Important! Bring your own system configured according to these instructions!
A properly configured system is required to fully participate in this course. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will likely leave the class unsatisfied because you will not be able to participate in hands-on exercises that are essential to this course. Therefore, we strongly urge you to arrive with a system meeting all the requirements specified for the course.
Your host operating system must be either the latest version of Windows 10, macOS 10.15.x or later, or Linux that also can install and run VMware virtualization products described below. You also must have 8 GB of RAM or higher for the VM to function properly in the class.
It is critical that your CPU and operating system support 64-bit so that our 64-bit guest virtual machine will run on your laptop.
In addition to having 64-bit capable hardware, AMD-V, Intel VT-x, or the equivalent must be enabled in BIOS/UEFI.
Please download and install either VMware Workstation Pro 15.5.X+, VMware Player 15.5.X+ or Fusion 11.5+ on your system prior to the beginning of class. If you do not own a licensed copy of VMware Workstation or Fusion, you can download a free 30-day trial copy from VMware. VMware will send you a time-limited serial number if you register for the trial on its website.
MANDATORY MGT551 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
CPU: 64-bit 2.0+ GHz processor or higher-based system is mandatory for this class (Important - Please Read: a 64-bit system processor is mandatory)
BIOS/UEFI: VT-x, AMD-V, or the equivalent must be enabled in the BIOS/UEFI
RAM: 8 GB (gigabytes) of RAM or higher is mandatory for this class (Important - Please Read: 8 GB of RAM or higher is mandatory)
Disk: 25 gigabytes of free disk space
Connectivity:
- Wireless Ethernet 802.11 B/G/N/AC
- USB-A ports or an adapter to use a USB-A thumb drive (version 3.0 compatibility highly recommended)
Software:
- VMware Workstation, Workstation Player, or Fusion
- The Linux virtual machine will be provided to students
Configuration:
Please verify before coming to class that you have the administrative permissions required to transfer a virtual machine from a USB drive to your hard disk and start it. Also verify that Windows Device Guard, DLP, or other host-based protections will not interfere with the USB transfer or VM startup. (This is a common issue with company-built PCs, so if you intend to bring a corporate laptop, please test this before the event.)
Your course media will now be delivered via download. The media files for class can be large, some in the 40 - 50 GB range. You need to allow plenty of time for the download to complete. Internet connections and speed vary greatly and are dependent on many different factors. Therefore, it is not possible to give an estimate of the length of time it will take to download your materials. Please start your course media downloads as you get the link. You will need your course media immediately on the first day of class. Waiting until the night before the class starts to begin your download has a high probability of failure.
SANS has begun providing printed materials in PDF form. Additionally, certain classes are using an electronic workbook in addition to the PDFs. The number of classes using eWorkbooks will grow quickly. In this new environment, we have found that a second monitor and/or a tablet device can be useful by keeping the class materials visible while the instructor is presenting or while you are working on lab exercises.
If you have additional questions about the laptop specifications, please contact laptop_prep@sans.org.