India has developed Swadeshi unmanned combat drones RUSTOM-II

India's biggest achievement is drone Rustom-II used future technology

Finally our country getting set to launch an ambitious project India Drone named by RUSTOM to develop and completely country based Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), which will be capable of firing missiles and precision-guided munitions at enemy targets and then returning to home bases to re-arm for further missions.

The Rustom is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) being developed by DRDO for the following Indian Forces, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force of the Indian Armed Forces (IAF). Rustom is derived from the NAL's LCRA (Light Canard Research Aircraft) developed by a team under direction of late Prof. Rustom Damania in the 1980s. The UAV will have structural changes and a new engine. India Drone named Rustom will replace the Heron UAVs in service with the IAF.

The range of advanced technologies and systems include the following: 

1. Aerodynamic configurations, High aspect ratio wing, Composite airframe integrated with propulsion system, de-icing system for wings


2. Highly reliable systems with built-in redundancy for flight critical systems like flight control and navigation, data links, power management, - and mission critical payload management system


3. Digital Flight Control and Navigation System, Automatic Take off and Landing


4. Digital communication technologies for realizing data links to control and operate the mission and relay UAVs


5. Payloads with high resolution and precision stabilized platforms.

Variants of Rustom Series: There will be 3 variants of the Rustom UAV

Rustom-I: Tactical UAV with endurance of 12 hours (based on NAL's LCRA which was inspired by Burt Rutan's Long-EZ)

Rustom-H: Larger UAV with flight-endurance of over 24 hours, higher range and service ceiling than Rustom-1.

Rustom-II: An unmanned combat air vehicle based on Rustom-H model, it is often compared with Predator drones by Indian scientists and media.

Specifications:

General characteristics:

Crew: none

Payload: 95 Kg (165.3 lbs) and 350 kg (771.6 lbs) for both model

Length: 5.12 m (16 ft 10 in) and 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) for both model

Wingspan: 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) and 20.6 m (67 ft 7 in) for both model

Height: Rustom-1: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)

Empty weight: 720 kg (1587.33 lbs) & 1,800 kg (3968.32 lbs) for both models

Powerplant:

Rustom-I: 1 × Lycoming O-320 engines four-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed engine, 112 kW (150 hp)

Rustom-H: 2 × NPO-Saturn 36MT engines wing-mounted turboprop, 73.55 kW (100 hp)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 150 km/hr (Rustom 1) and 225 km/hr (Rustom 2) (139.81 mph)

Cruise speed: 125-175 km/hr (Rustom 2)

Range:

Line of sight: 250 km (156.25 miles)

Relay Communication: 350 km (218.75 miles)

Ferry range: 1000 km (625 miles) for Rustom-2

Service ceiling: 26,000 ft for Rustom-1 and 35,000 ft for Rustom-H (8,000 m and 10,668 m resp.)

 Amazing Features to this Biggest Invention: 

• A Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Rustom-II is comparable to the American made-Predator Drone and can fly for 24 hours at stretch. It can conduct sustained surveillance and can carry weapons along with Surveillance Equipment.


• Rustom-II will undergo further trials regarding its design parameters after which it will be ready for User Validation Trials.


• The application of drones is manifold - including reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and aerial combat missions. What makes them indispensable is that they can conduct these tasks at a fraction of the cost of a manned aircraft and  in case of a crash or malfunction, costs no lives.


• The most recent instance of drone usage by India had been during the Aarmy's surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, where the drones have monitored and filmed the proceedings.


• For that operation, the military had to rely on imported drones, which had long endurance and a capacity to fly in high altitudes. Said by official that in future, Rustom-2 will be able to carry out such missions.


• The maiden test-flight of Rustom-2 was conducted from Chitradurga, 250 km to Bengaluru, where a new Aeronautical Test Range has come up. Both drones and manned aircraft can be tested there.


• The 2-tonne UAV, which has a wing-span of 20 mt. and controlled by members of Armed Forces.


• It has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment- the Bangalore-based Premier Lab. of Defence Research Development Organisation.


• The Rustom-2 has been renamed Tapas 201. The Rustom-1, which flew for the first time in 2009, had been named after the late. Rustom Damania.

