--- title: "Installing CTERA Portal Instances" slug: "installing-ctera-portal-instances-43" tags: ["8.3", "Portal"] updated: 2026-08-31T07:34:45Z published: 2026-08-31T07:34:45Z canonical: "kb.ctera.com/installing-ctera-portal-instances-43" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.ctera.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Installing CTERA Portal Instances Use the following workflow to install CTERA Portal. 1. [Creating a Portal Instance](/v1/docs/installing-ctera-portal-instances-43#creating-a-portal-instance) using a CTERA Portal image from [CTERA support](https://www.ctera.com/support/). 2. [Configuring Network Settings](/v1/docs/configuring-network-settings-31). 3. Optionally, [configure a default gateway](/v1/docs/configuring-a-default-gateway-50). 4. [Additional Installation Instructions for Customers Without Internet Access](/v1/docs/additional-installation-instructions-for-customers-without-internet-access-10-2). 5. For the first server you install, follow the steps in [Configuring the Primary Server](/v1/docs/configuring-the-primary-server-5-2). 6. For any additional servers beside the primary server, install the server as described below and configure it as an additional server, as described in [Installing and Configuring Additional CTERA Portal Servers](/v1/docs/installing-and-configuring-additional-ctera-portal-servers-5-2). 7. Make sure that you replicate the database, as described in [Configuring the CTERA Portal Database for Backup](/v1/docs/configuring-ctera-portal-database-for-backup-and-restore-3). 8. Backup the server as described in [Backing Up the CTERA Portal Servers and Storage](/v1/docs/backing-up-the-ctera-portal-servers-and-storage-4). **Note** You can use block-storage-level snapshots for backup, but snapshots are periodical in nature, configured to run every few hours. Therefore, you cannot recover the metadata to any point-in-time, and can lose a significant amount of data on failure. Also, many storage systems do not support block-level snapshots and replication, or do not do so efficiently. ## Creating a Portal Instance You install the CTERA Portal via the Proxmox console using the qcow2 image from CTERA. **To install the CTERA Portal Server in Proxmox:** 1. Log in to the Proxmox console. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-Z0PBWH3Z.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) The dashboard is displayed. 2. Select the datacenter node and click **Shell**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-5F5BXFQO.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 3. Run the following command to create the CTERA Portal image directory in Proxmox: `mkdir /var/lib/vz/images/ctera-portal` 4. Copy the portal qcow2 image to the `/var/lib/vz/images/ctera-portal` directory. You can use a tool like WinSCP to copy the file. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-IA2MWT0L.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 5. Click **Create VM**. The **Create: Virtual Machine** window is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-W5HMYVPT.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 6. Enter a unique name to identify this portal server in the **Name** field and click **Next**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-1RIUOFC9.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 7. Select the **Do not use any media** option and click **Next** until you display the **Disks** tab. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-KOFNDZDO.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 8. Click **Add**. **SCSI1** is added to the list. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-RRN2EIND.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 9. Select **SCSI1** and then select the storage from the **Storage** list. 10. Specify the disk size as specified in [Requirements](/v1/docs/planning-general-and-port-requirements-3#general-requirements). 11. For the primary, database, server and secondary, replication, server: 1. Click **Add** to add the disk to use for the archive pool. **SCSI2** is added to the list. 2. Select **SCSI2** and then select the storage from the **Storage** list. 3. Specify the disk size as specified in [Requirements](/v1/docs/planning-general-and-port-requirements-3#general-requirements). 12. Click **Next** or the **CPU** tab. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-9PJYBPU2.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 13. Specify the number of vCPUs. See [General Requirements](/v1/docs/planning-general-and-port-requirements-3#general-requirements). The vCPUs is the number you specify for **Sockets** multiplierd by the number of **Cores**. **Note** Check **Advanced** to see the vCPUs. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-J40XWI22.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 14. Click **Next**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-4AMGMBXQ.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 15. Enter the RAM amount as specified in [Requirements](/v1/docs/planning-general-and-port-requirements-3#general-requirements) in the **Memory (MiB)** field and click the **Next** until you display the **Confirm** tab. