1. What Is Proxmox VE 9.1 and Why Is It Important?

Version 9.1 is the first incremental release of the Proxmox VE 9 series, refining the major advancements introduced
in 9.0. It brings improved stability, bug fixes, new technical capabilities, and platform-wide optimizations.

• Debian 13.2 “Trixie” as the new base system
• Linux kernel 6.17.2 as default
• QEMU 10.1.2, LXC 6.0.5, ZFS 2.3.4, Ceph Squid 19.2.3
• OCI image-based LXC creation
• TPM state embedded inside qcow2 images
• New vCPU flag for nested virtualization
• Enhanced SDN status reporting
• New Datacenter Bulk Action interface for mass VM/CT operations

2. Base System and Kernel Enhancements

2.1 Debian 13.2 Base

Debian 13 brings modern libraries, drivers, userspace tools and long-term support.

• Improved support for latest Intel and AMD server CPUs
• Updated OpenSSL, libc, systemd and kernel modules
• Better long-term compatibility for enterprise deployments

2.2 Linux Kernel 6.17.2

The kernel upgrade directly improves:

• I/O performance on NVMe and SSD storage
• SR-IOV, VFIO, IOMMU virtualization stability
• Server-grade CPU scheduling and power management

3. Major Component Upgrades: QEMU, LXC, ZFS, Ceph

• QEMU 10.1.2 – better VM performance and CPU emulation
• LXC 6.0.5 – improved unprivileged & nested container behavior
• ZFS 2.3.4 – faster scrub/resilver, more stability
• Ceph Squid 19.2.3 – the new recommended version for distributed storage

4. Create LXC Containers from OCI Images

One of the most impactful additions in 9.1 is the ability to create LXC containers directly from
OCI (Open Container Initiative) images.

Why this matters

• Most modern applications are distributed as OCI images
• Makes Proxmox LXC a viable alternative to Docker in homelab setups
• Bridges the OCI ecosystem with lightweight LXC virtualization

Typical deployment flow

1. Select an OCI image (example: Debian, Alpine, Nginx)
2. Configure registry access
3. Select “OCI image” during LXC creation
4. Set CPU, RAM, disk and network
5. Create and start the container

5. TPM State Embedded Inside qcow2

9.1 now supports storing the TPM NVRAM state inside qcow2 disk images for easier portability.

• TPM files no longer need to be tracked separately
• Live migration moves both VM and TPM state together
• Backups include TPM automatically, reducing restore issues

6. New vCPU Flag for Nested Virtualization

Nested virtualization is often required when running hypervisors inside a VM (e.g., ESXi, Hyper-V, KVM).
The new vCPU flag lets administrators control nested virtualization with more precision:

• Enable nested mode only for specific VMs
• Reduce overhead on all non-nested workloads
• Improve security by disabling nested execution cluster-wide unless required

7. Networking & SDN Enhancements

7.1 Improved SDN Monitoring

• Better error visibility
• Health reporting for zones, vNets, gateways
• Faster troubleshooting

7.2 General Network Improvements

• More stable bonding and LACP
• Improved VLAN-aware bridge performance
• Scalable nftables firewall rules

8. Datacenter Bulk Actions

The new Bulk Actions interface allows mass operations across VMs/CTs:

• Start, stop, reboot multiple workloads
• Batch backups
• Simplify maintenance windows

9. Storage & Backup Enhancements

9.1 ZFS 2.3.4

• More stable snapshots and clones
• Improved scrub and resilver behavior

9.2 Ceph Squid 19.2.3

Recommended upgrade path: Ceph Reef → Squid → Proxmox VE 9.1.

9.3 Proxmox Backup Server integration

• Improved dedup and incremental backup performance
• Better restore workflow

10. Upgrade Notes for 8.x / 9.0 → 9.1

10.1 General Recommendations

• Take full cluster backups
• Check cluster health (pvecm status)
• Validate third-party drivers

10.2 Upgrade from 9.0 to 9.1

apt update
apt dist-upgrade
reboot

10.3 Upgrade from 8.4 + Ceph Reef to 9.1 + Ceph Squid

1. Upgrade Ceph Reef → Squid
2. Ensure full Ceph health
3. Upgrade Proxmox VE 8.4 → 9.1

11. Conclusion: Is Proxmox VE 9.1 Worth Upgrading?

If your infrastructure uses ZFS, Ceph, TPM/Secure Boot, SDN, nested workloads, or modern CPU/NVMe hardware,
Proxmox VE 9.1 is an excellent and stable target release.