesson in perseverance.

In terms of system understanding.

And in self-confidence.

My own virtualization server is running today.

If something isn't working, I'll find the problem.

Even if it takes two weeks.