virtualbox.org

I'm trying to use VirtualBox with mininet for a project and I'm supposed to set up a Host-Only Network. All the tutorials tell me that I need to go to File > Preferences > Network to set it up, and here I'm supposed to see two tabs: NAT Networks and Host-Only Networks, yet when I look for it I don't see the Host-Only Networks tab. What do I do here? I want my virtual machine to connect to the Internet.

If you want your VM to connect to the Internet then you won't do it with a host-only network connection. The clue is in the name "host only" - i.e. nothing but the host can communicate with you, because there is no connection to a physical network.

Try NAT, it's the simplest solution for simple requirements (e.g. browsing, downloads and updates). If you need to run some kind of server API in the VM then choose bridged networking.

If you were truly reading a blog that told you to do this, then stop reading it. Instead read the user manual that comes with VirtualBox.

TheGreatAce wrote:All the tutorials tell me that I need to go to File > Preferences > Network to set it up, and here I'm supposed to see two tabs: NAT Networks and Host-Only Networks, yet when I look for it I don't see the Host-Only Networks tab.

Then those tutorials must be quite outdated. Starting with VirtualBox 6.0, go to Tools > Network to configure Host-only networks.

Host-Only can also be configured via File menu > Host Network Manager.

For an overview of the possibilities, see Virtualbox Networks: In Pictures.

Thank you all very much, I got to connect by using a Bridged Adapter.

That is a workaround, not a fix. Bridged will give you an Internet connection if the host is on a LAN, but it is not a substitute for two NICs with one using NAT and the other using host only.

If you are doing a project, you need to do what the project recommends. They will have set it up in a particular manner for a good reason.

I'm not so sure that bridged is not a solution. It sounds like it's just a poor quality blog - what other kind gives prescriptive directions and doesn't take software version differences into account?

Mininet sounds like it's just a bundle of network related tools, for self training. Those should all work just fine if you can bridge to a working Internet connection.

If it was important to use an isolated network to avoid damage then the Internet part of the OPs request should be discarded. Then it becomes a host-only networking scenario.