Prerequisites

Hardware, software, and account requirements before building the lab.

Complete all downloads and package installations while VMs are on NAT (internet access). Switch REMnux to host-only only after all tools are installed.

Host Machine Requirements

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	16 GB	32 GB
Storage	150 GB free	300 GB SSD
CPU	4 cores	8 cores with VT-x
Hypervisor	VMware Workstation Pro / Fusion	VMware Workstation Pro / Fusion

VM Resource Allocation

VM	RAM	vCPU	Disk
VM1 — Ubuntu	4 GB	2	40 GB
VM2 — REMnux	4 GB	2	60 GB
VM3 — SIFT Workstation	4 GB	2	80 GB
VM4 — Windows (future)	4 GB	2	60 GB

Downloads Checklist

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ISO — for VM1
• REMnux OVA — pre-built VM with all analysis tools
• SIFT Workstation OVA — SANS pre-built forensics VM
• VMware Workstation / Fusion
• Anthropic account with Claude Pro, Max, Team, or Enterprise — required for Claude Code authentication
• VirusTotal API key — Premium recommended for file downloads