SSD setup guide for Linux

External SSD Setup Guide for Proxmox and Docker

Scenario: All the steps involve plugging in a new external storage unit - specifically, a 2 TB SSD you’ve just unwrapped and plugged in, with no additional setup.

The process involves several steps: making the USB drive usable as an ext4 storage device (with only one partition), mounting it, and then accessing it from within a Docker container, which is in a VM on the Proxmox server to which it is attached. This is the exact way the SSD connected to Proxmox-nuc5 was set up for Navidrome’s music.

Part 1: On the Proxmox Host

Step 1: Identify the new USB SSD

lsblk

Look for something like /dev/sdX with no mount point and ~2TB size.

Step 2: Partition the disk (single partition, ext4)

sudo parted /dev/sdX --script mklabel gpt mkpart primary ext4 0% 100%

Step 3: Format the partition

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1

Step 4: Create a mount point and mount it

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/Ext_New_SSD
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/Ext_New_SSD

Step 5: Make the mount persistent

sudo blkid

Copy the UUID for /dev/sdX1, then:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add this line (replace UUID=xxxxx):

UUID=xxxxx /mnt/Ext_New_SSD ext4 defaults 0 2

Then mount:

sudo mount -a

Step 6: Create music folder & set permissions

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music
sudo chown root:root /mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music
sudo chmod 755 /mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music

Step 7: Export via NFS

Install NFS server if needed:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

Edit exports:

sudo nano /etc/exports

Add:

/mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music 192.168.1.0/24(ro,sync,no_subtree_check)

Apply and restart:

sudo exportfs -ra
sudo systemctl restart nfs-server rpcbind

Part 2: On the Ubuntu VM (e.g. navidrome-vm)

Step 8: Install NFS client

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-common

Step 9: Create the mount point

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/navidrome/music

Step 10: Mount the share (manual test)

sudo mount -t nfs 192.168.1.125:/mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music /mnt/navidrome/music

Verify:

ls -lah /mnt/navidrome/music

Step 11: Make it persistent

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

192.168.1.125:/mnt/Ext_New_SSD/music /mnt/navidrome/music nfs ro,nofail,x-systemd.automount,_netdev 0 0

Mount all to test:

sudo mount -a

Part 3: Back on the Ubuntu VM – Restart Docker Container

Step 12: Ensure docker-compose is pointing to the right music path

Update docker-compose.yml:

volumes:
  - ${HOME}/navidrome/config:/data
  - /mnt/navidrome/music:/music:ro

Then:

cd ~/navidrome
docker compose down
docker compose up -d