Help with sharing from VM to other devices without side-effect

[appyface]

Please be gentle, not sure I've worded anything well here.

VirtualBox 7.0.8 on Win7 Pro SP1 + post-released fixes.
Lubuntu 22.04 VM running a Plex Media server.

I have a Roku Ultra with Plex app, attached to TV. Plex app could not access the Plex server in the VM until I added VirtualBox Networking (I added both Bridged and Host-only). I had first only installed VirtualBox without networking, USB, python.

For Plex perspective, this works fine, VBox networking made the server accessible to Roku player.

I started having problems with my IP cameras. Not sure why it happens, but cameras software tries to use 192.168.56.1 (VBox adapter) to record and the cameras disconnect. Some cameras don't reconnect without reboot. It is only once a day. I can see in the camera software's logs when it tries to record from 192.168.56.1, the cameras disconnect.

The host is 192.168.1.15. The cameras are all hard-coded in their setup to their own 192.168.1.xxx unique address, gateway 192.168.1.1, and subnet 255.255.255.0. This all worked fine without disconnects before I added the VBox networking.

So now I have removed VBox networking from the host. The camera issue is once again resolved, but I can no longer access my Plex server from Roku player.

What is the right way to have Plex in VM share the server with Roku correctly, yet not allow any other apps to find/use the VBox adapter? I don't know anything about networking obviously. Can I just change the VM to be 192.168.1.xxx static with 192.168.1.1 gateway, and not use VBOX networking?

Any help/guidance is appreciated.

Kind regards.

[scottgus1]

Virtualbox provides several kinds of networking, see Virtualbox Networks: In Pictures.

Bridged will put your VM on the physical network in your house, same as if the VM were another real PC connected to the network. The VM will get an IP address from your network if there is a router running on the network.

Host-Only is an alternate network channel that connects the host and the VM only, on 192.168.56.#

What is your network's IP address range? 192.168.1.#?

Is the camera recording software running on the host or in the VM, or somewhere else?

[appyface]

Thanks for your questions. Thought I had covered some but I hadn't.

Camera software is running on the host. Host is 192.168.1.15, gateway 192.168.1.1, subnet 255.255.255.0, router is acting as DHCP for all devices and handing out 192.168.1.xxx addresses, except where hard-coded on device itself (like the cameras) or reserved by mac address within the router's reservation section (the host is reserved by mac address as 192.168.1.15).

Network IP address range I assume is 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.254...? Not sure that question.

Sounds like, from your descriptions, trying to use only the VBox bridged component (and not the host-only component) might solve? Is worth trying, do you think?

Thanks again.

[scottgus1]

Thanks for the info. That sounds all good. Disable the Host Only network, possibly delete the Host Only network in the main Virtualbox window's Network Manager (see File menu, Tools) and you should be good. Leave Bridged enabled so the Plex device can access the VM.

[appyface]

Thank you, I will try this. Assume it worked unless I come back! Kind regards.