VMware Workstation — Command Line (CLI)¶
Import and start the RTA from the terminal using ovftool and vmrun.
Both tools ship with VMware Workstation Pro 17 — no separate download is
required.
Before you start
Review the VMware Workstation overview. You will need the OVA file provided by your engagement lead and VMware Workstation Pro 17 installed on Windows or Linux.
Tool locations¶
ovftool and vmrun are installed alongside Workstation Pro:
# Windows (default)
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\ovftool\ovftool.exe
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmrun.exe
# Linux (default)
/usr/bin/ovftool
/usr/bin/vmrun
Add the Workstation installation directory to your PATH if the commands are
not found, or invoke them by full path.
1. Import the OVA¶
Use ovftool to convert the OVA into a .vmx VM directory:
ovftool <OVA_PATH> <DEST_DIR>/<VM_NAME>.vmx
Replace <OVA_PATH> with the path to the OVA provided by your engagement lead,
<DEST_DIR> with a folder that has at least 40 GB free, and <VM_NAME> with a
descriptive name (e.g. rta-engagement).
Example (Linux):
ovftool ~/Downloads/rta-generic-latest.ova ~/vmware/rta-engagement/rta-engagement.vmx
Example (Windows, run in PowerShell or cmd):
ovftool.exe "C:\Users\you\Downloads\rta-generic-latest.ova" "C:\VMs\rta-engagement\rta-engagement.vmx"
ovftool creates the .vmx descriptor and one or more .vmdk disk files in
the destination directory. The OVA descriptor already specifies EFI firmware
with Secure Boot off, and ovftool carries that into the generated .vmx —
there are no firmware or boot settings to edit.
2. Set CPU and memory in the .vmx¶
The OVA descriptor sets hardware defaults that may be below the recommended
sizing. Edit the .vmx to set 4 vCPU and 8 GB:
numvcpus = "4"
memsize = "8192"
Check for existing numvcpus and memsize lines and update them, or append
if absent.
3. Set the network adapter in the .vmx¶
Locate the ethernet0.connectionType line (or add it) and set it to match
your use case:
# Bridged — Layer-2 adjacency to the engagement LAN (recommended)
ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged"
# NAT — isolated lab or dev use
ethernet0.connectionType = "nat"
For Bridged mode, also specify the host NIC to bridge through (optional — omit to let Workstation auto-select):
ethernet0.vnet = "VMnet0"
Bridged requires a wired uplink
VMware Workstation cannot bridge over Wi-Fi. The host must have a wired Ethernet adapter on the engagement network.
4. Start the VM¶
vmrun start <DEST_DIR>/<VM_NAME>.vmx
Example:
vmrun start ~/vmware/rta-engagement/rta-engagement.vmx
On Windows:
vmrun.exe start "C:\VMs\rta-engagement\rta-engagement.vmx"
vmrun returns immediately; the VM runs in the background. Open the Workstation
Pro UI to view the console, or use vmrun list to confirm it is running:
vmrun list
Verify¶
Open the VM console in the Workstation Pro UI: this image is customized for your engagement and boots already registered, so the console shows a live status and troubleshooting dashboard (network, VPN tunnel, connectivity). To stop the VM cleanly:
vmrun stop <DEST_DIR>/<VM_NAME>.vmx soft
Network access¶
The appliance makes one connection to do its job: an outbound tunnel to the Sophos headend. Nothing inbound is ever required — you never open or forward any ports to the appliance.
Allow this outbound destination
| Destination | connect.remotetesting.secureworks.com |
| IP addresses | 3.33.194.251 and 15.197.255.2 (static — these do not change) |
| Port / protocol | TCP 443, carrying OpenVPN (not HTTPS) |
| Direction | Outbound only |
Allow egress on TCP/443 to that destination from the appliance's network. On a next-generation firewall or NAC-controlled network, an L3 "allow 443" rule is often not enough — Layer-7 application control, TLS/SSL decryption, or NAC can still drop the tunnel even when the port is open. See Connectivity Troubleshooting for the exact firewall and NAC exceptions to request.
Troubleshooting¶
Deployed but something isn't right?
See VMware Workstation troubleshooting for the most common issues on this platform and how to fix them.