This folder contains the libraries necessary to run the lab plugin, and can also be used in a standalone way to automate virtual machines.

CONCEPTS:

The lab provides a clean interface to common vm functions such as start / stop / snapshot / revert and even running system commands or higher-level functions like opening a browser to a specified URL. It's designed so the different VM technologies have a similiar interface, and you can ignore the specifics of the VM tech. The majority of the functionality is implemented in the form of drivers and controllers. Drivers implement the underlying command for each vm software (such as start/stop/revert), and controllers implement the commands which apply to all vms (such as listing all running vms, or cloning a vm).

If you're interested in porting a vm software (see below), please take a look at the workstation_driver.rb and the workstation_controller.rb -- This is a simple driver / controller in the lab, and you can simply copy / modify this to implement a new driver & controller for the software.

SUPPORTED VM TECHNOLOGIES:

NOTE: The lab libraries have only been tested with linux as a host, porting to windows is not planned at this time.

Implemented:

workstation (Tested against 7.x)
remote_workstation (Tested against 7.x)
virtualbox (Tested against 4.x)
remote_esx (VMware ESX Host Agent 4.1.0 build-348481)

Partially Implemented:

amazon_ec2 (via fog gem)
dynagen
vsphere

Need Implementation:

qemu
qemudo
others?

PLATFORM SUPPORT:

You will need to have this code running on a linux box, Currently this has only been run / tested on Ubuntu 9.04 -> 10.04, though it should run on any linux with an ssh client and the dependencies below. Remote VM Hosts will need to be linux as well, though other platforms may work (untested). If you're interested in porting it to windows, please contact me (jcran).

Platform Dependencies:

Currently the gem must be run on a linux host with access to the vm tech you're automating. For instance, if you want to automate a workstation VM, you'll need to run the lab code on the Linux VMWare Workstation Host. You can work around this by using the remote_workstation driver, which shells (using ssh) into the remote host and runs the commands. Note that both systems must be running linux.

CONFIGURING:

Take a look at the example configuration files in config/.

STANDALONE API:

BACKGROUND:

The lab libraries add tons of useful functionality that isn't exposed through the lab plugin, such as the ability to run commands on hosts. This library can serve as an excellent base for more complex operations on a remote host as well.

USAGE:

You must first create a yaml file which describes your vm. See data/lab/test_targets.yml for an example.


  require 'vm_controller'
  vm_controller = ::Lab::Controllers::VmController.new(YAML.load_file(lab_def)) 
  vm_controller['vm1'].start
  vm_controller['vm1'].create_snapshot("clean") 
  vm_controller['vm1'].run_command("rm /etc/resolv.conf")
  vm_controller['vm1'].open_uri("http://autopwn:8080")
  vm_controller['vm1'].revert_snapshot("clean")

METASPLOIT MSFCONSOLE LAB PLUGIN:

BACKGROUND:

The lab plugin for msfconsole adds a number of commands which may be useful if you're interested in automating remote hosts with rc scripts, or if you need to control targets / support systems while utilizing the metasploit console. A potential use case is testing an IPS / IDS, and resetting the target after running each exploit.

USAGE:

Here's some example usage for the lab plugin.


  msf> load lab                           // Loads the lab plugin
  msf> lab_load <path_to_lab_file>        // Loads from a lab configuration file. See data/lab/test_targets.yml for an example
  msf> lab_load_dir workstation /path/to/vmx/files  // Loads from a local directory.
  msf> lab_load_running remote_esx root esx_server  // Loads all running vms. 
  msf> lab_start vm1                      // Start a vm which was loaded above
  msf> lab_snapshot vm1 snapshot_1        // Snapshot a vm as 'snapshot_1'
  msf> lab_run_command ("rm -rf /")       // oops!
  msf> lab_show                           // Show all vms that we're aware of
  msf> lab_show_running                   // Show only running vms
  msf> lab_start vm2                      // Start another vm
  msf> lab_suspend  vm1                   // Suspend a vm
  msf> lab_revert all snapshot_1          // Revert all vms back to 'snapshot_1'

CREDITS:

The lab gem is a collaborative effort, with lots of testing from the Metasploit community, and special thanks to:

Joshua "kernelsmith" Smith - ESXi Support, Tons of fixes & testing
Hauke Mehrtens - VirtualBox Support