Hyper-V, VMware Workstation or Proxmox: Building a Faster Home Lab

Part of our free Build Your Own Cyber Lab series. Work through it in order, or jump to the part you need.

1. Plan your lab: hardware, hypervisors and safe networking
2. VirtualBox and VMware basics, then Kali, Parrot and Windows 11
3. Beyond VirtualBox: Hyper-V, VMware Workstation and Proxmox (you are here)
4. Dual boot Kali Linux and Windows safely
5. Ubuntu in your lab: desktop, server, SSH and Docker
6. Active Directory lab with Windows Server
7. Attack-and-defend network: firewall and vulnerable targets
8. Metasploitable 2 and 3: install and first exploits
9. Blue-team lab: Wazuh, Sysmon and Security Onion
10. Android app testing lab: emulator, MobSF, Frida and Burp
11. OT/ICS security lab: OpenPLC, Modbus and an HMI
12. Network lab: build it in Packet Tracer or GNS3, read it in Wireshark

Option A: Hyper-V on Windows 10/11 Pro

Hyper-V is built into Windows 10 and 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education (not Home). It is the same hypervisor technology that runs Windows Server and Azure, so the skills transfer directly to work.

Enable it

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

Restart when prompted. Alternatively use Turn Windows features on or off and tick Hyper-V.

Create lab switches

Hyper-V Manager > Virtual Switch Manager:

• External switch: bridges to your physical NIC. Use it only for machines that need your real LAN.
• Internal switch: VMs and the host can talk; no internet unless you add NAT. Good for management.
• Private switch: VMs only, like VirtualBox's internal network. Use this for vulnerable targets.

The built-in Default Switch gives VMs NAT internet access with no setup, which is handy for updates.

Create a VM

New > Virtual Machine, choose Generation 2 (UEFI, required for Windows 11 and recommended for modern Linux), assign memory, connect a switch and attach the ISO. For Windows 11, open the VM's Settings > Security and enable Trusted Platform Module. For Linux ISOs that fail to boot, change the Secure Boot template to Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority, or disable Secure Boot for that VM.

Checkpoints are Hyper-V's snapshots. Use standard checkpoints in a lab so you capture memory state too.

Note: with Hyper-V on, other hypervisors such as VirtualBox and VMware run on top of the Windows hypervisor. They still work but can be slower.

Option B: VMware Workstation Pro

VMware Workstation Pro is now free for personal use; you download it after creating a free Broadcom account. It is polished, fast, and many courses (and vendor-provided lab images) target VMware first.

• Virtual Network Editor gives you VMnet0 (bridged), VMnet1 (host-only) and VMnet8 (NAT) by default. Add custom host-only networks (VMnet2, VMnet3) with DHCP turned off to build isolated lab segments.
• LAN Segments (VM Settings > Network Adapter > LAN segment) are the simplest fully isolated network.
• Kali publishes a VMware image too: download it, extract it, and open the .vmx file.

Option C: Proxmox VE on a spare PC

Proxmox VE is a free, open-source Type 1 hypervisor based on Debian. Put it on an old desktop or a mini PC and you have a lab that is always on and reachable from any browser in your house.

Install

1. Write the Proxmox VE ISO to a USB stick (Rufus or balenaEtcher).
2. Boot the spare machine from it and follow the installer. It erases the target disk.
3. Give it a static IP on your home network when asked.
4. From another computer browse to https://<proxmox-ip>:8006 and log in as root.

The free version shows a "no valid subscription" notice; you can use it without a subscription.

Build isolated lab networks

Proxmox creates vmbr0, a bridge to your physical NIC. For lab segments:

1. Select the node > System > Network > Create > Linux Bridge.
2. Name it vmbr1 and leave Bridge ports empty - with no physical port it is fully isolated.
3. Repeat for vmbr2 and so on, one per lab segment, and apply the configuration.

Attach Kali and the targets to vmbr1, and use a firewall VM with one leg on vmbr0 and one on vmbr1 when the lab needs controlled internet (part 7).

Work smarter

• Upload ISOs under local > ISO Images.
• Build a clean Windows or Linux VM once, then Convert to template and clone it. Linked clones save disk.
• Use Snapshots before exercises and Backups (to a second disk) for anything you want to keep.

Which one should you choose?

Keep it legal and contained

Only attack machines you own or have written permission to test. Vulnerable VMs and malware samples belong on an isolated network with no route to your home LAN or the internet, and never expose a deliberately vulnerable machine with a bridged adapter or a port forward.

Next step

Part 4 covers dual booting Kali alongside Windows, for when you need bare-metal access to hardware.