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Spring Cloud Lab Experiment Results
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spring_cloud_lab_pm.md

In which we derive some lessons from the now decommisioned lab resources recently experimented with

Resources

  • an Amazon Workspace with Windows and Office, rented for a month
  • a Droplet with Docker, running an infosec app of interest, for a couple months
  • Chromebook as client to all

Test tasks

  • Windows utility installation : chocolately was great, got almost everything
  • File analysis: Debugging some nastiness in an RTF from a challenge worked very well when connected
  • Running an infosec app outside my lab with public-sourced Docker images
  • infosec app testing: went fine, for as much as we did

Pros

  • Excellent flexibility, didn't need to move or dust anything in the home office
  • Features were available, if a bit dear
  • Prices are not bad, just a bit of friction

Cons

  • Connectivity: have be online to use at all, no offline access
  • Connectivity Access: Need unmucked with outbound 22, 443, openvpn, or random ports
    • which also affects access to samples

Chromebook

  • Daily driver for personal web stuff, email, news feeds, and research type things
    • has me on small screen quite a bit
  • Pretty fabulous for command line linux stuff in Crouton ...
    • really space is the only big problem here, having to pick toolsets (images) and switch back and forth
  • Works for most web stuff in Chrome or even in Crouton-hosted Firefox
  • Can't itself run VMs or Docker images, not really a bad thing with only 4GB memory
    • equally infeasible to process large images on the little Chromebook, also not a flaw
  • Mouse button, keyboard, and function key peculiarities that are merely quirks in Chrome/crouton become serious liabilities in:
    • X Window apps like FireFox, Burp
    • Amazon Workspace client (much as with VMs if there were any)

Closing thoughts

  • Need to try out a mouse with the Chromebook versus specific difficulties
  • Would be nice to get Chromebook working on the handy large display there, first cable tried didn't work
  • Need to check over the explicit and implict requirements for the upcoming planned studies
  • A more powerful system with me all the time is appealing, but the Chromebook is really light and small
    • trying to balance packing around Chromebook +/- slightly less slim, small, and lightweight system (eg Surface)
    • existing portable lab system is heavy and bulky, not so great for hauling around
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