Skip to content
PERCONA MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTATION

For help, click the link below to get free database assistance or contact our experts for personalized support.

Get help from Percona

Deploy PMM Server on VirtualBox

Import the PMM Server OVA file into Oracle VirtualBox to create a virtual machine for your monitoring environment.

Prerequisites

  • Downloaded PMM Server OVA file
  • Oracle VirtualBox 6.0 or later installed
  • At least 8GB of free RAM and 100GB of free disk space

Import OVA file

To import the OVA file using the VirtualBox user interface:

  1. Open Oracle VirtualBox.
  2. Go to File > Import Appliance.
  3. Click on the folder icon and browse to select the downloaded PMM Server OVA file, then click Next.
  4. Review the appliance settings:
    • You can customize the name of the VM
    • Adjust CPU and memory settings if needed
    • Review network settings
  5. Click Import.
  6. Wait for the import process to complete (this may take several minutes).

To import the OVA file using the command-line interface:

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

  2. Use the VBoxManage command to import the OVA:

    VBoxManage import pmm-server-3.1.0.ova --vsys 0 --vmname "PMM Server"

  3. To customize VM settings during import (optional):

    VBoxManage import pmm-server-3.1.0.ova --vsys 0 --vmname "PMM Server" \
  --cpus 4 --memory 8192 --unit 9 --disk pmm-data.vmdk

Configure network settings

For the VM to be accessible on your network, configure the network settings appropriately.

To configure network settings using the VirtualBox UI:

  1. Select the imported PMM Server VM.
  2. Go to Settings > Network.
  3. Ensure Adapter 1 is enabled and attached to:
    • Bridged Adapter for direct network access (recommended)
    • NAT if you prefer to use port forwarding
  4. If using Bridged Adapter, select the physical network interface to bridge to.
  5. Click OK.

To configure network settings using the command line:

  1. For bridged networking (recommended for production):

    VBoxManage modifyvm "PMM Server" --nic1 bridged --bridgeadapter1 eth0
    Replace eth0 with your actual network interface name.

  2. For NAT networking (easier for testing):

    VBoxManage modifyvm "PMM Server" --nic1 nat

  3. To set up port forwarding with NAT (optional):

    VBoxManage modifyvm "PMM Server" --nic1 nat
VBoxManage modifyvm "PMM Server" --natpf1 "https,tcp,,8443,,443"
VBoxManage modifyvm "PMM Server" --natpf1 "http,tcp,,8080,,80"
    This forwards host ports 8443 and 8080 to guest ports 443 and 80.

Start the VM and obtain IP address

To start the VM and get its IP address using the UI:

  1. Select the PMM Server VM in the VirtualBox Manager.
  2. Click Start.
  3. A console window will open showing the boot process.
  4. Wait for the boot process to complete (2-5 minutes).
  5. The console will display the IP address once booting is complete.

To start the VM and get its IP address using the command line:

  1. Start the VM in headless mode (no UI):

    VBoxManage startvm "PMM Server" --type headless

  2. Wait for the VM to fully boot (approximately 2-5 minutes).

  3. Get the VM’s IP address (for bridged networking):

    VBoxManage guestproperty get "PMM Server" "/VirtualBox/GuestInfo/Net/0/V4/IP"

  4. If the above command doesn’t show the IP address, you can check the VM’s console:

    VBoxManage startvm "PMM Server" --type separate
    This opens just the console window.

Troubleshooting network issues

If you cannot connect to the VM:

  • For bridged networking, ensure your host’s firewall allows traffic to the VM
  • For NAT with port forwarding, connect to your host’s IP address with the forwarded port (e.g., https://localhost:8443)
  • Verify VirtualBox network settings are correctly configured

Next steps

After successfully importing and starting the PMM Server VM: