Part of FlameNet is a "retro lab" — period operating systems running in VMs, reachable from anywhere without installing a remote-desktop client. The combo: QEMU for the machines, Apache Guacamole for browser access.

QEMU for the metal

Each retro OS — Windows 2000, Windows XP — runs as a QEMU guest on an isolated bridge network, well away from anything that matters. systemd units bring them up on boot so the lab is always available.

Guacamole for access

Guacamole is a clientless remote-desktop gateway: it speaks RDP/VNC to the guests on the back end and renders the screen as HTML5 in your browser on the front end. No client install, works on a phone, and it tunnels through the same reverse proxy as everything else.

Keeping it safe

Twenty-five-year-old operating systems have no business touching the open internet, so the lab sits on its own network segment with tight egress rules. You can poke around a pristine Windows 2000 desktop — it just can't poke back.