[Fixed] 5.2.0 Bridged fails w/ only VBox Bridged Driver selected (#17543)

[socratis]

---

[ModEdit; related ticket: #17543: 5.2 - bridged WLAN adapter not working (worked in 5.1)]

---

1. Host: Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB - patches up to date for October 2017
2. Guest: Ubuntu 16.4 Destop - patches up to date for October 2017
3. VirtualBox: 5.2.0
4. Network: Intel Dual Band Wireless - AC 8260
Host interface configured without IP or Windows protocols, associated with the SSID and bridged to Guest.
5. AV and Office and other windows-y stuff unrelated to the wireless communication, Host firewalls turned decidedly off.

This arrangement has worked for the last 4 or so 5.1.x variations.

Uninstalled 5.2.0 and reinstalled (following best-way to install linked elsewhere) 5.2.1 from development build page. Still doesn't get an address from DHCP.

To add to the troubleshooting, I have tried manually assigning an IP address to the Guest and can't ping outside the Guest.
Ran wireshark on the Guest and I can see broadcasts from the wireless NIC in the host - other clients DHCP requests, and gratuitous ARP traffic - clearly the bridge is working IN to the Guest. Ran wireshark on another wireless device and see the same broadcasts, but not the DHCP requests from the Guest - apparently the bridge is not passing traffic OUT from the Guest.

[socratis]

@msabin
So, I just want to make it absolutely clear: 5.2.1 r118475 (or higher) you see a problem. 5.1.30 is working correctly. Is that the summary?

[msabin]

Correct: VirtualBox-5.2.1-118475-Win.exe (and associated Extension Pack) fails to bridge packets outbound on the Intel wireless NIC.
5.1.30-118389-Win.exe (and extension pack) worked fine.

[socratis]

@msabin
Please can you post two "VBox.log" (zipped), one from the 5.1.30 run and one from the 5.2.1 (118475) run?

• Follow a "start the VM from cold-boot" / "observe error" / "shutdown the VM" cycle.
• With the VM shut down completely (not paused or saved), right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager and select "Show Log".
• Save only the first "VBox.log", ZIP it and attach it to your response (see the "Upload attachment" tab below the reply form).

[msabin]

5.1.30 and 5.2.1 logs attached.

5.1.30 worked - after checking my IP address I opened the browser and checked the weather (cool, but nice - rain at the end of the week)
5.2.1 no workie - never got IP address from DHCP, couldn't ping gateway with static IP assignment.

[socratis]

First of all, a big thank you for the logs.
Well, the logs are really, really close, except two minor differences.

00:00:02.134035 [/Devices/e1000/1/LUN#0/Config/] (level 5)
00:00:02.134036   IfPolicyPromisc      <string>  = "deny" (cb=5)
00:00:02.134037   IgnoreConnectFailure <integer> = 0x0000000000000000 (0)
00:00:02.134038   Network              <string>  = "HostInterfaceNetworking-Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260" (cb=60)
00:00:02.134039   SharedMacOnWire      <integer> = 0x0000000000000001 (1)
00:00:02.134040   Trunk                <string>  = "\DEVICE\{0D73D282-2529-4489-8E02-B6B82196F224}" (cb=47)
00:00:02.134041   TrunkType            <integer> = 0x0000000000000003 (3)

The bold red line is suspiciously missing from the 5.2.1 version of the log. I tracked down that string and in one of the comments about it, I saw the following:

* Whether to shared the MAC address of the host interface when using the wire. When
* attaching to a wireless NIC this option is usually a requirement.

So, that line in the log (the flag) exists if there is a wireless bridge, but not when there a wired one. Now, the question becomes: what's so specific about your network card that it's not picked up as a wireless one? Is it a USB one? Something "funky" in your setup/system? Any 3rd party software that deals with that network card? Drivers are updated?


Just for completion, here's the other difference between the two logs. The first line is from the 5.1.30 and the second one from the 5.2.1, the differences in bold red:

E1000#1 Chip=82540EM LinkUpDelay=5000ms EthernetCRC=on GSO=enabled Itr=enabled  ItrRx=enabled              R0=enabled GC=enabled
E1000#1 Chip=82540EM LinkUpDelay=3000ms EthernetCRC=on GSO=enabled Itr=disabled ItrRx=enabled TID=disabled R0=enabled GC=enabled

I don't even have a clue what these things mean, as I said, it's just for completion. If anyone does, feel free to enlighten me.

