Part 2: Configuring IP, User Privileges, and the Second Data Disk

Objective of This Section 
 In this section, we further configure the freshly installed Debian VM. We assign a static IP address, establish proper user privileges, and permanently mount the second disk for Nextcloud data. 
 All packages will be updated to the latest state, and clean administrative privileges will be prepared. 
 At the end of this section: 
 
 the VM is reachable via a static IP address 
 a regular admin user with sudo privileges is configured 
 the data disk is correctly mounted and persistently integrated 
 
 
 Step 1: Log In to the VM and Initial Overview 
 Prerequisites 
 
 Debian 13 has been successfully installed 
 The VM is running in Proxmox 
 Access to the Proxmox web interface 
 An SSH client (e.g., Tabby, Terminal, iTerm, PuTTY) 
 
 Hardware Recommendations 
 
 The second virtual disk has already been added in Proxmox 
 Size as required (e.g., 200 GB or more) 
 The disk has not yet been configured inside Debian 
 
 VM Parameters (Example) 
 
 Hostname: nextcloud-vm 
 Static IP (example): 192.168.10.120 
 Gateway: 192.168.10.1 
 DNS: internal DNS + fallback 
 
 Required Credentials (Example) 
 
 User: ncadmin 
 Root password 
 SSH access to the VM 
 
 Log In via SSH 
 Start the VM in Proxmox and determine the currently assigned IP address. 
 
 Then connect via SSH using the admin user ncadmin (or the user created in Part 1): 
 # Use your VM’s name and IP address
ssh ncadmin@192.168.10.120
 
 On first connection, confirm the fingerprint with yes , then enter the password. 
 
 
 Step 2: Configure a Static IP Address 
 Objective 
 The VM must always be reachable under the same IP address. This is a prerequisite for DNS configuration, reverse proxy usage, and later for Nextcloud itself. 
 Edit Network Configuration 
 Open the file: /etc/network/interfaces : 
 sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
 
 Modify the primary interface as follows (the interface name may differ, often ens18 ): 
 # The primary network interface
allow-hotplug ens18
#iface ens18 inet dhcp
iface ens18 inet static
 address 192.168.10.120
 netmask 255.255.255.0
 gateway 192.168.10.1
 dns-nameservers 192.168.10.6 1.1.1.1
 
 Adjust the IP addresses to match your network. 
 Save with CTRL+O , confirm with Enter, exit with CTRL+X . 
 To ensure that the dns-nameservers defined in the interfaces file are actually applied, the resolvconf package must be installed and enabled: 
 sudo apt install resolvconf
sudo systemctl enable resolvconf
sudo systemctl start resolvconf
 
 Restart networking: 
 sudo systemctl restart networking
 
 Important: Do not close the current terminal. 
 Instead, open a new terminal and test whether SSH login works again. 
 
 Connection successful → configuration is correct 
 Connection fails → use the existing terminal session to correct the network configuration 
 
 
 Step 3: Update the System and Root Access 
 Switch to Root Mode 
 su -
 
 Update the System 
 apt update
apt full-upgrade
 
 This updates both the package lists and all installed packages. 
 Optionally, the hostname can also be adjusted at this stage. 
 
 Step 4: Configure sudo Privileges 
 The regular user should be able to perform administrative tasks without remaining logged in as root. 
 
 Install sudo 
 apt install sudo
 
 Add User to sudo Group 
 usermod -aG sudo ncadmin
 
 Afterward, log out from root. Future administrative commands can be executed using sudo . 
 
 Step 5: Prepare the Second Disk 
 The second virtual disk will be partitioned, formatted, and mounted as the data directory for Nextcloud. 
 
 ⚠️ The mount point /srv/cloud.zn80.net is only an example. 
You may use any suitable path, such as /srv/nextcloud/data , /var/lib/nextcloud , or /home/ncadmin/cloud-data . Choose a structure that aligns with your system design and remains intuitive. 
 
 Overview of Available Drives 
 lsblk
 
 The second disk is usually /dev/sdb . 
 
 Create Partition 
 sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
 
 Within fdisk , enter: 
 
 n (new) 
 p (primary) 
 1 
 Enter (start) 
 Enter (end) 
 w (write) 
 
 
 Create Filesystem 
 sudo mkfs.ext4 -L cloud.zn80.net /dev/sdb1
 
 
 Create Mount Directory 
 sudo mkdir -p /srv/cloud.zn80.net
 
 
 Step 6: Permanently Mount the Disk 
 Objective 
 The data disk should automatically mount at system startup. 
 Determine UUID 
 blkid
 
 Note the UUID of /dev/sdb1 . 
 
 The UUID is important because device names may change after reboot, whereas UUIDs remain constant. 
 Edit /etc/fstab 
 sudo nano /etc/fstab
 
 Add or modify the following line: 
 # nextcloud data
UUID=XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX /srv/cloud.zn80.net ext4 defaults,noatime 0 2
 
 Save and close the editor. 
 
 Test Mount 
 sudo mount -a
df -h
 
 The disk should now be mounted under /srv/cloud.zn80.net . 
 
 The system is now fully prepared. The actual Nextcloud installation follows in: 
 Part 3: Downloading, Installing, and Configuring Nextcloud 
 
 Step 7: Resize the Disk (Optional) 
 
 ⚠️ Important Notice Before Resizing 
Before resizing the data disk, create a backup of the VM or critical data. A mistake (e.g., selecting the wrong partition) can result in complete data loss. The VM must be powered off and on again for the rescan and parted steps. Live resizing using resize2fs works only with ext4 and a mounted filesystem, but it is riskier and not always recommended. Proceed carefully and verify the partition before modifying it. 
 
 Objective 
 If additional storage is required later, the existing partition can be expanded without data loss. 
 Resize Disk in Proxmox 
 
 Select VM 
 Disk → Resize 
 Add desired capacity 
 
 
 Rescan in Debian 
 echo 1 > /sys/block/sdb/device/rescan
 
 Reboot the VM if necessary. 
 Check Free Space 
 parted -s -a opt /dev/sdb "print free"
 
 Resize Partition 
 parted -s -a opt /dev/sdb "resizepart 1 100%"
 
 Resize Filesystem 
 e2fsck -f /dev/sdb1
resize2fs /dev/sdb1
 
 Afterward, lsblk and df -h will reflect the new size. 
 Note: Differences in displayed sizes are due to GB vs. GiB.