Guidelines

Purpose

Each virtual machine (VM) is part of the shared FSE-CSLAB infrastructure. To ensure that the environment remains secure, stable, and manageable for all users, every VM must comply with the guidelines below. These rules allow the system engineers to provide support, perform maintenance, and maintain the overall health of the infrastructure while giving students the flexibility to work on their assignments and projects.

1. Hostname

Each virtual machine must have a unique hostname.

To guarantee uniqueness, the hostname must start with your student number followed by a descriptive suffix.

Example:

• i1234567-server01
• i1234567-test

Changing the hostname to a different naming scheme is not permitted.

2. Root Account

The account "root" is the linux super-user

• You can only login with this account using the local console.
• Default password is root. Our advice is this change this. Remember the new password.
• You will only use the root account when:
  • when you have problems setting up your ssh connection.
  • you lost your private key.
  • your account doesn't have root access anymore.

3. Admin Account

Every VM contains an admin user account that is reserved for the system engineering team.

The admin account is used for:

• Troubleshooting
• Installing security updates
• Performing maintenance
• Recovering systems when required

Students are not allowed to:

• Delete or disable the account.
• Modify its SSH keys, permissions, group memberships, or other configuration.

4. Resource Limits

To ensure fair use of the shared infrastructure, each VM is limited to:

Resource	Maximum
CPU cores	2
Memory	2 GB
Disk space	20 GB

If additional resources are required for your project, your supervisor must approve the request before the limits can be increased.

5. Security Monitoring

All virtual machines are continuously monitored for security purposes.

The installed Wazuh agent is an essential part of the security infrastructure.

Students are not allowed to:

• Stop or disable the Wazuh agent.
• Uninstall the Wazuh agent.
• Modify its configuration in a way that prevents proper monitoring.

6. Backups

Students are responsible for safeguarding their own data.

Virtual machines are not backed up by the infrastructure team. Any data loss resulting from accidental deletion, software failures, or VM corruption is the responsibility of the student.

Students are encouraged to:

• Store code in a version control system such as Git.
• Copy their data to an external location

7. Snapshots

Students may create VM snapshots before making significant changes.

Please note that:

• Snapshots are intended for short-term recovery.
• Snapshots older than 7 days are automatically removed.
• Snapshots must not be considered a replacement for backups.

8. Compliance

These guidelines are intended to keep the virtual machine infrastructure reliable, secure, and available for all users.

Repeated or intentional violations of these guidelines may result in administrative action, including removal of the virtual machine.