[socratis]

@msabin
I just remembered that the command to show the Bridged(able) adapters now returns a new option, whether the adapter is wireless or not. So, please upgrade to the latest and greatest Development Snapshot (at the bottom of the page) and then post the output of the command:

cd "C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox"      <-- change it if not the default installation
VBoxManage list bridgedifs

[socratis]

This is a Dell Laptop with integrated Intel Wired and Wireless - can't say much more than that it's the AC 8260 chipset.
(also tested the connection on latest version, still no workie)

Installed latest version from link, here's the output from VBoxManage:

Code: Select all   Expand viewCollapse view

c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe list bridgedifs
Name:            Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I219-LM
GUID:            69af2170-c6f8-40b4-a7ab-d2dc7ec91bc1
DHCP:            Enabled
IPAddress:       10.10.10.204
NetworkMask:     255.255.255.224
IPV6Address:
IPV6NetworkMaskPrefixLength: 0
HardwareAddress: 84:7b:eb:29:c3:40
MediumType:      Ethernet
Wireless:        No
Status:          Up
VBoxNetworkName: HostInterfaceNetworking-Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I219-LM

Name:            Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
GUID:            0d73d282-2529-4489-8e02-b6b82196f224
DHCP:            Disabled
IPAddress:       0.0.0.0
NetworkMask:     0.0.0.0
IPV6Address:
IPV6NetworkMaskPrefixLength: 0
HardwareAddress: 00:00:00:00:00:00
MediumType:      Ethernet
Wireless:        No
Status:          Down
VBoxNetworkName: HostInterfaceNetworking-Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260


[socratis]

Went back to 5.1.30 to get the same output for comparison:

Code: Select all   Expand viewCollapse view

c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe list bridgedifs
Name:            Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I219-LM
GUID:            69af2170-c6f8-40b4-a7ab-d2dc7ec91bc1
DHCP:            Enabled
IPAddress:       10.10.10.204
NetworkMask:     255.255.255.224
IPV6Address:
IPV6NetworkMaskPrefixLength: 0
HardwareAddress: 84:7b:eb:29:c3:40
MediumType:      Ethernet
Status:          Up
VBoxNetworkName: HostInterfaceNetworking-Intel(R) Ethernet Connection I219-LM

Name:            Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
GUID:            0d73d282-2529-4489-8e02-b6b82196f224
DHCP:            Disabled
IPAddress:       0.0.0.0
NetworkMask:     0.0.0.0
IPV6Address:
IPV6NetworkMaskPrefixLength: 0
HardwareAddress: 00:00:00:00:00:00
MediumType:      Ethernet
Status:          Down
VBoxNetworkName: HostInterfaceNetworking-Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260


[socratis]

I wouldn't go as far as saying "No kidding!", but there's something definitely wrong with your "Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260":

HardwareAddress: 00:00:00:00:00:00

That's a no-go. Your card is either stuck, deactivated, dead, caput, or something is seriously wrong with it. Or the way that VirtualBox detects it. Or the way that Windows detects it.

What does the "Device Manager" and the "Network and Sharing Center" have to say about the card? Go to the latter and see under the adapter's properties what's going on, including the MAC address, but I have a feeling that "something is rotten in Denmark"™...

[msabin]

The NIC is configured in WIndows without IP addressing or WIndows networking services - just a layer-2 interface - bridged to the guests.
On the Host I pick an SSID to associate to and provide the PSK or EAP details, then after association, the Guest is able to pass DHCP requests etc.

It works in 5.1.30 so it can't be all bad, but 5.2 certainly doesn't like something.

[socratis]

I'm not even sure what you're doing there, but the fact of the matter is that you don't get a MAC address in VirtualBox, which makes that an invalid NIC. Can you go to the same Network center and look at the Status » Details? Actually that's what I had in mind originally, but (by accident) you've helped me see more...

[msabin]

I followed instructions in another forum here to set this up - the idea being to share the NIC with the Guest without the Host being exposed to the same network.
No MAC wasn't invalid under 5.1.30, so why is it now invalid?

Here's the Status - note that the NIC is associated to the SSID, but not participating in IP protocols - effectively bridging.

[socratis]

Thanks for that, but as I said, I wanted the Status » Details window. You're one click away...

[msabin]

It's useless because I'm not running windows services on the NIC: