Metasploitable 2 (Guest) Minimums
| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| RAM | 256 MB | 512–1024 MB |
| Disk | 8 GB | 8 GB (fixed image size) |
| CPU | 1 vCPU | 1–2 vCPU |
| Network adapter | 1 (host-only) | 1 (host-only) |
Planning for a Two-VM Lab
Most learners run Metasploitable 2 next to an attacking VM such as Kali Linux, which is considerably heavier. As a practical baseline for the host machine:
| Component | Recommended Host Spec |
|---|---|
| Host RAM | 8 GB minimum, 16 GB comfortable |
| Free disk space | 40–60 GB for both VM disks plus headroom |
| Virtualization support | Intel VT-x or AMD-V enabled in BIOS/UEFI |
| Hypervisor | VirtualBox 6.1+ or VMware Workstation/Player/Fusion (recent release) |
If your host reports a virtualization error on first boot, the fix is almost always enabling VT-x/AMD-V in the BIOS, not a resource shortage. See troubleshooting.
Host OS Compatibility
Because both VirtualBox and VMware run on Windows, macOS, and Linux, Metasploitable 2 works the same regardless of your host operating system. The only host-level requirement is that virtualization extensions are available and enabled.