Install Bare-bones Debian 5 (Lenny) on VMWare Workstation

I’m just getting started with creating my own virtual environment so that I can start figuring out Nessus, WebInspect, Nmap, and several other scanning tools.  This is the process I followed to setup a bare-bones (no GUI) Debian 5 linux system.

Download ISO

1. Download the 8MB .iso image – mini.iso

Create and Configure VM

1. File > New > Virtual Machine
2. Custom, Next
3. Choose desired workstation compatibility (e.g., Workstation 5)
4. Installer disc image file (.iso), locate downloaded .iso from step 1
5. Guest OS – Linux
6. Version – Other 2.6.x kernel, Next
7. Enter desired VM name and location for VM
8. Select number of processors (e.g., 1)
9. Select memory to allocate, 256MB should be plenty, Next
10. Choose desired network connection (because of my location on my network I chose NAT), Next
11. I/O Adapter type, leave default (LSI Logic), Next
12. Create a new virtual disk, Next
13. Virtual Disk Type – SCSI
14. Max disk size 8GB (I chose to split into 2GB chunks, but it’s up to you), Next
15. Name disk file or leave default, Next
16. Check ‘Power on this virtual machine when finished’, Finish

Install and Configure OS

1. You must be connected to the internet for this installation
2. Choose Advanced options, hit enter
3. Choose Expert install, hit enter
4. Choose language – default (highlighted), enter
5. Choose country – default (highlighted), enter
6. Choose locale – default (highlighted), enter
7. Choose other locales – hit ‘tab’, and then enter
8. Choose keyboard – default (highlighted), enter
9. Choose keymap – default (highlighted), enter
10. Detect network hardware – default (highlighted)
11. Start PC card – default (highlighted)
12. PCMCIA (should be blank) – tab and then enter
13. Detect network hardware  – default (highlighted)
14. Config network – default (highlighted)
15. Primary network – default (highlighted)
16. Auto DHCP – choose YES
17. Hostname – name it what ever you like, tab and then enter
18. Domain name (should be blank) – hit tab then enter
19. Choose mirror – default (highlighted)
20. Protocol for file download – default (highlighted)
21. Debian archive mirror country – default (highlighted)
22. Debain archive mirror – choose whatever one is possibly closest to you
23. HTTP Proxy (should be blank, unless you’re behind a proxy) – tab then enter
24. Debian version to install – default (highlighted)
25. Download installer components – default (highlighted)
26. Installer components to load (choose nothing, should be default) – tab then enter
27. Configure the clock – default (highlighted)
28. Set clock using NTP  – default (highlighted)
29. NTP server to use – default, hit tab then enter
30. Select your timezone, enter
31. Detect disks – default (highlighted), enter
32. Partition disks – default (highlighted), enter
33. Partition method – choose ‘Guided – use entire disk’, enter
34. Select disk to partition – default (highlighted), enter
35. Partitioning scheme – default (highlighted, unless you’d prefer something else), enter
36. Partition overview – default (highlighted), enter
37. Write changes to disks – choose yes
38. Install base system – default (highlighted)
39. Kernel to install – choose linux-image desired (at the time of this I’ve chosen -2.6.26-2-686)
40. Drivers to include in the intitrd – default (highlighted)
41. Setup users and pass – default (highlighted)
42. Enable shadow pass – default (highlighted)
43. Allow login as root – default (highlighted)
44. Root pass, tab and then enter
45. Confirm root pass, tab and then enter
46. Normal user account – choose no and then enter
47. Configure the pack manager – default (highlighted)
48. Use non-free software – default (highlighted)
49. Use contrib software – default (highlighted)
50. Services to use – default, tab then enter
51. Select and install software – default (highlighted)
52. participate in package usage – default (highlighted)
53. Choose software to install – choose nothing (deselect selected), tab and then enter
54. Install the Grub boot loader – default (highlighted)
55. Install Grub 2 – default (highlighted)
56. Install the Grub boot loader to master boot record – default (highlighted)
57. Grub password (should be blank) – tab and then enter
58. Finish the installation – default (highlighted)
59. System clock set to UTC – default (highlighted)
60. Installation is complete – default (highlighted)
61. System reboots