//Warning: Whonix-Host is experimental software and still in early development. It is currently still lacking some core features, such as persistent installation in EFI mode or a working firewall on the Host, and is not yet ready for production, nor intended for end-users, only developers. Please see Whonix-Host Developers-Only Preview Version 15.0.1.2.7 Released! for more information on its development state. Help welcome.
//
What is Whonix-Host?
Whonix-Host is a complete Operating System provided by Whonix developers specifically designed to run Whonix virtual machines (“Whonix-Gateway” and “Whonix-Workstation”).
Based on Kicksecure, Whonix-Host comes out-of-the-box with all Kicksecure security features and KVM hypervisor with ready-to-use pre-installed Whonix virtual machines.
By default, Whonix-Host runs from a USB flash drive as a Live ISO, as any modern Linux distribution does. This means that you can use and test the whole system, including Whonix-Gateway and Whonix-Workstation, without making any changes to your computer (“live” or “amnesic” mode).
Whonix-Host can also be installed from the USB flash drive on an internal hard drive or external drive such as another USB flash drive to be used as a permanent Operating System (“persistent” mode).
Installation
Recommended System Specifications
- A 64 bit processor with virtualization capacities
- Minimum 4GB of RAM
- Minimum 4GB USB flash drive
- Optional: another flash drive or HDD/SDD with minimum 10GB of free space if you intend to install Whonix-Host
Download and verify integrity
//To be completed//
Installation From Windows
//To be completed//
Installation From MacOS
//To be completed//
Installation From Linux
On Linux the easiest way to burn the USB flash drive is to use the ‘dd’ command.
Identity your USB flash drive:
‘sudo fdisk -l’
//Screenshot to be added wit example//
Copy the Whonix-Host ISO file:
‘dd if=path_to_the_ISO of=/dev/your_USB_drive’
In the example above, we would use the following command:
//Screenshot to be added wit example//
//Warning: this command will copy the Whonix-Host ISO and erase all data on the selected drive! Proceed with extreme caution! Make sure that you selected the correct drive! //
Wait until the copy is over. It can take a while depending on your computer.
Booting From USB Drive
To use Whonix-Host, you must insert the USB flash drive that you prepared in the previous step into your computer and boot from it. Depending on your computer, you may be able to change your its boot order (to make sure it will boot from the Whonix-Host USB flash drive and not its usual internal disk) by pressing a special key such as F12 or Enter. Select the Whonix-Host USB flash drive press Enter. Please refer to your motherboard specific documentation for instructions on how to change the boot order.
Using Whonix-Host
//To be completed: a few words on general capacities (design/kicksecure/debian-based/any debian package can be installed/firewall(?)), how to use Whonix-VM, with screenshots//
Whonix-Host Persistent Installation
//To be completed: step-by-step Calamares installation tutorial with screenshots. Warning: currently no EFI persistent installation capacities//
//Anything else?//