NEW AND ACTIVE CLIENT BASE INSTALL
NEW AND ACTIVE CLIENT BASE ISO

A 500GB Samsung EVO SSD runs around $300 online (possibly cheaper by the time you read this). I really like the Samsung EVO SSDs since they are fast and reliable. I also use a traditional hard drive 1-3TBs in size for VM backups. Hard Drive: SSD all the way! Recommend at least 128GB for system drive and at least 256GB for the drive holding the VM files (preferably more!).Processor: Does the work for the virtualization host as well as all VMs.My recommendation is 16GB at a minimum, 32GB preferred, with more than that even better! The key is to outfit the lab computer with as much RAM as possible. Also, the server VMs boot almost instantly! ItвЂ™s extremely fast! рџ™‚

NEW AND ACTIVE CLIENT BASE ISO

Installing a new Windows Server from an ISO file on the C: drive (SSD) takes ~12 minutes. For example, my lab computer has 2 SSDs: a C: drive and a D: drive. SSDs are exponentially faster than traditional hard drives and the difference is obvious when running a lab on them. Also highly recommended is using a separate SSD for the Virtual Machine files. I highly recommend using an SSD as the primary OS drive. This is my preference вЂ“ build/buy a hefty workstation-class system with a Core i7 processor. The associated components are usually more expensive, though they do last longer. The big drawback is the power consumption (and associated power bill). I have friends that buy older servers from various internet sources (ebay, etc) at a tremendous discount and run those with (potentially) massive hard drive arrays.

NEW AND ACTIVE CLIENT BASE INSTALL

Furthermore, itвЂ™s possible to build a Windows environment at minimal cost for testing.ДЄmazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, and others provide capability to install and configure VMs in the cloud which is helpful when traveling since the lab is available and accessible from anywhere (perhaps saving power at home). Virtualization enables anyone to take a computer with a decent processor and enough RAM to create a lab environment without being overly complex. The great thing is that a home lab no longer requires several physical computers as it did in the past.

The best way to learn about computer networking and security is to have a home lab. Instead the focus is on a lab environment that can be stood up quickly and easily as a learning tool. This post is not meant to describe the ultimate lab configuration.

New and active client base