Step-By-Step Procedure to Install Parrot OS on VMWare Workstation

If you are into cybersecurity you may hear about Kali Linux. However, Parrot OS is another Linux distribution that is built more or less for the same purpose as same as Kali Linux. Since Parrot OS is not a general-purpose Linux distribution, it is more often to see the Parrot OS running as a guest operating system rather host. If you don’t know more about Parrot Linux, don’t worry, we are here to introduce you to Parrot OS and how you can install Parrot OS on a virtual platform like VMWare Workstation.

What is Parrot OS?

Parrot OS is a community supported open source Linux distribution built on the Debian platform like Kali Linux. Parrot OS is not developed for general-purpose use. It is developed by a community of developers and security specialists together to build a shared framework of tools for pen-testers, security researchers, security auditors, digital forensics, threat hunters, reverse engineering, and people who are associated with the cybersecurity landscape. Learn more about Parrot OS from here.

What is VMWare Workstation?

VMWare Workstation is an application developed by VMWare to create virtual machines, containers, and Kubernetes clusters on any desktop or server system. VMWare released VMWare Workstation in two products: VMWare Workstation Pro and VMWare Workstation Player. VMWare Workstation Player is released on a free license with limited features, whereas VMWare Workstation Pro is an enterprise-paid version that is loaded with a lot of features. Full documentation is published on the VMWare portal for free. Refer to the documentation from here.

Prerequisites to Install Parrot OS on VMWare Workstation:

To install Parrot OS on VMWare Workstation you just need a physical machine, VMWare Workstation Pro or Player, and Parrot OS ISO image.

How to Install Parrot OS on VMWare Workstation?

Step 1. Fier up VMWare Workstation

Download the VMWare Workstation application for your host operating system and install it on your machine. The installation procedure is pretty simple and straightforward. Read the documentation for more details. Open the app after installation. Create a new Virtual Machine.

Step 2. Select Custom Configuration Wizard

You can choose either Typical or Custom Wizard. We recommend selecting Custom if you want to install with all the configurations. If you are okay with default configurations then go ahead with Typical configurations.

Step 3. Select Virtual Machine Hardware Compatibility

Choose the most comparable version of the workstation for your hardware. Select the latest available option or just go with the default option if you don’t have the choice.

Step 4. Select the Operating System Media

Select ‘I will install the operating system later’ for an interactive installation.

Step 5. Select Guest Operating System

Step 6. Name the Virtual Machine Name and location

Type a name and give the location details.

Step 7. Allocate the Processors

Assign the processors, Calculate the processor required to run the host machine. Assign the leftover resources to the virtual machine. We recommend going with the below allocation setting.

Step 8. Allocate the Memory for the Virtual Machine

Memory allocation calculation is the same as the processor allocation. Leave sufficient memory for the host system and allocate the remaining memory for the virtual machine.

Step 9. Choose the Network Configuration

Select the network configuration that goes well with your setup.

Step 10. Select the I/O Controller Type

Step 11. Select Disk Type

Step 12. Select Virtual Disk

Select the Virtual Disk if you have or create one.

Step 13. Select Disk Capacity

Select the disk size. Selecting a single disk will increase the performance. However, selecting a split disk will help in the disk transfer scenario.

Step 14. Browse the Virtual Disk File

Step 15. Click Finish

Step 16. Supply Parrot OS ISO Image to Virtual Machine

Download the Parrot OS image. Edit the CD/DVD settings and import the downloaded Parrot OS image.

Step 17. Power On the Virtual Machine

Press the Play button to power on the Virtual Machine.

Step 18. Parrot OS live boot

After boot up just double-click on the ‘Install Parrot’ Icon to invoke the installation.

Step 19. Welcome Parrot OS Virtual Machine

After powering on the Virtual machine, you will be treated with a welcome screen on which you will be asked to choose the language. Select the language and click next.

Step 20. Select – Region (America) – Zone (New York) – Next

Step 21. Select Keyboard Layout

Select your keyboard layout or just go by default English (US).

Step 22. Partition the Disk

Select Erase the Disk for auto partition. Or Select the Advance option to create the custom partition.

Step 23. Create a User Account

Type Name – Login Name – Computer Name – Password – Click Next

Step 24. Click – Next

Step 25. Write Changes to the Disk to begin the installation

Click – Install Now

Step 26. Welcoe To Parrot OS Installation Screen

Installation is in progress…

Step 27. Login to the Parrot OS

The VM will reboot after the completion of the installation. Just log in with the user account created in step 23.

Step 28. Parrot OS Desktop

This finishes the installation of Parrot OS on the VMWare Workstation.

This is how you should install Parrot OS on VMWare Workstation. We hope this tutorial post will help you install Parrot OS on the VMWare Workstation. Thanks for reading this post. Please share this post and help to secure the digital world. Visit our social media page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, Tumblr, Medium & Instagram, and subscribe to receive updates like this.