For the PWB course you will need a laptop which can run Backtrack either on hardware or inside a VM (I personally recommend the VM because of the snapshot capability.)
Suggested Hardware for passing PWB Backtrack certification?
Hello, I just started with Western Govenors University (WGU) and I am going to switch from networking to security as my major. In the interest of computer security, I was introduced to Backtrack Linux.
My question to the forum, is what is the suggested computer hardware configuration for the Penetration Testing with BackTrack (PWB) certification?
My dad sent me his old system. Here is what I presently have running with Ubuntu Linux 12.10:
> Micro ATX tower
> 800 watt power supply
> 2 x RealTek Gigabyte NICs
> 4 GB RAM
> 1 TB 3Gb/s SATA hard drive
> NVIDIA GeForce 660 Ti (2GB)
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desk...orce-gtx-660ti
> 3 x 23 inch Acer Monitors (and yes it does work on all 3 monitors: 5760 x 1080 resolution) on Ubuntu
> Intel Duo Quad-Core with DDR2 RAM with FSB 1333MHz
http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Pro...ID=1&MenuID=16
> DVDRW drive
> Running Ubuntu 12.10 (64-bit)
My question will this be enough horsepower for the PWB test or should I upgrade?
Options: considering a different Mid-Tower chassis with motherboard upgrade and expansion to NVIDIA GeForce 660TI Quad SLI - but that may be a while since I tight on the cash flow right now.
Thoughts, suggestions?
Re: Suggested Hardware for passing PWB Backtrack certification?
For the PWB course you will need a laptop which can run Backtrack either on hardware or inside a VM (I personally recommend the VM because of the snapshot capability.)
Back|track giving machine guns to monkeys since 2007 !
Do not read the Wiki, most your questions will not be answered there !
Do not take a look at the: Forum Rules !
Re: Suggested Hardware for passing PWB Backtrack certification?
Backtrack runs very well on medium-range, fairly new laptops. A decent screen resolution is recommended - it gives you more space to work on. Only if you are planning to break hashes (like WPA2) you are going to need a desktop, in which case only the GPU(s) will determine your cracking speed. Your 660 TI will do a very decent job, however, OCLHashcat+ and others scale almost linearly meaning if you buy another one you will almost double your performance. I don't know if breaking hashes is relevant to your course. If not, a laptop will most likely be more practical for most applications.
Good luck
Posting Permissions