India has developed Swadeshi unmanned combat drones RUSTOM-II

India's biggest achievement is drone Rustom-II used future technology

Finally our country getting set to launch an ambitious project India Drone named by RUSTOM to develop and completely country based Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), which will be capable of firing missiles and precision-guided munitions at enemy targets and then returning to home bases to re-arm for further missions.

The Rustom is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) being developed by DRDO for the following Indian Forces, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force of the Indian Armed Forces (IAF). Rustom is derived from the NAL's LCRA (Light Canard Research Aircraft) developed by a team under direction of late Prof. Rustom Damania in the 1980s. The UAV will have structural changes and a new engine. India Drone named Rustom will replace the Heron UAVs in service with the IAF.

The range of advanced technologies and systems include the following: 

1. Aerodynamic configurations, High aspect ratio wing, Composite airframe integrated with propulsion system, de-icing system for wings
2. Highly reliable systems with built-in redundancy for flight critical systems like flight control and navigation, data links, power management, - and mission critical payload management system
3. Digital Flight Control and Navigation System, Automatic Take off and Landing
4. Digital communication technologies for realizing data links to control and operate the mission and relay UAVs
5. Payloads with high resolution and precision stabilized platforms.

Variants of Rustom Series: There will be 3 variants of the Rustom UAV

Rustom-I: Tactical UAV with endurance of 12 hours (based on NAL's LCRA which was inspired by Burt Rutan's Long-EZ)

Rustom-H: Larger UAV with flight-endurance of over 24 hours, higher range and service ceiling than Rustom-1.

Rustom-II: An unmanned combat air vehicle based on Rustom-H model, it is often compared with Predator drones by Indian scientists and media.

Specifications:

General characteristics:

Crew: none

Payload: 95 Kg (165.3 lbs) and 350 kg (771.6 lbs) for both model

Length: 5.12 m (16 ft 10 in) and 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) for both model

Wingspan: 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) and 20.6 m (67 ft 7 in) for both model

Height: Rustom-1: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)

Empty weight: 720 kg (1587.33 lbs) & 1,800 kg (3968.32 lbs) for both models

Powerplant:

Rustom-I: 1 × Lycoming O-320 engines four-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed engine, 112 kW (150 hp)

Rustom-H: 2 × NPO-Saturn 36MT engines wing-mounted turboprop, 73.55 kW (100 hp)

Performance:

Maximum speed: 150 km/hr (Rustom 1) and 225 km/hr (Rustom 2) (139.81 mph)

Cruise speed: 125-175 km/hr (Rustom 2)

Range:

Line of sight: 250 km (156.25 miles)

Relay Communication: 350 km (218.75 miles)

Ferry range: 1000 km (625 miles) for Rustom-2

Service ceiling: 26,000 ft for Rustom-1 and 35,000 ft for Rustom-H (8,000 m and 10,668 m resp.)

 Amazing Features to this Biggest Invention: 

• A Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Rustom-II is comparable to the American made-Predator Drone and can fly for 24 hours at stretch. It can conduct sustained surveillance and can carry weapons along with Surveillance Equipment.
• Rustom-II will undergo further trials regarding its design parameters after which it will be ready for User Validation Trials.
• The application of drones is manifold - including reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence gathering and aerial combat missions. What makes them indispensable is that they can conduct these tasks at a fraction of the cost of a manned aircraft and  in case of a crash or malfunction, costs no lives.
• The most recent instance of drone usage by India had been during the Aarmy's surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, where the drones have monitored and filmed the proceedings.
• For that operation, the military had to rely on imported drones, which had long endurance and a capacity to fly in high altitudes. Said by official that in future, Rustom-2 will be able to carry out such missions.
• The maiden test-flight of Rustom-2 was conducted from Chitradurga, 250 km to Bengaluru, where a new Aeronautical Test Range has come up. Both drones and manned aircraft can be tested there.
• The 2-tonne UAV, which has a wing-span of 20 mt. and controlled by members of Armed Forces.
• It has been designed and developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment- the Bangalore-based Premier Lab. of Defence Research Development Organisation.
• The Rustom-2 has been renamed Tapas 201. The Rustom-1, which flew for the first time in 2009, had been named after the late. Rustom Damania.

