No access to Hosts TCP ports after install of VirtualBox

[ikoch]

I don't know wether it is a bug or I'm just doing something wrong:

I'm developing a Windows service to which clients can connect via TCP/IP connection.
To have a reproducable environment for the tests of my WiX installer, I've installed VirtualBox 2.2.4 and a Windows XP Professional virtual machine.
VirtualBox and the XP VM worked like a charm and I'd really like to use VirtualBox for my tests.
But:
After the installation of VirtualBox the ports on the host used by my service are somehow messed up.
I can't connect to the services ports on the host (which is my development machine) from the internet. I can't even connect from the internal network.
After uninstalling VirtualBox, all works fine again on the XP machines (development machine, XP Professional; my private laptop, XP Home).
On my box at home, running Vista Home Premium 64 Bit, not even uninstalling VirtualBox brought back the ports. I had to reinstall Vista to get them back.

Has anyone ever heard something like this? Have I done something wrong or is this a bug?
It is a reproducable effect on three different machines.

As I said, I'd really like to use VirtualBox for my tests, but with this side effect it's unusable for my purposes.
Any ideas?

[baf]

What are you using as firewall? This feels to me like your firewall doesn't like virtualbox. Do you have some kind of vpn installed? Ciscos older vpn contained a builtin firewall that interacted badly with f-secure.

[ikoch]

On all three machines the Windows built in firewall was activated. Exception rules have been defined to let the used ports through. No VPN. As I said, all worked fine until I installed VirtualBox and all worked fine (on the XP machines) after I uninstalled VirtualBox.
The Windows Firewall logs doesn't show any entries for incomming TCP connections on the ports in question. Neither Allow nor Deny entries. Nothing.
A packet sniffer also didn't show any activities on the ports. Even after deactivating the Windows firewall completely.
It doesn't matter wether the access comes from the internet or from an other machine in the same network.

[pdifeo]

I have a similar issue. After installing VirtualBox on Win2008, other services are not avalaible from other computers on the net (i.e. tomcat is not reachable from other computers, instead localy all works).

Pasquale

[Perryg]

What are you using for the network MODE? NAT, Bridged, Host-only, Internal-only?

[pdifeo]

Sorry, I try to explain better. Just only after installing Vbox without running anytype of virtual machines, some services on HOST w2008 don't are reachable from other computers.

Precise that the windows services on the HOST (like dns, remotedesktop, smb) works properly. All other services (like tomcat, mdaemon mail server on port 25, 110, 143) don't are reachable from other computers.

So I think that the "Host" VirtualBox Network Adapter is the problem.

On Ubuntu 9.04 host don't have this kind of problem.

Regards
Pasquale

[Perryg]

I think I see what you are saying. Try this and see if it makes a difference. See if you can disable the host-only adapter that VBox adds to your network adapters and see if the interference is still there.

[pdifeo]

For not compromise people work, I have removed VBox. I try it tomorrow evening, when people go home.

Thanks
Pasquale

[sharra]

I believe the problem may be the same that I am experiencing, the virtual box network connection that is created is a public network, and for me with windows vista at least, when a network is public then I lose access to all my file sharing on the system, and it is only resolved when I manually change it to a private network. The only problem is when I reboot, it again comes up as a public network, and all my sharing services are not reachable. I am trying to find a solution that will allow the network connection to be a private network all the time so windows will not disable the sharing services.

If you have virtual box installed again, try changing the connection settings and see if it resolves your issues. It may not be the same problem, but I suspect it is.