Guest printing to network printers

[RScott]

Hello,

I have the Windows 10 host connected via 2nd NIC card to a network of label printers. I have each printer with their own Static IP addresses 10.1.1.xxx. The host IP is 10.1.1.40. Every there works fine. Problem is I can't seem to figure out how to add those printers to the VM running WIndows XP. This XP needs to run some old dBase programs that need to print to these same network printers. I set up the 2nd adapter and tried it as NAT, and Bridge, etc. Should the this physical adapter in the VM be installed and set to a static address separate from the host IP - like 10.1.1.50 or is it the same. Have not been able to ping the printers from this VM no matter what I've tried. Thinking I need to make sure the VM and printers are on the same network. The VM-XP can't seem to recognize any of he host network printers.

Probably some dots I'm not connecting since I was trying to think of the VM-XP as it's own node on the network.

Thanks for any tips!

[BillG]

Yes, The first requirement is that the vm must be in the same network as the printer. Bridged networking should do it.

Is there a DHCP server on this network? If there is, the vm should get an IP in the same IP subnet as the other network devices from DHCP.

Ping is no the best way to check network connectivity in a modern network setup. Too many devices have firewalls which block ICMP.

In addition, file and printer sharing between Windows 10 and XP has lots of problems. Windows 10 (and all other Windows OSs back to VIsta) use the same network discovery method for sharing. Windows XP only has the old NT-style system which used Netbios names and SMBv1 and the computer browser service. SMB1 is no longer supported and is a security risk. (Remember the wanna cry virus scare?) SMB1 is disabled by default in Windows 10.

If the printers are old enough to have drivers for XP they should also be able to cope with SMBv1 and Netbios names using the computer browser service as long as they are all in the same network and the same IP subnet.

[RScott]

Thanks Bill for the reply - just double checking but will the actual NIC in the host and guest have the same address or should that 1 NIC have 1 IP from the host and another from the guest? I've tried it both ways.

Thanks again!

[scottgus1]

No network cards should have the same IP address. Each should have a different address in the network's address range. See Virtualbox Networks: In Pictures: Bridged Adapter.

If you have to set static IP addresses on each device you put in the host's network (which might indicate that the network has no DHCP server), you will have to set a static IP in the guest too. If your devices normally get an IP address from the network, you can let this happen in the Bridged guest, or set a static IP in the guest, as you desire. Normally, for small networks, the first three numbers of the IP address (your 10.1.1.) should be the same for all devices, and just the last number be unique for each device.

You can turn on Ping (ICMP echo request) in the host & guest firewalls to have the OS's respond to ping. I'd guess the printers probably will respond.

[RScott]

Hello

Back at work setting up my XP guest with my local network. Going pretty well after but have a question regarding logging into the XP guest from a Windows 7 or 10. Can see the xp in explorer network group but when I click on the view the files I'm prompted for Windows Security to enter network password. It rejects my password or even a blank password if that's how i have the user setup.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[BillG]

Please start a new post with an appropriate heading. Do not hijack a post on a different issue. You are not trying to print from a guest to a network printer!

[RScott]

Bill,

Will do thanks!