4.2.16 NAT connectivity on Ubuntu 13.04 host, W7 guest

[Jeremy@HPAutonomy]

Connectivity using NAT on a Windows 7 guest through VirtualBox 4.2.16 r86992 on Ubuntu 13.04 is really sketchy.

When I boot the VM, it comes up, and I can DHCP, but after that it can't seem to keep ARP on the default gw. If I keep pinging the gw from the guest, it will eventually work, but occasionally it stalls or starts failing. I can see the ICMP and ARP in the nic trace file, and also when I run Wireshark in the guest, but occasionally some ARP packets are missing from the guest, and the default gw gets its ARP table entry invalidated, so naturally everything stops.. until ARP gets through again and then it works for a while.

Code: Select all

ping -n 4294967295 -w 5000 192.168.7.2
...
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1627ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=4663ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1670ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1792ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=2181ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1672ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=2001ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=3ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=2521ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1948ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=2889ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=2105ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=4664ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
...
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1406ms TTL=127
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127
Reply from 192.168.7.2: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=127

[Jeremy@HPAutonomy]

FYI, I had 2 virtual CPUs configured for this VM. When I reconfigured the CPUs to 1, it got better, with packet loss and/or high ping time periods decreasing in length and frequency.

[Jeremy@HPAutonomy]

With the latest 13.04 kernel this got worse. Now the single CPU VM configuration is as bad as it was under a dual virtual CPUs.

Linux ProBook6470b 3.8.0-29-generic #42-Ubuntu SMP Tue Aug 13 19:40:39 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[Jeremy@HPAutonomy]

3.8.0-30-generic #44-Ubuntu SMP Thu Aug 22 20:52:24 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
with VirtualBox 4.2.18. r88780 running Windows 7 R2 is still b0rk3d.

[Jeremy@HPAutonomy]

OK. I downgraded to Ubuntu VirtualBox 4.2.10 and the symptoms are the same as Oracle v4.2.18.

I created a bugtracker ticket https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/12148

[RichMoff]

Hope it's OK that I'm reviving this thread. I'm currently using the following for a host:

Ubuntu 13.10
3.11.0-17-generic #31-Ubuntu SMP Mon Feb 3 21:52:43 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I'm using the Ubuntu package of virtualbox, 4.2.16_Ubuntu r86992

When running a Win7 VM with NAT, I get very poor network connectivity. It works on boot, then after a few minutes drops out (can't ARP the gateway). I think this may be similar to the OP's case. I'd like to know if you got any further with it or if anyone else has run into a similar problem.