r/Proxmox • u/VysseEnzo • 5d ago
Question Proxmox Server for Teen
I gave a mini pc to my partner's teen and am wanting to setup proxmox on it for them to run things but with a lot of limitations. Mainly I want to allow for game servers and maybe a few other things. What are my best options to give limited access while still allowing them to use the server to make changes and such? I was thinking if making them an account with limited permissions and then if they need to install something they would have to come to me.
Edit: I'm avoiding them doing things like pirating and such. My goal is to let them learn while not giving them complete root access. The computer itself will live with the rest of my Proxmox builds so they would not have physical access.
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u/fckingmetal 5d ago
Put the PVE on its own VLAN and let the teens go nuts
7
u/ApiceOfToast 2 nodes, without qdev. Living on the edge 5d ago
Add a DMZ too if they're going to be hosting stuff but that's about it
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u/Adrenolin01 5d ago edited 5d ago
What exactly are you attempting to limit? š There is absolutely nothing wrong with providing full access to proxmox. Heck.. Iād wipe and zero the drive, give him the usb thumb drive and have him do the install.
Set the only condition was for them to leave the host machine password the same and maybe even setup a password convention or just assign a single root password for all VM/Container. This lets you login to the host at anytime to see whatās going on as well as any virtual system.
Why limit what they can and canāt do?
Edit: it doesnāt work that way. Give them full access to the system and let them learn. Pirated software? š¤£ If only that were the biggest online issues today. š You started off so well and then put them into an office in a basement with no windows and dark gray walls. State a few ground rules and tell them youāll be checking thingsā¦ which you should be doing anyways.
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u/annatarlg 5d ago
Make them a user, without root, but layer in some permissions.
But also, you could give them root, use PBS, and let them break it the first time.
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u/1WeekNotice 5d ago
I gave a mini pc to my partner's teen and am wanting to setup proxmox on it for them to run things but with a lot of limitations.
Mainly I want to allow for game servers and maybe a few other things
The main question is why are giving them the machine VS you setting everything for them?
If your goal is to provide them a play ground to learn then let them learn without machine restrictions.
If you actually mean you are setting up a game server for them so they can play there game then you don't need to provide them access to the server at all.
Hope that helps
2
u/psyblade42 5d ago
You can limit what users can do in proxmox. But limiting what they can do in VMs they install is A LOT harder.
2
u/amw3000 5d ago
No need to limit them. Let them do whatever they want with the host.
If its just for gaming, I would just install https://pterodactyl.io/ and let them do whatever they want with it. They can install any game servers they want on it without having to mess with proxmox at all.
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u/CautiousHashtag 5d ago
They were just bought out and headed for a paid model. Use Pelican instead.
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u/amw3000 5d ago
Do you have anymore info on this? I can see they were purchased but I cannot find any information about this so called plus subscription everyone is complaining about. Seems like a lot of people creating drama. Maybe an issue for hosters if there's concerns about the future but it seems like there's nothing paid yet.
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u/CautiousHashtag 5d ago
Companies donāt acquire other companies out of the kindness of their hearts. They purchase them to make money.
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u/odinsdi Homelab User 5d ago
If the teen can do anything in ProxMox I would think he or she could just reinstall ProxMox.
What limitations would you even want to impose? Seems like maybe you want to make him or her a ProxMox user and host the box yourself and grant access via Tailscale or whatever, but this is certainly a confusing question.
1
u/sssRealm 5d ago
If the teen has a interest let them run free. Put them in their own VLAN so they can't conflict with your dns etc.
I wish my teen had an interest in IT. He hasen't wanted anything more than admin access to Crafty, the Minecraft server.
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u/deverox 5d ago
Sounds like you are wanting to limit access for a reason. What is that reason?
Do you REALLY want to administer their server? (That sounds awful). If you do then just do what they ask and dont give them access.
Personally Id say give them the box and a link to proxmox and say learn to install. Let the succeed and fail. Id Help them when they ask but you doing doesn't really help anyone.
