So I've got an internet connection with a comcast router
generic Dell server with two network cards
Virtualbox on Win7 host with Server 2016 Essentials VM and Exchange VM
Ten Win7 client computers
I think I'm over thinking this but I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the networking for this scenario.
Virtual versus actual network topography is bending my pea brain, which to use when….
The comcast router provides inet connectivity with DHCP services
I want the two VMs to work together to provided internal and external email services
I want via the second NIC to provide clients access to internal and external email and internet browsing
How do I connect NIC1 to inet, using NAT in VBox Essentials server?
I'd like to be using the Essentials VM as a firewall between inet and NIC2.
Does Server and Exchange VM communicate over internal network connection?
Can I make NIC2 provide DHCP to clients independent from DHCP service in inet router?
Internet, Intranet, Internal?
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BillG
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Re: Internet, Intranet, Internal?
It is pretty confusing when you first come across it. The thing to remember is that the networking protocols work just the same way on virtual or physical networks. Working out how the network would function in a physical network is the first task. Then work out how to do that in a virtual setup.
If you used your physical server as the Essentials server it would get an IP from the comcast router and run as a NAT router for your internal network (which would be physical machines connected to a switch). To emulate that with virtuals you set the public NIC of your Essentials server as bridged to one physical NIC of the host so that it gets its network config from the comcast router (just as the host machine does).
If the client machines were virtual you would put them on an internal virtual network. If your clients are physical machines on a switch you connect the switch to the second NIC of the host and bridge the private NIC of the virtual server to it.
The setup of the server is exactly the same as on a physical network. The public NIC is bridged to the host NIC which connects to the router. The private NIC is bridged to the other NIC of the host which is connected to your client network switch. The server is acting as router, DC, DNS and DHCP server for the clients.
Another way to think of it is to make all the connections as if the host is doing the job itself. Connect one NIC to the Internet and the other to your local LAN. Then internally you divert the network traffic from the physical machine to the virtual machine.
If you used your physical server as the Essentials server it would get an IP from the comcast router and run as a NAT router for your internal network (which would be physical machines connected to a switch). To emulate that with virtuals you set the public NIC of your Essentials server as bridged to one physical NIC of the host so that it gets its network config from the comcast router (just as the host machine does).
If the client machines were virtual you would put them on an internal virtual network. If your clients are physical machines on a switch you connect the switch to the second NIC of the host and bridge the private NIC of the virtual server to it.
The setup of the server is exactly the same as on a physical network. The public NIC is bridged to the host NIC which connects to the router. The private NIC is bridged to the other NIC of the host which is connected to your client network switch. The server is acting as router, DC, DNS and DHCP server for the clients.
Another way to think of it is to make all the connections as if the host is doing the job itself. Connect one NIC to the Internet and the other to your local LAN. Then internally you divert the network traffic from the physical machine to the virtual machine.
Bill