Assignment Paper

Instructions
For this assignment, the Caduceus CTO, Eliza, has asked you to create a working proof of concept.
Step 1: Create an AWS Educate Account
CMIT 495 requires you to complete hands-on assignments in a virtual environment. We will be using Amazon
Web Services (AWS) as our virtual environment. Amazon offers a free account for those that register. The AWS
Educate Video below provides step-by-step instructions with visuals on how to register for a free AWS
Educate account:
Step 2: Download the Week 1 Assignment Template
Watch the video and download the template from the Virtualization Assignment Resources page.
Step 3: Install and Configure a Virtual Machine
Using the newly created AWS free account, install and configure an Ubuntu server virtual machine (VM) using
the most recent version of the 64-bit operating system.
You will need to provide a detailed overview of the steps required to install the Ubuntu server operating
system on the virtual machine, including screenshots of each step in the process in the Week 1 Assignment
Template.
For information on installing and configuring a virtual machine:
Search for and use AWS documentation and tutorials for instructions and guidance to complete the
assignments.
Consult the AWS Connection Documentation in order to connect to the Ubuntu server.
Step 4: Complete the Week 1 Assignment Template and Upload to the Assignment Folder
Answer the questions and embed the appropriate screenshots of your Ubuntu server installation. When
providing a detailed overview of the steps required to install the Ubuntu server operating system on the virtual
machine, make sure to include screenshots of each step in the process. Further details and instructions are
included within the Week 1 Assignment Template.
How Will My Work Be Evaluated?
The following evaluation criteria aligned to the competencies will be used to grade your assignment:
1.1.3: Present ideas in a clear, logical order appropriate to the task.
1.4.1: Produce grammatically correct material in standard academic English that supports communication.
2.3.1: State conclusions or solutions clearly and precisely.
11.1.3: Install the software.
11.2.1: Configure technology according to stakeholder specifications and requirements.
11.3.1: Add and update systems as required.
13.2.1: Evaluate vendor recommendations in the context of organization requirements.
When complete, export your file as a PDF and upload it to the LEO Assignments folder (e.g., Project 1 –
Virtualization Assignment).
Step 5: Stop and Terminate Your Amazon Instance
You have recently begun your new career as a cyber professional at Caduceus Inc., a health services
organization. Although Caduceus has been involved in the health care industry for decades, its CEO has
recently reenvisioned the organization’s online presence to include telehealth advising through the internet.
Eliza, your chief technology officer (CTO), informs you that there has been a recent surge in business, and now
the company must expand its shared computing resources. She wants to propose a plan to do so, but she
needs someone to test the company’s capacity for virtualization—the ability to make one computer perform
the functions of multiple other machines through its software.
“We want to have a working proof of concept up by the end of this week. We’ll have to set up a Linux Instance
through Amazon Web Services (AWS). Can you do it?”
You tell her you can.
“Good,” she says. “Once you are done, I’d like you to help the team with its proposal for further virtualization
of our systems. I’m going to need you to report on how this process went, the steps you took, what difficulties
emerged, and some other questions that I’ll detail in an upcoming memo. Most importantly, I need you to
consider how we can leverage virtualization to get a competitive advantage. Give me your best idea for how
our company can use this in the future.”

CMIT 495 Current Trends and Projects in Computer Networks and Security

Week 1 – Virtualization

1. Log in to your newly created AWS account and take a screen capture of the AWS Management Console (Dashboard) and embed it below.

2. Provide a detailed overview of the steps required to install the Ubuntu server operating system on the virtual machine. The steps may be listed in bullet points or complete sentences. Use as much space as required.

3. What are the benefits of virtualization in a cloud environment? Discuss a minimum of three benefits in detail.

4. Based on your experience, what was the most challenging aspect of installing the Ubuntu server operating systems in the virtual environment?

5. Launch the terminal and update the Ubuntu Server using sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade. Perform a screen capture after having each command successfully run. Next, describe in depth what the update and upgrade commands are doing (explain why it is important to run these commands, how often should these commands be run, where do the commands pull the updates).

6. After successfully installing the Ubuntu Server operating systems, login via an SSH client. Instructions are provided by Amazon on how to do so. When connected, run the following commands to obtain information about the host and network settings:

whoami command
ifconfig command
pwd command
ping www.google.com

Next, perform a screen capture of each of the results and embed it below.

7. Note the difference between IP addresses—specifically, when you perform the ifconfig or ipconfig on your personal system, versus the ifconfig command within the virtual machine command prompt. Describe the network settings of each system. Why are the IP addresses different? Are the IP addresses private or public? What is the difference between a public and private IP address? Explain in detail.

8. The CTO is fascinated at how easy it was for you to launch the Ubuntu virtual machine. She is now curious about the overall costs of doing so for all developers within the organization. The developers within the organization receive a new laptop or desktop each year per the refresh cycle. Specifically, she has tasked you to provide an estimate of yearly costs using AWS versus the organization refreshing developer laptops and desktops, given the following information and constraints.

Organizational Costs for Existing Equipment:

● 35 laptops are refreshed yearly at an average cost of $1,200 per machine.
○ These laptops have a 90W power supply, but run at 37W.

● 65 desktops (and peripherals) are refreshed yearly at an average cost of $1,600 per machine.
○ These desktops have a 650W power supply, but run at 220W.

● Due to the unique development environment, the laptops and desktops are not powered off. The average electricity cost for the organization is $0.15 KWH. Thus, each laptop costs $48.60 to run for a year, and each desktop costs $289.50 to run for a year.
● Consider all of the aforementioned expenses the organization incurs when making your recommendation, and be sure to show your work.

Amazon AWS Costs for Hosting the Virtual Desktop

● The organization would need to replace all of the developer laptops and desktops with an AWS Linux virtual machine.
● Using the AWS Dashboard Calculator, calculate the cost to meet the organizational needs given the aforementioned details.

After performing the necessary calculations based on the organizational requirements,
perform a cost-benefit analysis and provide your recommendation. Make sure to
summarize your findings and justify your solution.

9. Virtualization allows us to place the functionality of many servers into a single host while maintaining configurable levels of separation between all virtual machines. How do you believe virtualization could help in data center consolidation? What would you be leery about during and after any transition?

10. Does virtualization increase the cybersecurity posture of the organization? If so, describe how and why. If not, describe how and why not.

11. There are various virtualization options: bare-metal (type 1) in which the hypervisors run directly on the hardware as their own operating systems, and user-space (type 2) hypervisors that run within the conventional operating systems. Which of these options is more secure? Describe the vulnerabilities you believe exist in either type 1, type 2, or both configurations. Given that, what do you believe can be done to mitigate these vulnerabilities?

12. Confirm that you have stopped and terminated your AWS Linux server instance. To confirm, simply type your name below.