Market for Password on New VM?

[knot]

Anyone have use for administrator-only functions, such as requiring authentication before creating a New VM?

With tech-savvy teens and my attempts to control Internet usage (administrator-only filter/router/network configuration), this is one loophole I can't plug: just create a new VM, install the OS, freely configure TCP/IP, and "voila!", you've got unfiltered access.

Thoughts?

 

[dglock2]

Anyone have use for administrator-only functions, such as requiring authentication before creating a New VM?

With tech-savvy teens and my attempts to control Internet usage (administrator-only filter/router/network configuration), this is one loophole I can't plug: just create a new VM, install the OS, freely configure TCP/IP, and "voila!", you've got unfiltered access.

Thoughts?

I presume you are using windows. Get linux, users aren't allowed to install programs without knowing the root password.
don

 

[knot]

I presume you are using windows. Get linux, users aren't allowed to install programs without knowing the root password.
don

OS X with Win XP in Parallels...not clear on relevance, though. Regardless of what native OS I'm running, if Parallels lets a user freely install a VM, they can circumvent any Internet access controls that may have been set up in the native OS. True?

 

[barryw]

OS X with Win XP in Parallels...not clear on relevance, though. Regardless of what native OS I'm running, if Parallels lets a user freely install a VM, they can circumvent any Internet access controls that may have been set up in the native OS. True?

I'm not sure how OS X handles this (soon I hope!), but in Windows a user should need Administrator privileges to install Parallels as it adds a driver for the Parallels network interface and installs a dhcp service into the system. If you are using XP, then it's easy enough to create accounts without this privilege. At least that is my understanding. My expertise lies in networking, not creating user accounts.

If your host platform is Win XP, you can also change the security settings on Parallels so it can only be run by someone with Admin priv's.

Under *nix, it's also easy enough to set this up. I have to believe that MAC OS X has the same capabilities.

Barry

 

[knot]

...in Windows a user should need Administrator privileges to install Parallels...

If your host platform is Win XP, you can also change the security settings on Parallels so it can only be run by someone with Admin priv's.

Under *nix, it's also easy enough to set this up. I have to believe that MAC OS X has the same capabilities.

OS X has similar administrator privs that can be configured to require authentication prior to installation of an app, but once that app is installed (in this case, Parallels), the non-admin user is free to create one VM after another. I'd want the non-admin user to be able to run Parallels and any VMs I may have created, just not create any new ones. That's where an admin password within Parallels would come in handy. Unless there's another solution?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[barryw]

OS X has similar administrator privs that can be configured to require authentication prior to installation of an app, but once that app is installed (in this case, Parallels), the non-admin user is free to create one VM after another. I'd want the non-admin user to be able to run Parallels and any VMs I may have created, just not create any new ones. That's where an admin password within Parallels would come in handy. Unless there's another solution?

Thanks for the feedback.

Aaaah... A run-time version that can be used by "users". Now that shouldn't be hard for these wonderful people at Parallels to come up with!

 

[brettw]

OS X with Win XP in Parallels...not clear on relevance, though. Regardless of what native OS I'm running, if Parallels lets a user freely install a VM, they can circumvent any Internet access controls that may have been set up in the native OS. True?

if they're savvy enough to install a VM then soon enough (I'd say in a few weeks) they'll be able to simply download a live CD from a linux dist like Ubuntu and boot from the CD with their own linux machine not requiring access to OS X or a hard drive for that matter....

 

[knot]

Inquired of the Parallels team and this is what they shared:

"Administrative control is in scope for future versions. Supposingly
3.0."