ubuntu 8.10 guest can't connect to internet (dns?)

[hangerglide]

The host is windows xp with 4 gb ram. the guest os has 1.2gb ram allocated.

ubuntu 8.10 seemed to install well. At first it default to automatic ip address but I was not able to connect to the internet so I gave it a static ip address (which it will need eventually anyways). But no change.

I can ping the address that the ubuntu docs suggest (91.189.94.249) but firefox won't get to any websites. I've not had this issue before with ubuntu so I was wondering if it's an issue with virtualbox? I just downloaded and installed it today, used default settings except for the ram. There is an adapter1 (nat) icon and it's looks 'ok'.

What can I check?

[Sasquatch]

You can check the VirtualBox FAQ. Also, NAT needs DHCP, or set the data it gives you as static values. If you want your VM to be a part of the network, use HIF. See the manual for that.

[hangerglide]

Thanks for that info. Today, the dns issue is fixed all by itself. I first tried the ip address of google as the faq suggested and it was ok in firefox. Then I found that regular addresses worked too. In the forum post that the faq refs there is a post from someone who this happened to also. But I'd like to understand why? Esp for the next vm I create, maybe there is a way to skip the delay and magic fix.

[hangerglide]

Eh, and today the ubuntu vm inside virtualbox lost all of it's network connectivity.

It never worked using automatic assignement of IP address. It worked for a couple of days after I assigned a static ip in the range that my linksys router hands out ip addresses. Now the ubuntu guest resets itself to automatic ip assign no matter what I tell it to do. And while I can ping an outside ip address, I can't browse to any web addresses. Why would it stop working all of a sudden?

I also read that vb handles dhcp on it's own if NAT, and this is NAT. I wonder if the original time that the guest os worked, which took place only after being off for 8 hours, really means that it dropped the static ip that I'd assigned (in linksys ip range) and silently grabbed a ip address from vbox? And I assumed it was the static ip that had finally taken?

But then why is it not working now? Since I can ping it must be dns, somehow, but how if it's dynamically assigned?

[Sasquatch]

The handling of DHCP when in NAT mode is only for the VM attached mode. There are diffent methods to give networking capabilities to a VM, NAT is one of it. That must have DHCP as config option.

[hangerglide]

OK, so what I was told (that vbox is handling dhcp by default) is wrong? I accepted pretty much the default settings.

I've looked at the virtualbox help files about network settings and can't see what the issue might be.

Would you say that 'normally' the ubuntu install (also defaults, 8.10) should have just worked and have gotten an ip from the linksys? Any clues what the issue might be?

[Sasquatch]

VBox will give a DHCP address to the VM if you use NAT networking as the attached mode. If you however use Internal Networking, you have to provide the IP config yourself. For Host Interface, your physical network is responsible for the IP configuration, so either you have a DHCP server running on the network (be it a dedicated machine or router) or you configure everything with a static address.

Thinking that because you already use NAT provided by your home router and VB will take care of that is wrong.

Now, what are the full network settings of your VM? IP address configuration is also useful to post.

[hangerglide]

That really helped; I changed the vm to Host Interface and it started working.

I'll reread that area of the docs now and maybe it'll start to make a little more sense now.

Thank you

[Sasquatch]

Glad to see it's a so called PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair) . Misunderstandings happen, good that it's sorted out now.

[hangerglide]

with the new version of virtualbox, there is no 'host interface' option. Has that been renamed as 'host only'?

Ooo I see that my other prev install has been changed to bridged and that like the new vm, it has 'no bridged network adapter is selected'. Hopefully I'll find something here on the forums about this.

Yep now I see that there is some issue with 2.2.0 networking in general. NAT works for me but nothing else.

[Perryg]

If this is an upgrade install (VBox 2.2) and you are using bridged but no adapter shows up, you will need to install VBox again and select repair. Then you should see your adapter in the GUI.

[hangerglide]

Yes it's an upgrade install. There are entries in the list but none of them seem to satisfy the bridged adapter category...whatever that is. The vm was created using2.2.0, it is not an 'upgraded' vm. The other vm I have used to say host interface (and that seemed to work well for me) but it also now says 'bridged adapter' and has the error.

I will try try the install/repair. Will 'host interface' return as an option?

[hangerglide]

The repair did work.

I am still curious to know why the network setting changed from host interface to bridged? I do have an automatically assigned ip address now, with bridged, which is what I want for starters. Later I'll change it to a static ip.

Thanks for this great software and for the excellent support here!

[Sasquatch]

They only changed the name from Host Interface to Bridged, because of the otherwise confusing name Host-Only.