Use a Virtual Machine to Test JumpCloud

When you test JumpCloud to determine if it is a good match for your organization, you will want to add a device to your JumpCloud account. However, you may not want to use a personal or a company device. Instead, you can use a Virtual Machine (VM) that simulates a separate device. 

The process for creating VMs depends on your host OS. Windows host devices can utilize Hyper-V, which is built into the OS and requires no installation. Mac host devices can utilize a third-party hypervisor application such as VMware Fusion, Virtual Box, or UTM.

Windows Hosts

Considerations:

• Hyper-V is included on all Windows 10 devices. There is nothing to download.

Setting up a Windows VM Using Hyper-V

To set up a VM using Hyper-V:

1. Open Windows Powershell. You can do this by searching for it in the search bar on your machine.
2. Run the following command in the Powershell window:

3. When the installation completes, reboot your device.
4. Open Hyper-V Quick Create from the start menu. Or, by searching for it in the search bar.
5. Select Windows 10 Dev Environment.

6. Select Create Virtual Machine.

Hyper-V will then create your virtual machine. This process can take some time.

Accessing your Windows VM

Once complete, you can access your virtual machine:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager.
2. Double-click the name of your virtual machine.

MacOS Hosts

Considerations:

• MacOS VMs can only be created on MacOS host devices, as part of Apple’s license agreement.

Mac hosts must utilize a third-party hypervisor application to create VMs (guests). The hypervisor you choose will depend on the hardware platform of your Apple device (Intel vs. Apple silicon). Some available hypervisor applications on macOS include:

VMware Fusion (Intel and Apple Silicon)

• VMware Fusion supports macOS, Windows, and Linux guests.
  • For a full list of supported guest OSs, see the VMWare Guest OS Compatibility Guide. 
• To create a VM on a Mac using VMware Fusion, see the following:
  • Create a Windows 10 VM (Intel & Apple Silicon)
  • Create a macOS VM (Intel only)
  • Create a Linux VM (Intel & Apple Silicon)

Virtual Box (Intel Mac only)

• Virtual Box supports Windows and Linux guests.
  • For a full list of supported guest OSs, see VirtualBox Guest Support.
• To create a VM, see the VirtualBox Manual section 1.8 – Creating Your First Virtual Machine.

UTM (Apple Silicon devices, macOS virtualization framework)

• Download IPSW file for desired macOS Version (macOS 12+ only): https://ipsw.me/VirtualMac2,1.
• Create a new Virtual Machine.
  • Select Virtualize.
  • Select macOS 12+.
  • Choose the IPSW file downloaded above and complete the setup.
• Further options are available and documented at https://docs.getutm.app/guest-support/macos/.

Running JumpCloud on your VM

After setting up your VM, you need to install the JumpCloud Agent so that it can be recognized by your JumpCloud environment. Follow the same steps to install the agent on a physical device:

• For Windows, see JumpCloud Agent Windows Installation Walkthrough.
• For macOS, see Install the Mac Agent.