Campaign started on Cybersecurity launched by Australia

Australia
set out a far-reaching cybersecurity strategy on Thursday, invoking the leaks
of United States whistleblower Edward Snowden, terrorism and even the threat of
war to push for a coordinated global approach to protection of online data and
also transform into a tech-savvy business hub as its economy deals with a
commodities downturn. In a speech in Sydney, the former online entrepreneur
said hacking attacks cost the country a $1 billion ($780 million) a year and
unveiled a long list of measures - from appointing his own special
cybersecurity adviser to having internet safety taught in schools - to make the
online world freer and safer. "There's no global institution or
infrastructure more important to the future prosperity and freedom of our
global community than the Internet itself," Turnbull said,

"The
same qualities that enable us freely to harness cyberspace for prosperity can
also provide an avenue for those who may wish to do us harm," he said. Turnbull
acknowledged the public has become skeptical about government activity online
since U.S. National Security Agency contractor Snowden leaked classified
documents in 2013, and again this year when the U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation sought access to an Apple Inc iPhone used by one of the shooters
in killings in San Bernardi                      

no, California. But he said that "in certain
very specific circumstances government will work with the private sector ... to
fight serious online crime and extremism and to thwart terrorists and others
who seek to hide their illegal activities online". Turnbull, who delivers
his first budget in May, two months before the election, said he wants to spend
A$230 million on 33 cybersecurity. He also plans to relocate the cybersecurity
office of intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate, outside the
broader Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to make it easier to
coordinate with businesses. Online security industry executives welcomed the
strategy, noting it was Australia's first review of its cyber protection
systems in six years. "Given the speed with which these things have moved,
we are overdue, and strategy goes some way to making good progress," said
Phil Vasic, the Australian managing director of U.S.-listed cybersecurity firm
FireEye Inc, who was at the Turnbull speech.

Campaign started on Cybersecurity launched by Australia

Australia set out a far-reaching cybersecurity strategy on Thursday, invoking the leaks of United States whistleblower Edward Snowden, terrorism and even the threat of war to push for a coordinated global approach to protection of online data and also transform into a tech-savvy business hub as its economy deals with a commodities downturn. In a speech in Sydney, the former online entrepreneur said hacking attacks cost the country a $1 billion ($780 million) a year and unveiled a long list of measures - from appointing his own special cybersecurity adviser to having internet safety taught in schools - to make the online world freer and safer. "There's no global institution or infrastructure more important to the future prosperity and freedom of our global community than the Internet itself," Turnbull said,

"The same qualities that enable us freely to harness cyberspace for prosperity can also provide an avenue for those who may wish to do us harm," he said. Turnbull acknowledged the public has become skeptical about government activity online since U.S. National Security Agency contractor Snowden leaked classified documents in 2013, and again this year when the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation sought access to an Apple Inc iPhone used by one of the shooters in killings in San Bernardi                      

no, California. But he said that "in certain very specific circumstances government will work with the private sector ... to fight serious online crime and extremism and to thwart terrorists and others who seek to hide their illegal activities online". Turnbull, who delivers his first budget in May, two months before the election, said he wants to spend A$230 million on 33 cybersecurity. He also plans to relocate the cybersecurity office of intelligence agency, the Australian Signals Directorate, outside the broader Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to make it easier to coordinate with businesses. Online security industry executives welcomed the strategy, noting it was Australia's first review of its cyber protection systems in six years. "Given the speed with which these things have moved, we are overdue, and strategy goes some way to making good progress," said Phil Vasic, the Australian managing director of U.S.-listed cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc, who was at the Turnbull speech.

Upgrading India’s cyber security architecture also finding problems and their solutions

• Two things set aside India’s digital spaces from that of
  major powers such as the United States and China: design and density. India is
  a net information exporter. Its information highways point west, carrying with
  them the data of millions of Indians. This is not a design flaw, but simply
  reflects the popularity of social media platforms and the lack of any serious
  effort by the Indian government to restrict the flow of data. Equally important
  is the density of India’s cyberspace. Nearly 500 million Indians use the
  Internet today, but they do not access the Internet from the same devices. Apple’s
  market share in the U.S., for instance, is 44 per cent, but iPhones account for
  less than 1 per cent in India. The massive gap between the security offered by
  the cheapest phone in the Indian market and a high-end smartphone makes it
  impossible for regulators to set legal and technical standards for data
  protection.

