VMWare or XP Virtual Mode

[imunro01]

I've one of our ICT teachers requesting a basic, unconfigured install of Windows XP running under either XP Virtual Mode, or VMWare Player. Obviously as our network is well locked down for students, giving them an open install of XP that they theoretically could network and install whatever they like on concerns me more than a little bit.

 

What's your experiences of teachers wanting VM's, and how do you lock them down?

[Netwacky87]

"We do not support the use of VM's"

[imunro01]

When he first asked about XP Virtual mode, we told him we couldn't install it due to security considerations. He's now come back and asked about VMware, and whilst I'm against it for the same reasons, I thought I'd see what others thought

[danbuntu]

why XP, it's going to be end of life soon? surely Win 7 would be a better option?

Also surely having these in a vm is no different from BYOD? Sure they will be on your network but they won't be able to join the domain as they won't have the password. Also if the machines are running from an ICT lab set of machines you could put then on a vlan and wrap some firewall rules around them.

[imunro01]

We don't allow BYOD on our wired network, nor our core wireless network - we have a seperate wireless SSID on a VLAN for BYOD

 

The VM's would be running on ICT lab machines, however as the install is to be unrestricted, it would be difficult to ensure isolation

[danbuntu]

it would be difficult to ensure isolation

 

not with a vlan it wouldn't.

 

another option would be to put in a 'server' - ie a big powerfull desktop with plenty of ram and install exsi or hyperv onto. Then host the VMS on there. That machine could be given very restricted access to the network. Then the students RDP into their assigned VM and do whatever they need to. At the end of the lesson all the machines are reverted to their golden snapshots.

[free780]

Install virtual box without the network components. Change the file extensions for box files. So students can't open them. Turn on remote display for the vm. Create a rdp file to 127.0.0.1 give students a shortcut to a script to start the vm and mstsc at 127.0.0.1 Install xp on the vm. Students have a xp vm. They can't add any new vm. You could just copy the vm to all computers and register it.