Virtual machines (VMs) within NICE Challenge Environments can have two different interface types: graphical user interfaces (GUI) and command line interfaces (CLI).


GUI are typical on Windows VMs and the occasional Linux VM, allowing you to use a mouse or pointer to interact with the VM.


CLI are typical on Linux and Unix VMs, they are text-based interfaces on black backgrounds. CLI do not support mouse or pointer use.


This support article only covers solutions for VMs with GUI. If you are experiencing this issue with a VM with a CLI-based interface please contact support so we can assist you. Changing text size varies greatly in CLI-based interfaces.


Depending on the screen size and resolution settings on your computer, the text within a VM console might be too small for you to easily read on the default display settings within the VM. In these cases, you will want to alter the display settings on problematic VMs. While there are often a few different display settings that can enlarge text, we suggest reducing the resolution on problematic VMs as the primary way to fix the issue.


For instructions on how to do this please review the steps below, which are organized by NICE Challenge Environment and VM name...


NICE Challenge Environment: DASWebs Inc. (Operate & Maintain Focused)


Windows-based VMs: Workstation-Desk, Domain-Controller, and Dev-Web
  1. Login to the VM if needed
  2. Right click on the desktop background/wallpaper
  3. Select "Screen resolution" in the right click drop down menu
  4. In the resulting control panel window named, "Change the appearance of your display", select a resolution from the drop down menu that is lower than the current resolution (1024 x 768 should work in most cases)
  5. Click "Apply"

Linux-based VMs: Security-Desk
  1. Login to the VM if needed
  2. Click "Applications" in the top left corner
  3. In the resulting drop down menu navigate to the following: System Tools -> Preferences -> System Settings
  4. In the resulting systems settings window, within the section labeled "Hardware", select option "Displays"
  5. In the resulting systems settings window named, "Displays", select a resolution from the drop down menu that is lower than the current resolution (800 x 600 should work in most cases)
  6. Click "Apply"


NICE Challenge Environment: Pretty Safe Electronics (Protect & Defend Focused)


All VMs with a graphical user interface (GUI) within this environment have their resolutions set very low by default. If you have issues seeing text in these VMs please contact support via a support ticket.