• Smart cities are the future of urbanisation and population
  sustainability. The aim of smart cities is to provide a conductive environment
  for living, commercial activities, healthcare and overall development. Smart
  cities also predominantly rely upon use of information and communication
  technologies (ICT) to render public services. Wherever applicable, Internet of Things (IoT) (PDF),
  cloud computing and virtualisation and machine to machine (M2M) system usage is
  also there. However, this omnipresent usage of ICT, IoT, M2M, cloud computing,
  etc has a potential drawback as well in the form of indifference towards smart cities cyber security.


• It is not difficult to visualise a scenario of cyber-attacks against
  the critical infrastructures of the smart cities that are run by ICT and
  technology. Such a cyber-attack can cripple the entire smart city if properly
  executed. Critical infrastructure
  protection in India (PDF) is still at nascent stage. The
  national cyber security policy of India 2013 is also very weak and even that has not been implemented by Indian
  government so far. The much awaited cyber security policy of India
  2015is also missing so far.

             

• A strong cyber security infrastructure of India is need of the hour
  especially when there is no well settled international legal issues of cyber-attacks that
  can be invoked in the case of a cyber incidence. It is very important that
  international legal issues of cyber-attacks must be resolved by various government and non-government
  stakeholders. There is no globally acceptable cyber law treaty and cyber security treaty (PDF)
  that can govern the relationships between various countries.  Even the Tallinn Manual on the
  International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare  (PDF) is just an
  academic document with no legal binding obligations. The truth is that Tallinn
  Manual is not applicable to international cyber
  warfare attacks and defense and countries are free to take measures as per their
  own choices.


• This has necessitated that cyber security related projects in India
  must be not only expedited but they must also be successfully implemented as
  soon as possible. Unfortunately, cyber projects like National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) of India, National Critical Information Infrastructure
  Protection Centre (NCIPC) of India, Grid Security Expert System (GSES) of India,
  National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) of India, Cyber Attacks Crisis Management Plan of India, Crisis Management Plan Of India For Cyber Attacks And Cyber Terrorism, Cyber Command For Armed Forces Of India, Tri Service Cyber Command for Armed Forces of India,
  Central Monitoring System (CMS) Project of India, National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) Project of India, Internet Spy System Network And Traffic Analysis System (NETRA) of India, Crime and Criminal Tracking
  Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project of India, etc have still not
  been implemented successfully by Indian government.

                                                       

• This raises the pertinent question as to how Indian government would
  ensure cyber security of smart cities in India. We at Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research and Development in India
  (CECSRDI) believe that Modi government must take cyber security
  seriously. The cyber security challenges in India would
  increase further and India must be cyber prepared to protect its
  cyberspace. CECSRDI believes that the starting point is to draft the cyber
  security policy of India 2015 as the 2013 policy is highly defective and of
  little significance. We also believe that a dedicated cyber security law of India is need
  of the hour. The same must be a techno legal framework keeping
  in mind contemporary cyber security threats. Further cyber security disclosure norms in India must
  be formulated by Modi government. The cyber security awareness in India
  must be further improved so that various stakeholders can contribute
  significantly to the growth and implementation of cyber security initiatives of
  Indian government.

Upgrading India’s cyber security architecture also finding problems and their solutions

• Two things set aside India’s digital spaces from that of major powers such as the United States and China: design and density. India is a net information exporter. Its information highways point west, carrying with them the data of millions of Indians. This is not a design flaw, but simply reflects the popularity of social media platforms and the lack of any serious effort by the Indian government to restrict the flow of data. Equally important is the density of India’s cyberspace. Nearly 500 million Indians use the Internet today, but they do not access the Internet from the same devices. Apple’s market share in the U.S., for instance, is 44 per cent, but iPhones account for less than 1 per cent in India. The massive gap between the security offered by the cheapest phone in the Indian market and a high-end smartphone makes it impossible for regulators to set legal and technical standards for data protection.

