With the large number of technological advances, nowadays, unlike in the past, there are several operating systems, each one with its advantages and disadvantages, leaving it up to us to make the wisest selection in terms of the type of computer we want to have. GNU/Linux is the technical name that has been assigned to an open source, multitasking, multiuser, multiplatform Unix-like OS chain among other characteristics that make it an excellent choice.
How to Install Linux ‘Kali’ on a VirtualBox? – Installation guide
If we are looking for a way to perform tests on the Linux operating system, it is best to install it directly on our physical computer using a virtual machine or VirtualBox , which is architecture virtualization software, in which we can easily install Kali, which is a one of the most popular Linux OS distributions . So in order to test it, in this article we will see how to Install Kali Linux on a VirtualBox.
Index( )
- What factors are required to know when installing Kali Linux on VirtualBox?
- What operating system do you have on your PC?
- How much RAM and storage is needed to install Kali Linux?
- How to choose Linux system and version for Kali?
- Where do you get the Kali Linux ISO image?
- What is the procedure to install Kali Linux on VirtualBox?
- Running VirtualBox with the ‘Kali’ distribution ISO
- Correctly configure the Kali distribution
- Why is the Kali Linux ISO you have not compatible with VirtualBox?
What factors are required to know when installing Kali Linux on VirtualBox?
Since we know that Linux Kali is a tool designed to monitor the security of our networks, with the variety of useful tools that it places at our fingertips, testing our computer systems will be a piece of cake since one of its Advantages is that we can adapt it to obtain a group of instruments oriented to a specific task or if it is our desire, the creation of a disc for general purposes.
Even so, as in most cases, it is necessary for the computer to have certain minimum requirements for the installation operation to be carried out successfully and for it to function correctly in such a way that it can be granted the proper use for the purpose for which we have installed it. These minimum requirements will be described below.
What operating system do you have on your PC?
One of the aspects that we must pay attention to when installing Kali Linux is the amount of distribution that we have on the market, since this is one of the main characteristics, which implies that we must be sure of what is the Which one fits best? Although Kali is not very demanding in terms of technological resources , the truth is that it is important to watch the operating system since this will be the base of the program’s installation.
How much RAM and storage is needed to install Kali Linux?
Ram memory is nothing more and nothing less than the main memory of a computer or any electronic device in which the information related to the programs in use resides or is stored and its function is to help the hard drive in the execution of certain tasks. otherwise it would take a long time to execute them by itself, which is why, bearing in mind this important task of Ram memory, it is necessary to have 4GB of Ram memory for the normal operation of the system to be installed.
How to choose Linux system and version for Kali?
When we talk about personal computers, Linux which by the way can be installed alongside Windows on a PC is usually not as popular as other operating systems. However, this gains momentum if the topic of conversation is about programming environments or servers, since Linux has at its disposal a large number of distros based on its kernel and which in turn contain interesting free packages that add drivers with the sole purpose of purpose of meeting customer needs. Regarding the choice of this, it will be up to us and according to our needs the choice of the system but the options are quite wide.
Where do you get the Kali Linux ISO image?
The place where we will find the Kali Linux ISO image is of vital importance since on the net we find endless options where we can obtain it but we must remember that everything is found on the internet, good or bad, it is always better to resort to official pages to get these types of files so we dare say that the only official download source for Kali Linux ISO image files is the Kali website’s own download section.
As we have been saying, due to the popularity of Kali, it is possible to find a number of pages where you can download it, but the reality is that since they are not official pages , these files may be infected with a virus that could harm our computer, so we must be very careful.
What is the procedure to install Kali Linux on VirtualBox?
For the correct installation of Kali Linux in VirtualBox, the first and in fact the main thing is to have the VirtualBox application properly installed on the computer, so we must locate it. To achieve this we can use any of the three methods available to obtain GNU/Linux software, one of these methods is through the official repository of this distribution, this will allow us to have a functional and stable version but it may not be the latest version and therefore we will not have what is new in this application.
Another option is to look for it on the official website of the program , so we will have a better and completely updated version that we can easily use for the installation of Kali. The way to install it is quite simple, just open a terminal and enter the code ‘sudo apt-get install virtualbox’, it is necessary to mention that this code will only be useful with Ubuntu, which is an operating system that is easy to download and update . once we execute the command, it will start the installation of the program. Once we have the program correctly installed, we proceed as shown below.
Running VirtualBox with the ‘Kali’ distribution ISO
First we must open the VirtualBox application , and we go to the ‘Machines’ menu, inside we select the ‘New’ option, it will immediately ask us for a name for the new virtual machine, the folder where the data will be saved and the type of operating system that we want to use, where it says ‘Type’ we must choose ‘Linux’ and where it says ‘Version’, we recommend selecting Linux 2.6/3.x/4.x (64bits) then we click ‘Next’. The next step is to define the Ram memory that we will use in Kali Linux and click ‘Next’.
The next step for the configuration of our virtual machine is the creation of the hard disk , they give us three options, the one we must select is the second ‘Create a Virtual Hard Disk Now’ and we click on ‘Create’, after the previous step the Wizard for the creation of the virtual machine will ask us to configure the storage, we must select the first ‘Reserved Dynamically’ and press ‘Next’. Now we must define the location of the file and its size and again we click on ‘Create’ to complete the process.
The next thing is to access the virtual machine settings menu to click on the part corresponding to ‘Storage’, we will be shown other options in which we click on the ‘CD’ icon and choose ‘Select Disk’, this is the moment where we must locate and select the Linux 2021 Kali ISO image that we have previously downloaded, then click on ‘Open’ so that we can integrate it into our new virtual machine and finally press ‘OK’ to complete the process.
Correctly configure the Kali distribution
What we must do now is configure the Kali distribution , for this we start the newly created virtual machine, and we select again the ISO image that we are going to use, we click on the ‘Start’ button and then on the next screen we click on ‘ Graphical Install’, later we select the language of the operating system, the geographical location, the language of the keyboard, as we enter each requested information we click on ‘Continue’ until the configuration process starts automatically.
We will see how the network automatically adjusts and what corresponds now is to assign a name to the equipment, add a domain in case we have one, enter the username to which we click on ‘Continue’ as we We enter the information. Continuing with the wizard, we assign the user’s password, select the zone to use taking into account the selected country, then we must define the type of partition , in this case we will leave the one assigned by default, and then choose the disk where it will be installed Kali, we access all these procedures by pressing ‘Continue’ after completing each one of them.
The next step is to establish the partition and select ‘Finish Partitioning and Write Changes to Disk’ and confirm the action by checking ‘Yes’ and then click ‘Continue’ and the changes will be applied in this way. It is important to mention that throughout this process we must select the programs that we want to have in Kali, for this we click on ‘Continue’ to download and install the necessary packages, then we must select the installation location of the GRUB bootloader, now select the disk where the manager will be located and click on ‘Continue to complete the installation.
At the end we will see a message on the screen that will indicate that the installation has been completed and that we can start the system, then we will click on ‘Continue’ to restart the system, we will see a selection screen with two options, we choose ‘Kali GNU /Linux and it will start the system, it will ask us for the registered credentials, we enter them and we will be able to access the Kali Linux 2021 tools that we have just configured, it is a fairly extensive procedure but very simple to carry out.
Why is the Kali Linux ISO you have not compatible with VirtualBox?
If at the time of installing the Kali Linux ISO image in VirtualBox it throws us a compatibility error, it may be because the 64-bit version we have and the one we are trying to install is completely different, so we must make sure that all conditions are met for the program to be fully installed and running in such a way that we can take full advantage of the available Kali Linux packages.