Tuto: BT persistent virtual install on USB with VirtualBox

[nilux3]

Hi all this is a small tuto showing you the following :

- Installation of Portable-VirtualBox on usb (hdd or stick) that can be launched from any windows system without any local installation.

- Installation of a BT4 Virtual machine on the same USB with persistence and (on usb) shared folder between Local windows and virtual machine (BT4). This will result in the possibility of incerting your usb stick in any windows, and start BT4 from windows, keeping the 2 systems integrated in 1 Desktop.

You need :

- any windows machine
- BT4 Dvd or iso file
- portable-VirtualBox
V3.0.12 or V3.1
- FAT32 16GB or more USB stick / HDD (USB2 is better and external double USB plug HDD even more)


Procedure :

INSTALLING VIRTUALBOX on USB

-From windows : Extract Portable-VirtualBox_v3.0.12-Starter_v4.0.0-Win_all.exe on your usb device and launch
/Portable-VirtualBox/Portable-VirtualBox.exe
It will download VirtualBox server (around 80GB) choosing 32 and/or 64bit virtualbox. Cliking "OK" after download will install it on the USB

- Start Portable-VirtualBox.exe again
this time it will start the server from the usb. (subscribe or not)

- now SUN VirtualBox is up an running, chose "NEW" (virtual machine) on the VBox window. (nb: you have to understand that a virtual machine is a computer, so you have to set up it's HDD size, Ram, etc ... before "booting" on it through a bootable CD or iso. all as if it were a real computer, that's what we will do now)

- "NEXT" and give a name to your virtual machine (ex: BT4)
- for OS Type, chose : Operating system = Linux and Version = Other linux.

- "NEXT"
- Ram size (Base memory size): I chose 512MB to make my usb virtual machine usable on a small RAM windows system but 1024MB is better. (nb remember that this ram space will be taken from the real RAM space of your windows system for the virtual BT4, so don't go above half what you already have)

-"NEXT"
-On the Virtual Hard Disk page : check Boot HD (primary Master) and check create new HD (here you can choose an already created HD if for examble you wanted to boot on an already installed system)

-"NEXT" "NEXT"
-Storage Type : Dynamically expanding storage

-"NEXT"
- For Virtual Disk Location and Size :
-keep the name for location (or change it, this will be the name of your HD file on the USB, save it occasionaly, it can be plugged in any other VirtualBox server)
- For Disk size, choose at least 12GB (and below 14GB if you want it to fit in your 16GB usb stick, while keeping PortableVB and a shared folder on it)

- "NEXT" "FINISH" "FINISH"

- Now that our virtual machine is created choose "SETTINGS"

- you have a left menu, we will set it up as followed:
- System - Motherboard : check enable IO APIC
- System - acceleration : Check Enable nested paging

- Display - Video : choose at least 32MB of video memory (64 is good) and check "Enable 3D acceleration"

- CD/DVD-ROM (or depending on versions : Storage - cdrom icon in storage tree) Check "Mount CD/DVD Drive" and choose your DVD drive or an iso file of BT4 (or depending on versions, choose : your CD/DVD Device / or click on the folder icon to go and create an iso source. It would be a virtual Cd/DVD device within your virtual machine and would boot from it to install BT4). Check Passtrough to enable dvd writing capability.

- Network - Adapter1 - Enable Network Adapter, attached to : NAT ( or Bridge network (if you don't have a network device selected, install virtualbox in windows host, it will install sun drivers that will be taken by your portable version when you will restart it from usb) )
(Bridged adapter will use your physical network to get a valid IP, different than your windows one, but it needs drivers installation. you can as well choos NAT but you will be in a virtual network connected to net through a virtual router)

- Shared Folders : click on "Add shared folder", select your usb drive or stick, create a folder (I called it "Shared"), Click OK , give a name to this folder (new defaul for me : Shared) ()

-"OK" "OK"

Now your first BT4 Virtual machine is ready to boot on BT iso or DVD drive


Installing BT on the virtual machine's Hard Drive :

- In the virtualBox, click on "START" (don't forget to select your virtual machine). how magic : it started.

(nb understand that this is not you virtual installation of BT ... it's just the live CD which started in your virtual machine. now we have to install it on the HD)

- Once Shell is started, type "STARTX" to start desktop

- On the desktop : click on install.sh to start installing BT. On first message (laguage failure) choose "continue anyway".