• Smart cities are the future of urbanisation and population sustainability. The aim of smart cities is to provide a conductive environment for living, commercial activities, healthcare and overall development. Smart cities also predominantly rely upon use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to render public services. Wherever applicable, Internet of Things (IoT) (PDF), cloud computing and virtualisation and machine to machine (M2M) system usage is also there. However, this omnipresent usage of ICT, IoT, M2M, cloud computing, etc has a potential drawback as well in the form of indifference towards smart cities cyber security.
• It is not difficult to visualise a scenario of cyber-attacks against the critical infrastructures of the smart cities that are run by ICT and technology. Such a cyber-attack can cripple the entire smart city if properly executed. Critical infrastructure protection in India (PDF) is still at nascent stage. The national cyber security policy of India 2013 is also very weak and even that has not been implemented by Indian government so far. The much awaited cyber security policy of India 2015is also missing so far.

             

• A strong cyber security infrastructure of India is need of the hour especially when there is no well settled international legal issues of cyber-attacks that can be invoked in the case of a cyber incidence. It is very important that international legal issues of cyber-attacks must be resolved by various government and non-government stakeholders. There is no globally acceptable cyber law treaty and cyber security treaty (PDF) that can govern the relationships between various countries.  Even the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare  (PDF) is just an academic document with no legal binding obligations. The truth is that Tallinn Manual is not applicable to international cyber warfare attacks and defense and countries are free to take measures as per their own choices.
• This has necessitated that cyber security related projects in India must be not only expedited but they must also be successfully implemented as soon as possible. Unfortunately, cyber projects like National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) of India, National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIPC) of India, Grid Security Expert System (GSES) of India, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) of India, Cyber Attacks Crisis Management Plan of India, Crisis Management Plan Of India For Cyber Attacks And Cyber Terrorism, Cyber Command For Armed Forces Of India, Tri Service Cyber Command for Armed Forces of India, Central Monitoring System (CMS) Project of India, National Intelligence Grid (Natgrid) Project of India, Internet Spy System Network And Traffic Analysis System (NETRA) of India, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) Project of India, etc have still not been implemented successfully by Indian government.

                                                       

• This raises the pertinent question as to how Indian government would ensure cyber security of smart cities in India. We at Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research and Development in India (CECSRDI) believe that Modi government must take cyber security seriously. The cyber security challenges in India would increase further and India must be cyber prepared to protect its cyberspace. CECSRDI believes that the starting point is to draft the cyber security policy of India 2015 as the 2013 policy is highly defective and of little significance. We also believe that a dedicated cyber security law of India is need of the hour. The same must be a techno legal framework keeping in mind contemporary cyber security threats. Further cyber security disclosure norms in India must be formulated by Modi government. The cyber security awareness in India must be further improved so that various stakeholders can contribute significantly to the growth and implementation of cyber security initiatives of Indian government.

"Qubes' Xen-Like Security Requires a Leap of Faith"

If you want an effective and different approach to computer platform security, turn to the Qubes OS.

Be prepared to adjust your expectations and your computing comfort zone, however. The Qubes OS does not work the way other Linux distros work in adding extra layers of security.

It is based on the Fedora Linux desktop but goes well beyond Fedora's approach. The Qubes OS is a hybrid computing technology that raises the bar for security.

Designed around the concept of security by isolation, it achieves that goal by using domains implemented as lightweight Xen virtual machines.

Its U.S.-based Invisible Things Lab development team combines two concepts. One is making the isolation between domains as strong as possible. The second is making the isolation seamless through an innovative architecture that minimizes the amount of trusted code.

Developers released version 3.1 last month. Qubes OS installs from a DVD but has no live session as a testing vehicle. You can try an alpha version that installs to a USB drive, but that download is an earlier version of Qubes OS.

Still, it gives you a chance to try it before you do a hard disk installation. Installing Qubes in a virtual machine rarely works. If you succeed, the performance is radically impacted. The built-in Xen hypervisor does not play nicely with the other VM environment.

Supreme Isolationism

Qubes locks down each part of the OS by compartmentalizing it. Each component of the OS is relegated to a domain structure that is isolated from all other domains.

The concept is a bit strange to grasp until you see it in operation. You can have multiple domains running on the desktop at the same time. They appear on the screen as windows running applications in a traditional Linux desktop.

The applications actually are running in separate VM windows within the Qubes OS. The barriers between domains are rigidly enforced -- even performing copy and paste operations from one domain window to another requires menu-driven procedures and authorizations.

The Qubes OS runs multiple color-coded Xen virtual machines as isolated windows that raise the bar for security.

