Preparation¶

Before beginning the TAPPaaS installation, complete these preparation steps to ensure a smooth deployment.

Prerequisites Checklist¶

• Hardware acquired and assembled
• Network connectivity established
• Domain name registered
• DNS access configured
• Credentials prepared

Network Preparation¶

Internet Connectivity¶

Ensure you have:

• Reliable wired internet connection
• Public IP address (static preferred)
• Ports 80 and 443 available for inbound traffic

Domain Name¶

You will need:

• A registered domain name
• Access to DNS management
• Ability to create A records and subdomains

Example DNS records you'll create:

tappaas.yourdomain.com    → Your public IP
*.tappaas.yourdomain.com  → Your public IP (wildcard)

Internal Network Design¶

Plan your internal network:

Credential Preparation¶

Root Password¶

Create a strong root password that will be used for:

• Proxmox hypervisor
• OPNsense firewall
• Initial VM access

SSH Keys¶

Generate an SSH key pair for secure access:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "tappaas-admin"

Store the private key securely and have the public key ready for installation.

Service Accounts¶

Plan credentials for:

• Email address for Let's Encrypt certificates
• API keys for external services (if needed)
• Admin accounts for web interfaces

Software Preparation¶

Download Proxmox VE¶

1. Visit proxmox.com/downloads
2. Download the latest Proxmox VE ISO
3. Create bootable USB media using:
4. Windows: Rufus
5. macOS: balenaEtcher
6. Linux: dd command

Verify Downloads¶

Always verify ISO checksums:

sha256sum proxmox-ve_*.iso

Compare with the official checksums from the Proxmox download page.

Hardware Preparation¶

BIOS/UEFI Settings¶

Configure your hardware:

• Enable virtualization (VT-x/AMD-V)
• Enable IOMMU if available
• Set boot order to USB first
• Disable Secure Boot (optional, for compatibility)

Storage Preparation¶

If reusing drives:

• Back up any important data
• Note drive identifiers for ZFS pool creation

Documentation¶

Keep records of:

Configuration File¶

TAPPaaS uses a central configuration file. Prepare values for:

{
  "domain": "yourdomain.com",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "timezone": "Europe/London",
  "network": {
    "management": "10.0.0.0/24",
    "services": "10.1.0.0/24"
  }
}

Next Steps¶

Once preparation is complete:

1. Begin with Foundation Installation
2. Start with the Proxmox Node setup