Notes

Windows services and VM usage

  1. Virtual Machine Setup
    Steps to create a virtual machine:

    1. Download a hypervisor:
      1. Go to VirtualBox or VMware. Download and install the software on your machine.
      2. Obtain an OS image:
        1. Download the required ISO file for the operating system.
      3. Create the virtual machine:
        1. Open VirtualBox/VMware app.
        2. Create a new virtual machine according to requested specification.````
        3. Configure name, OS type, hardware settings like RAM, CPU, and disk space.
      4. Install the OS
        1. Start the virtual machine.
        2. Follow the installation steps in the OS setup wizard.
      5. Connect to the VM:
        1. For Linux VMs: Enable SSH in the VM during installation or after setup.
        2. Use SSH (on Linux/Mac) or tools like PuTTY (on Windows) to connect.
      6. Additional steps:
        1. Windows VM Remote Desktop:
          1. Enable Remote Desktop in the Windows VM settings. Use the RDP client, configuration described here >> Remote Desktop clients for Remote Desktop Services and remote PCs on your host machine to connect.
          2. Connect RDP client to remote machine.

  2. Windows Services Management in PowerShell.

    Task:

    1. Print list of services
    2. Run specific service
    3. Stop specific service
    4. Restart specific service
    5. Check status for specific service

    To get list of running services I will use :

    1
    Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq 'Running'}

    Assuming that I want to run "WSLService"

    To start "WSLService" service I’m using :

    1
    Start-Service -Name "WSLService"

    To stop the service:
    1
    Stop-Service -Name "WSLService"

    For restarting service:

    1
    Restart-Service -Name "WSLService"

    For checking the status of monitored service:

    1
    Get-Service -Name "WSLService"

  3. SSH connection to the Linux machine actions are below.

    I added more information in advance because the original task does not contain information about the client machine from which the connection to the Linux machine will be made. There is 3 different cases:

    • Case 1: From another Linux client to Linux host
    • Case 2: From a Windows client to Linux host
    • Case 3: From macOS client to Linux host

    For Linux/Mac: SSH is usually pre-installed but if it’s missing install an SSH client (e.g. on Ubuntu):

    1
    sudo apt install openssh-client -y

    After installation, start the service on Linux machine:
    1
    sudo systemctl start ssh

    If SSH service not started , checked its status on Linux machine:
    1
    sudo systemctl status ssh

    Generate SSH keys (on the host machine):

    1
    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048

    The keys will be stored in ~/.ssh/id_rsa (private) and ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub (public).
    Copy the public key to the Linux server:

    1
    ssh-copy-id user@server_ip

    Or manually append the content of id_rsa.pub to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.

    Connection via SSH for Linux:

    1
    ssh user@server_ip

  4. Optional Configurations:

    Edit the SSH config file (~/.ssh/config) for aliases:

    1
    2
    3
    4
    Host server_alias  
       HostName server_ip  
       User username  
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

    This will simplify the connection:

    1
    ssh server_alias

Case 1: From another Linux client to Linux host

Verify SSH Client on the Local Machine:

  • Most Linux distributions come with the ssh client pre-installed. Confirm by running:
    1
    ssh -V
    If it’s not installed, install it: 
    1
    sudo apt install openssh-client

Replace <username> with the remote machine’s username.

Replace <remote_ip> with the target machine’s IP address.

  • Use Public Key Authentication (Optional): 
    1
    ssh-keygen
  • Copy the public key to the remote machine:
    1
    ssh-copy-id <username>@<remote_ip>
  • Now, log in without entering a password:
    1
    ssh <username>@<remote_ip>

Case 2: From a Windows client to Linux host

  • Install an SSH Client:

    • Use the built-in OpenSSH client on Windows 10+. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and check if SSH is installed: 
      1
      ssh -V

  • Connect Using OpenSSH (Built-in).

    Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run: 

    1
    ssh <username>@<remote_ip>

  • Connect Using PuTTY:

    • Download and install PuTTY.
    • Open PuTTY and enter the hostname or IP address.
    • Set the Port to 22 and click Open.
    • Log in with your credentials.
    • Enable Key Authentication (Optional):
      • Use puttygen to generate a private/public key pair.
      • Copy the public key to the Linux machine’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.
      • In PuTTY, configure the private key in Connection > SSH > Auth > Browse Private Key.

Case 3: From macOS client to Linux host

  • Verify SSH Client:

    macOS includes an SSH client by default. Confirm it by running:

    1
    ssh -V

  • Connect to the Linux Machine:

    Open Terminal and run:

    1
    ssh <username>@<remote_ip>

  • Use Public Key Authentication (Optional):

    1
    ssh-keygen

  • Copy the public key to the remote machine:

    1
    ssh-copy-id <username>@<remote_ip>

  • Now, I can log in without entering a password:

    1
    ssh <username>@<remote_ip>