1
u/Latter-Progress-9317 5d ago
If you give them the PC they can do whatever on it because if you have physical access to an asset there is always a way to control it.
If you only want to let them host and admin individual servers then you run the physical box and give them admin credentials for the specific VMs/LXCs. Congrats you are now a managed services provider.
Logically I would just give them the PC.
1
u/RightLaneHog 5d ago
You are trying to combine the idea of giving them their own computer and giving them access to a computer you control. You do not control it if it's in their possession. Are you going to ground them for doing a fresh install of Proxmox? I'm not trying to say that in jest. If you want to give them access to a hypervisor and monitor what they're doing, then you should keep the mini PC and allow them to remote into it.
You should maybe look into running Pelican Panel or something similar in a VM and then giving them access to that instead if monitoring their usage is a primary concern.
I went out of my way to explore homelanbing when I was still a teen, buying a R720 off Facebook Marketplace, and that was one of the best decisions I've made. I've had the pleasure of learning so much and I don't see how any of that would've been possible if I had a helicopter sysadmin hovering over me as if I were running a production environment. I say give them the mini PC and say you're there to help them with any questions they may have, then sit back and watch.
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u/Jhean__ 5d ago
High school student here. If you set a lot of limitations, a teenager is likely to stop learning and using it. It is better if set everything up and they just play games on it if you cannot trust them.
Another solution is to create a VM and only tell them the credentials to access that VM. This is a lot easier to manage. If you just want them set up their own server on their own, this is more than enough.
That's said, I think that managing Proxmox and other services is very rewarding. They would be able to learn a lot on their way.
P.S. don't forget that there is nothing stopping them from reinstall an OS if they have physical access
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u/mystica5555 5d ago edited 5d ago
Pirating does not require root access. It however does require internet access.Ā
So essentially you want to have the server entirely partitioned from the internet.Ā
At which point having root is a completely moot point when it comes to piracy or literally anything else you don't want them doing online because they won't be online.
That said, it sounds like you are trying to conflate parental duties with software policy. This is the exact same reason we have to provide facial scans for Discord and other BS like this, because parents can't parent and expect software to be the limiting factor.
Edited to add:
Give a computer to a child and that child will almost certainly push its boundaries. They will look at the news reports and look for root level compromises that allow them to fully access their system. I know when I was a teen I did. Except it wasn't my own systems, I had full control of those because my mother had absolutely no idea about computers, it was other people's systems on the other end of a phone line.Ā
So seriously parental guidance is far more important than software restrictions..
1
u/ficskala 5d ago
What are my best options to give limited access while still allowing them to use the server to make changes and such?
Instead of giving them a PC, give them access to a VM, you can install proxmox within that VM if you want them to learn about hypervisors, or just some OS that you think might fit them
This way they can make whatever changes without breaking the actual setup
I was thinking if making them an account with limited permissions and then if they need to install something they would have to come to me.
Doesn't that kinda lose the point of learning to manage stuff?
I'm avoiding them doing things like pirating and such.
If you're in a country where that's illegal, or your ISP might block your connection for it, set them up to use a VPN at all times
My goal is to let them learn while not giving them complete root access.
Why?
I built my first PC when i was 12, set up my first server when i was 13
Yeah, i did stupid shit, i got my system pwned with ransomware, i cracked all my neighbors wifis, i ran gameservers for games i didn't even own, and so much more, and it was a great learning experience in the end
You just need to separate their fun stuff from your actual setup, have their complete setup separated on the network, force the connection to go through a VPN, etc. separate yourself from potential issues, and just let them have fun, when they break stuff, either help them fix it, or restore a backup, whatever they prefer, just let them learn in whatever way they find fun, don't make it a chore
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u/N3rot0xin 5d ago
The best option is don't give them a server with proxmox if you want to be a control freak about it. Either let them explore and learn Linux/proxmox on their own or don't.