Setting Up a Virtual Lab: RHEL GUI on AWS with VirtualBox

mdshamsfiroz
3 min readOct 31, 2024

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In this guide, we’ll walk through the process of launching a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) instance with a graphical user interface (GUI) on AWS, installing VirtualBox, and creating a virtual machine. This setup can be useful for testing, development, or learning purposes.

Step 1: Launching an RHEL Instance with GUI

First, we’ll launch an EC2 instance using an RHEL AMI with GUI:

  1. Log into the AWS Management Console and navigate to EC2.
  2. Click “Launch Instance”.
  3. In the AMI marketplace, search for “Red Hat Enterprise Linux with GUI Desktop”.
  4. Select the AMI provided by SilverLining.Cloud.
  5. Choose an appropriate instance type (t2.medium or larger recommended).
  6. Configure instance details, add storage, and configure security group (ensure ports 3389 and 5901 are open for RDP and VNC access).
  7. Launch the instance.

Step 2: Connecting to the RHEL GUI

Once the instance is running:

  1. Obtain the public IP address of your instance.
  2. Use an RDP client to connect to the instance:
  • Address: [Your-Instance-Public-IP]:3389
  • Username: ec2-user
  • Password: [Your-Instance-ID]

Step 3: Installing VirtualBox

Now that we’re connected to the RHEL GUI, let’s install VirtualBox:

Open a terminal in the RHEL GUI.

Update the system:

sudo yum update -y

Install the EPEL repository:

sudo yum install -y https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm

Install VirtualBox:

sudo yum install -y VirtualBox

Add your user to the vboxusers group:

sudo usermod -aG vboxusers ec2-user

Reboot the instance to apply changes:

sudo reboot

Step 4: Creating a Virtual Machine

After reconnecting to the instance post-reboot:

  1. Open VirtualBox from the applications menu.
  2. Click “New” to create a new VM.
  3. Follow the wizard to set up your VM:
  • Name your VM
  • Choose the type of OS you’ll install
  • Allocate memory (RAM)
  • Create a virtual hard disk

4. Once created, select your new VM and click “Start”.

5. Follow the prompts to install your chosen OS in the VM.

Considerations and Best Practices

  1. Performance: Running a VM inside an EC2 instance can be resource-intensive. Ensure you’ve chosen an EC2 instance type with sufficient CPU and RAM.
  2. Costs: Keep in mind that running a GUI instance and VirtualBox will consume more resources, potentially increasing your AWS costs.
  3. Security: Ensure your EC2 security group is properly configured to prevent unauthorized access.
  4. Networking: VMs created in VirtualBox will use NAT by default, which is suitable for most use cases. For more complex networking scenarios, you may need to configure VirtualBox’s network settings.
  5. Storage: Be mindful of your EC2 instance’s storage capacity when creating VMs.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you’ve set up a versatile virtual lab environment in the cloud. This setup allows you to run various operating systems and configurations within your RHEL GUI instance on AWS, providing a flexible platform for testing, development, and learning.
Remember to stop or terminate your EC2 instance when not in use to avoid unnecessary charges.
So, whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a professional, or just someone who wants to learn more, I invite you to follow me on this journey. Subscribe to my blog and follow me on social media to stay in the loop and never miss a post.

Together, let’s explore the exciting world of technology and all it offers. I can’t wait to connect with you!”

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Happy coding!

Happy learning!

Happy virtualizing!

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mdshamsfiroz
mdshamsfiroz

Written by mdshamsfiroz

Trying to learn tool by putting heart inside to make something

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