- Choose your city
- "FORWARD"
- Choose your keyboard layout- "FORWARD"
- On Prepare disk space leave as it is : "FORWARD"
- Create your user profile
- "FORWARD"
- On page 7/7 (ready to instrall page), choose "Advanced" - select "install boot loader" and in "device for boot", choose "VBOX HARDDISK"
- "OK", "INSTALL"

NOW be patient ... few minutes … may be more …

When instalation complete :

- choose "continue using the live CD"
- Close the BT virtual machine window and chose "power off"

Now select your "powered off" machine

- go to settings
- uncheck the cd/dvd device
- start again the virtual machine
- login as the user you setup earlier
- type: sudo -s and enter password again
- type: passwd root and set a password for root user
- type: startx

Once you are in BT's desktop

- click on "device" menu and select "install guest additions ..."
- start konqueror and go to storage media, reload the page and select the newly created VBOXADDITIONS . remember the path of this media (for me it is : /media/hdc
- open Konsole
- cd /media/cdrom
- execute VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run
- when installed close the virtual machine

- Restart The Virtual machine
- login as root
- startx

as you can see now we can resize the window and go on seemless mode (intgrated mode within widows)

- on the machin's window's menu select "Machine - seemless mode"

Now all is in windows

so Let's configure the shared folder now :

- Start the networking deamon (from KDE services) now internet should work

create the shared folder:
- mkdir /home/<your user>/<name of your Shared folder set up earlier>
(for me it would be : mkdir /home/john/Shared)

Mount this folder with the external shared one using the addition's vboxsf as follow:
- mount -t vboxsf <name of shared folder> <path and name of the newly created folder>
(for me it would be : mount -t vboxsf Shared /home/john/Shared )

now from windows host side you access this folder on usb where it was created earlier. And from BT guest side you access it on the users desktop as this is where we just created it /home/<user>/<shared folder>. Now what ever file you will put there will be accessed from windows and linux BT at the same time

Now you have to mount the shared folder on each restart of your BT virtual machine, let's auto-mount it on boot :

- open file /etc/fstab
- add the following line :
<name of the shared folder in settings of Vbox> <path to BT shared folder> vboxsf rw 0 0
(for me it would be :
Shared /home/john/Shared vboxsf rw 0 0
)

Restart everything
now you have in a windows host your BT Virtual guest, on usb, persistent, seemless, with a shared folder and connected to your network.

Enjoy

Ps: don't forget all the updates/upgrades etc ...

start networking

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
install nessusd and nessus client
install snarf and Base (competely remove and reinstall Postgresql server before)
start-backtrack-penetration-all-fasttrack webgui and click "Fasttrack update"

[lupin]

Its pretty hard to follow. I'd suggest that you use code boxes for any commands and break things up using bold text for headings. There is also a bullet feature in Vbulletin that you can use instead of - characters. Many people on this forum (including myself) also have a pretty strong dislike of coloured text unless its used very sparingly. The best tutorial on Earth is no good if people can't read it without developing a migrane.

I appreciate the effort though, keep it up.

[nilux3]

Its pretty hard to follow. I'd suggest that you use code boxes for any commands and break things up using bold text for headings. There is also a bullet feature in Vbulletin that you can use instead of - characters. Many people on this forum (including myself) also have a pretty strong dislike of coloured text unless its used very sparingly. The best tutorial on Earth is no good if people can't read it without developing a migrane.

I appreciate the effort though, keep it up.

Sorry for the discomfort Lupin

Thx for the comment, and you're right
but I rarely use forums and english is not my native laguage.
But i will correct as much as i can for your pleasure sir

[lupin]

Sorry for the discomfort Lupin

Thx for the comment, and you're right
but I rarely use forums and english is not my native laguage.
But i will correct as much as i can for your pleasure sir

Well its not really for my benefit, Im just giving you pointers on how to make the document more readable for anyone who may want to use it. I assume that if you went to the trouble of writing it that you want it to be useful to people.

[nilux3]

Well its not really for my benefit, Im just giving you pointers on how to make the document more readable for anyone who may want to use it. I assume that if you went to the trouble of writing it that you want it to be useful to people.

Yes, including myself ...