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-3DUOSNCY.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 16. Review the details and then click **Finish**. 17. Select the datacenter node and click **Shell**. 18. Run the following commands: ``` qm importdisk vmid /var/lib/vz/images/ctera-portal/file.qcow2 storage qm set vmid --scsihw virtio-scsi-pci --scsi0 storage:vm-vmid-disk-n ``` Where: *vmid* is the portal VM id, such as `102` *file* is the CTERA Portal image. For example, `Portal_Image_version.qcow2` where *version* is the version number of the portal. The value is case sensitive. That is, for example, `Portal_Image-8.3.3300.20.qcow2` and **not** `portal_image-8.3.3300.20.qcow2` *storage* is the name of the storage. The VM image is overwritten with the portal image. `storage:vm-vmid-disk-n` is the disk name specified at the end of the `importdisk` command. For example, when two disks were added, one for the data pool and one for the archive pool, the disk name is similar to `storage:vm-vmid-disk-2` and is similar to `storage:vm-vmid-disk-1` when only a data pool disk was added. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-HAEQQV6S.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) 19. Right-click the VM in the navigation pane and click **Start**. The VM is powered on and the **Console** option is enabled. 20. Click **Console**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-S1GLE2AF.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) **Note** If the script to create the data pool does not successfully run, it will start on every boot until it completes. The script has a timeout which means it will exit if the data pool is not created within the timeout after boot time. If the data pool is not created, dockers required by the portal are not loaded to the data pool. To make sure that the script completed successfully, **before continuing**, run `docker images` to check that the docker images are available, including *zookeeper*, which is the last docker to load to the data pool. If all the dockers do not load you need to run the script `/usr/bin/ctera_firstboot.sh` Also, refer to [Troubleshooting the Installation](/v1/docs/installing-ctera-portal-instances-41-2#troubleshooting-the-installation) if the script does not complete successfully. 21. Continue with [Logging in to the Server and Creating the Storage](/v1/docs/installing-ctera-portal-instances-41-2#logging-in-to-the-server-and-creating-the-storage). 22. If an IP is not assigned, [configure network settings](/v1/docs/configuring-network-settings-37) before starting the CTERA Portal services in the next step. 23. Start CTERA Portal services, by running the following command: `portal-manage.sh start` **Note** Do not start the portal until both the **sdconv** and **envoy** dockers have been loaded to the data pool. You can check that these dockers have loaded in `/var/log/ctera_firstboot.log` or by running `docker images` ## Logging in to the Server and Creating the Storage You need a data pool on every server. The data pool is created automatically when you first start the virtual machine and dockers loaded on to it. You need to create a data pool on every server and on the primary database server, and when PostgreSQL streaming replication is required, also on the secondary, replication, server, an archive pool. See [Using PostgreSQL Streaming Replication](/v1/docs/using-postgresql-streaming-replication-3-2) for details about PostgreSQL streaming replication. **To log in to the portal server:** - Log in as the `root` user using SSH. The default password is `ctera321` You are prompted to change the password on your first login. **To create the archive pool:** 1. For the CTERA Portal primary database server and the secondary, replication, server, add a disk to the virtual machine to use as the archive pool. **Note** The minimum archive pool should be 200GB but it should be sized around 2% of the expected global file system size. For more details, see [General Requirements](/v1/docs/planning-general-and-port-requirements-3#general-requirements). 1. Log in as the `root` user using SSH. 2. Run `lsblk` or `fdisk -l` to identify the disks to use for the data and archive pools. 3. Run the following command to create the archive pool: `portal-storage-util.sh create_db_archive_pool Device` Where *Device* is the **Device name** of the disk to use for the archive pool. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-C4TU0G92.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A18%3A24Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A18%3A24Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=E%2FtNHPcPzeFsPSjDEkKs7j8KNGnedfIO2RKFJ51Uwho%3D) ## Troubleshooting the Installation You can check on the progress of the docker loads in one of the following ways to ensure that all the dockers are loaded: The last docker to load is called *zookeeper*: - In `/var/log/ctera_firstboot.log` - By running `docker images` to check that the docker images are available. - By checking if `/var/lib/ctera_firstboot_completed` is present with the date and time when the installation was performed. If all the dockers do not load you need to run the script `/usr/bin/ctera_firstboot.sh`