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SECURITY 577

Virtualization Security Fundamentals

Laptop Requirements:

A properly configured laptop is required for this course. It cannot be stressed enough that if your laptop does not meet minimum configuration requirements, you will not be able to participate in this course.

Hardware Requirements:

Processor: A recent, dual or quad core system with Virtualization support is required to run the labs. This means an Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad or i5/i7 system with Vt support. Note that Virtualization support must be supported by both your processor and chipset and must be enabled in your laptop BIOS (many laptops have this as a "default off" setting).

Be sure that your system is updated with the latest BIOS updates, hardware vendor updates, and operating system patches.

Minimum Memory: 4GB DRAM
Disk: 40 GB free disk and a working optical drive that will read a DVD

OS Requirements:

Unfortunately, only Windows XP and Windows 7 are currently supported. These labs have been tested on Windows 7 Standard, Enterprise, and Ultimate Editions and Windows XP Professional. Both 32 and 64 bit versions of these operating systems are supported and tested.

Theoretically, any version that supports VMware Workstation (which includes all versions of XP, Vista, and Windows 7, including Home Editions) should work, but only these four versions are tested and supported.

Checking Your Hardware Configuration:

If you are unsure if your laptop has the correct hardware configuration, to verify virtualization support on your laptop please ensure that your laptop can boot the "litmus test" VMware image on the SANS Web site. You should see a login prompt within five minutes after powering on the virtual machine. The Litmus Test machine can be downloaded here.

Other Required Software:

VMware Workstation 6.5.0 build-118116, or any newer version. If you do not own VMware Workstation, evaluation software and a 30-day evaluation license are available from VMware. VMware Player, ACE, and Fusion do not have sufficient networking support for the labs in this course.

Microsoft Windows Server: The SEC577 labs require a virtual machine running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or 2008. Unfortunately, due to licensing restrictions, SANS cannot provide a configured Virtual Machine running Windows. Please review the attached document to install and configure Microsoft Windows for this course. If you do not have a Microsoft Server license, a 120-day evaluation license is available from Microsoft or by running a Google search: "site:microsoft.com windows server trial." Be sure that your Virtual Machine is configured as described prior to attending. The document describing the configuration of your Windows VM can be found here: SEC 577 Laptop Preparation.

VMware vCenter Server: The SEC577 labs also require VMware vCenter Server to be installed on the Windows Virtual Machine. Unfortunately, again due to licensing restrictions, SANS cannot provide the vCenter installation binary. A time-limited evaluation can be downloaded from VMware.

Please Review Your Final Configuration

It cannot be stressed enough that if your laptop does not meet these minimum requirements, you will not be able to run these labs. Please take a second look at the requirements outlined here, as well as follow the procedures in the accompanying document, to be sure that you are prepared.