network bridge

[rilawich]

My host is Windows 2000 and the guest is CentOS. As document said, NAT can only let the guest go out. Network bridge can be used to let the guest in or out with the same network level as the host. However, the document mentioned about network bridge setting is very little. Anyone can elaborate it here about how to make the network bridge works.

[bodhi.zazen]

You will have to google search for windows bridging.

Here is what I found :

http://www.netcal.com/news.php?article=11

http://www.homenethelp.com/web/howto/wi ... -setup.asp

If those documents are helpful, let me know.

[rilawich]

Thanks. But do we need to do the bridge in virtual box so complicated?

[bodhi.zazen]

Thanks. But do we need to do the bridge in virtual box so complicated?

LOL

Bridging is a function of the Host OS. You should ask this question of Microsoft.

Once the bridge is built the VirtualBox interface is simple.

[rilawich]

What I mean is the comparison between virtual box and vmware. The vmware has a bridge option for the guest with just a click. Does Virtualbox has the same option too?

[guyr]

I'm no Virtual Box expert, but I fumbled around with networking quite a bit before I got it to work. Once I got it figured out, it was really quite simple. In the online help, see section 3.3.3, Host Interface Networking; this is what you are trying to accomplish. Section 5.3.3.1 talks about using VBoxManage to create a new host interface. I did not have to do this. When I created a new virtual machine, VBox automatically created a new host interface for me. I originally called it eth0, thinking that I needed to call it the name of the interface in Linux. This is not correct; you can call it anything; I now have it called "VirtualBox Ethernet Adapter".

Once this additional interface is created, all you need to do is open Network Connections (assuming you are using Windows XP.) Click on your new Virtual Box host interface, then *also* click on Local Area Connection (i.e., hold the ctrl key and click.) With both of them selected, if you now right click, you should see a menu item in the context menu to "Create bridged connection". Do that, and you're all set.

Note that after creating this bridge, your various network connections may appear to be messed up. For example, Windows shows my VBox-created host interface as being unplugged. But it all works.

I also have VMWare installed on this box. When I created the bridge, Windows added the VMWare Bridge Protocol to the list of items used by the bridge. I had to leave this clicked, as well as Virtual Machine Network Services, in order for VMWare to be able to make its connections. Best I can figure out, all of the fancy footwork needed by both VMWare and VBox migrated onto the bridge. If I click on one of the VMnetX adapters created by VMWare, I see tht the above two items are unclicked; they used to be clicked before I created the bridge.