Step 1 of 8 · VMware

VMware

The OVA file is a ready-made virtual machine. It works in vSphere 7, Workstation 17 and Fusion 13 and later.

Before you start

Log in to sslbrain Cloud and open Downloads and requirements.
Click Download OVA under Virtual appliance for VMware, Proxmox and other hypervisors.
Download the .sha256 file from the same page, and check the OVA file:
Terminal window
```
sha256sum -c sslbrain-<version>.ova.sha256
```
On Windows, PowerShell shows the sum. Compare it with the contents of the .sha256 file:
Terminal window
```
Get-FileHash .\sslbrain-<version>.ova -Algorithm SHA256
```

On first boot the appliance downloads the newest sslbrain version, whatever the date of the OVA file.

In vSphere Client: right-click a datacenter, cluster or host and choose Deploy OVF Template. In Workstation: File › Open. In Fusion: File › Import.
Select the OVA file.
Choose the name, location, compute resource and storage. Choose thin provisioning.
Map the network “VM Network” to the port group the appliance is to sit on.
Under Customize template: leave the network fields empty for DHCP, or fill them in for a static address (The network fields).
Finish the import. Choose BIOS as the firmware if your hypervisor asks.
Change CPU, RAM or disk now if you want more.

Power on the machine and open its console.
Wait a few minutes while the appliance downloads and checks its software.
Open the address the console shows: Open https://<ip> in a browser to use it.
The browser warns about the self-signed certificate. Continue to the page. The setup wizard opens with the Log in with sslbrain Cloud button.

To check the certificate’s fingerprint, see First boot. Then continue with 2. First-time setup.

The console shows “NO NETWORK ADDRESS”: the machine has not received an address via DHCP. Set a static address with item 3 in the console menu. The appliance carries on by itself.
The machine does not boot from the disk: change the firmware to BIOS in the machine’s settings and start it again.
The software cannot be downloaded: the machine must be able to reach the internet on port 443. Item 2 in the console menu tests the connection. See Network and firewall and No connection to sslbrain Cloud.

vSphere Client shows four fields under 1. Network. All are optional. If the address field is empty, the appliance uses DHCP.

Field	Default	Fill in
Hostname	`sslbrain`	The name the machine gives itself.
IPv4 address with prefix	empty	Static address with prefix, for example `192.168.1.50/24`.
Default gateway	empty	Required when an address is given.
DNS servers	empty	Separated by commas. Required when an address is given.

The fields are read once, at first boot. An address that cannot be used is not applied. The appliance stays on DHCP and the console shows the reason.

Workstation and Fusion do not show the fields. There you set a static address with item 3 in the console menu after first boot (Console menu).