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Install Mikrotik CHR in Proxmox Without Rescue Iso

This guide explains how to create and configure a MikroTik CHR virtual machine (VM) on Proxmox directly using a raw disk image.

1. Create a VM (Without Disk)​

  1. Create a new VM in Proxmox. image-7
  2. Set the VM ID and Name as you want.
  3. In the OS section, select Do not use any media. image-8
  4. In the System section, configure as needed. image-9
  5. Go to the Disk section, click the trash icon to remove the disk. image-10
  6. The configuration should look like this:
    • No disk attached. image-11
  7. Set the number of CPU cores. image-12
  8. Set the RAM/Memory size. image-13
  9. Configure the network adapter as needed. image-14
  10. Review the configuration in the Summary section, then click Finish. image-15

2. Download the CHR Image​

Download the image and type is Raw Disk Image image-6-1024x525

  1. Open a shell terminal on your Proxmox node.

  2. Navigate to the storage directory where you want to save the image:

    cd /var/lib/vz/images

  3. Download the MikroTik CHR raw disk image using wget:

    wget <link-to-chr-image>

  4. Install the necessary tools for extracting the downloaded image:

    apt install zip unzip

  5. Extract the downloaded ZIP file:

    unzip chr-x.x.x.img.zip

3. Convert the CHR Image to QCOW2 Format​

  1. Convert the extracted raw image to QCOW2 format for Proxmox compatibility:

    qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 chr-x.x.x.img chr-x.x.x.qcow2

  2. (Optional) Remove the original raw image and ZIP file to save space:

    rm chr-x.x.x.img chr-x.x.x.img.zip

4. Resize the Disk (Optional)​

If you want to resize the disk before attaching it to the VM, use the following command:

qemu-img resize chr-x.x.x.qcow2 1G

5. Import the Disk to Proxmox​

  1. Use the qm importdisk command to import the QCOW2 disk to the VM you created earlier:

    qm importdisk <vm-id> chr-x.x.x.qcow2 <storage-name>
    • Replace <vm-id> with the ID of the VM you created.
    • Replace <storage-name> with the name of the storage where you want to save the disk (e.g., local-lvm).

6. Attach the Disk to the VM​

  1. Go to the Hardware section of the VM in the Proxmox GUI.
  2. You will see the imported disk listed as Unused Disk. image-16-1024x525
  3. Click the Unused Disk, then click Edit. image-17-1024x525
  4. Adjust the settings as follows:
    • Bus/Device: Set to VirtIO Block (virtio) for optimal performance.
    • Disk Image: Set to Disk Image.
  5. Click Add to attach the disk to the VM.

7. Set the Boot Order​

  1. Go to the Options section of the VM in the Proxmox GUI. image-18-1024x525
  2. Select Boot Order, then click Edit.
  3. Move the attached disk to the top of the boot order list (position 1). image-19-1024x525
  4. Check the Enable box to ensure it is active.
  5. Click OK to save the changes.

8. Start the VM​

  1. Return to the Summary section of the VM.
  2. Click the Start button to power on the VM.
  3. Go to the Console tab to monitor the VM boot process.
  4. Once the VM starts, you should see the MikroTik RouterOS system booting. image-20-1024x525

Congratulations! You have successfully created and configured a MikroTik CHR VM on Proxmox. 🎉
Your CHR VM is now ready to be used for network management and routing tasks.