This security barrier concept ensures that rogue code or other harmful intrusions in one domain do not affect any other component in the Qubes OS. A self-destructing domain brings an added security option.

Self-Destructing Security

If you open a disposable domain, whatever you run and whatever data you generate from apps within it cease to exist when you close that domain.

The disposable domain is one of the Qubes OS' more rigorous security features.

For example, if you open a Web browser in a disposable domain and stumble on an infected website, the foreign substance would be deleted automatically when the domain closed.

Suppose you save a website to a bookmark. That bookmark and all of the history entries you visited during that browsing session are gone when you open the Web browser in another domain or a new disposable domain.

Domain Sovereignty

When you install Qubes OS, the process creates three default domains: work, personal and untrusted. You can create more domains using the trusted window manager.

Each domain has a name and an assigned color that functions as a label. The trusted window manager uses these colors to draw color frames around the windows border for each application running in each domain.

Dom0 is sort of a system domain separate from the default domains and any other domains you create. The desktop manager runs in this domain. Your login credentials reside there. Much like a super domain, Dom0 is more trusted than any other domain.

It is also cut off from the rest of the Internet world. Dom0 has no network connectivity. It provides just two functions: It runs the window manager and the desktop manager.

Why It Works

The Qubes OS goes beyond the limitations of the traditional monolithic OS structure. In traditional Linux operating systems, all the applications run within a single operating system. Running a distro in a virtual machine relies on using a single hosted hypervisor that creates and runs the VM environment.

The Qubes OS uses a bare-metal hypervisor called Xen. It does not run inside an existing OS. The Xen hypervisor runs directly on the bare metal of the hardware. Qubes runs compartmentalized and isolated VMs, all managed as an integrated OS.

Linux distros running in live sessions still have some vulnerabilities. VM hypervisors running on top of the host OS are only as secure as the host OS itself, according to the developers. Qubes OS's compartmentalized Xen VMs make it much more difficult to compromise.

Using It

It took me awhile to get used to the blended user interface that drives the Qubes OS. Applications run in domain windows. Much of the desktop overlay and familiarity of the KDE and Xfce appearance exist.

However, launching programs is done differently. You control the entire Qubes system with either command line tools run under a Dom0 console or with an intuitive graphical user interface tool.

To open a console window in Dom0, go to Start/System Tools/Konsole, or press Alt + F2 and type "konsole." Once the Qubes VM Manager is running, you can open the window at any time by clicking on the Qubes tray icon, which typically resides in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Launching the program from the VM Manager's menu first opens its domain window. You can open programs in an already opened domain using the menu button present in each domain window. Applications also can start from the command line.

The menu list shows installed domains and the applications registered to run in them.

Tricky Requirements

The hardware needs are a bit more tricky with Qubes OS. Expect roadblocks with hardware support. That can be an issue since you will not know how your hardware handles Qubes OS until after you install it.

It might help to check the Qubes hardware compatibility list. You can install the Qubes OS on systems that do not meet the recommended requirements, the developers noted. Provided the hardware is compatible, you will benefit from significant security improvements over traditional operating systems. Features such as GUI isolation and kernel protection do not require special hardware.

You'll need a 64-bit CPU that supports virtualization technology. That support includes both Intel VT-x (or AMD-V) and Intel VT-d (or IOMMU), plus a BIOS with TPM (for Anti Evil Maid). Running numerous VMs within Qubes OS is resource-intensive, so you'll need an abundance of RAM (4 GB is minimum) and a fast processor.

Beware Bugaboos

Macs are not supported. Their keyboard and mouse functions cause problems.

Be aware of two other hardware cautions: Nvidia GPUs may require heavy troubleshooting, and ATI GPUs have not been formally tested.

The installer loads Xen at the beginning of the installation routine. If you see the installer's graphical screen early in the boot up, Qubes OS will probably work on your system, according to the developers.

Bottom Line

This latest version features a new management system that centrally controls the Qubes OS configuration based on Salt management software.

The in-house installation wizard offers various options to precreate some useful configurations. The release also supports booting on machines with UEFI and introduces additional hardware support for a range of video cards.

Qubes OS is not for the faint-hearted. Even Linux users familiar with other security-enhanced distros will feel the challenge in installing and setting up this unique Linux desktop.

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