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.
It is critical that you back-up your system before class. It is also strongly advised that you do not use a system storing any sensitive data.
System Hardware Requirements
CPU: Your system's processor must be a 64-bit Intel i5/i7 2.0+ GH processor or higher. Your CPU and OS must support a 64-bit guest virtual machine.
- VMware provides a free tool for Windows that will detect whether or not your host supports 64-bit guest virtual machines.
- Windows users can use this article to learn more about their CPU and OS capabilities.
- Apple users can use this support page to learn more information about Mac 64-bit capability.
BIOS: Intel's VT (VT-x) hardware virtualization technology should be enabled in your system's BIOS or UEFI settings. You must be able to access your system's BIOS throughout the class. If your BIOS is password protected, you must have the password.
USB: USB 3.0 Type-A port: At least one available USB 3.0 Type-A port is required for copying large data files from a USB 3.0 drive. The USB port must not be locked in hardware or software. Some newer laptops may have only the smaller Type-C ports. In this case, you will need to bring a USB Type-C to Type-A adapter.
RAM: 16 GB RAM is REQUIRED. To verify on Windows 10, press Windows key + "I" to open Settings, then click "System", then "About". Your RAM information will be toward the bottom of the page. To verify on a Mac, click the Apple logo at the top left-hand corner of your display and then click "About this Mac".
Hard Drive Free Space: 100 GB of FREE space on the hard drive is critical to host the VMs and additional files we distribute. For SEC534, an SSD drive is REQUIRED.
Operating System: Your system must be running either Windows 10 Pro or macOS 10.13 or higher. Make sure your operating system is fully updated with the correct drivers and patches prior to arriving in class.
Additional Hardware Requirements
The requirements below are in addition to baseline requirements provided above. Prior to the start of class, you must install virtualization software and meet additional hardware and software requirements as described below. If you do not carefully read and follow these instructions, you will leave the class unsatisfied because you will not be able to participate in hands-on exercises that are essential to this course. Note: Apple systems using the M1 processor cannot perform the necessary virtualization at this time and cannot be used for this course.
Laptop Requirements for SEC534
Network, Wireless Connection: A wireless 802.11 B, G, N, or AC network adapter is required. This can be the internal wireless adapter in your system or and external USB wireless adapter. A wireless adapter allows you to connect to the network without any cables. If you can surf the Internet on your system without plugging in a network cable, you have wireless.
Additional Software Requirements
Solid State Drive: Solid State Drive (SSD) is REQUIRED.
VMware: VMware Workstation Pro 15.5.X+, VMware Player 15.5.X+ or Fusion 11.5+
Credential Guard: If your host computer is running Windows, Credential Guard may interfere with the ability to run VMs. It is important that you start up VMWare prior to class and confirm that virtual machines can run. It is required that Credential Guard is turned off prior to coming to class.
System Configuration Settings
Local Admin: Have an account with local admin privileges. Some of the tools used in the course will require local admin access. This is absolutely required. If your company will not permit this access for the duration of the course, then you should make arrangements to use a different system.
Disable VPN: Enterprise VPN clients may interfere with the network configuration required to participate in the class. To avoid any frustration in class, uninstall or disable your enterprise VPN client for the duration of the class. If you keep it installed, make sure that you have the access to disable or uninstall it at class.
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.
