virtualbox.org

VB host: Windows XP
VB Client: (Open)Solaris, various Linux, etc.
VB version: 2.2.x and 3.0.0

I've been using bridged networking so that my VB guest, with its IP acquired through DHCP, can connect to all the hosts on the same network, and my VB host (Windows XP) can connect to the guest by usual ways no problem.

However, I have never been able to connect (ping/telnet/ssh, etc.) to the guest from _other_ hosts on the same network, only the VB host itself is able to do that.
Initially I thought that's working as designed: I need NAT+Port Forwarding to do that.
Now, after read many Internet posts, I think it should be possible with bridged networking too, and there might be something wrong with my setup.

I read the chapter 6, it doesn't explicitly say connecting from other hosts (non-VB-host) to the guest is possible, it does say:
"... the host can send data to the guest through that interface and receive data from it.
This means that you can set up routing or bridging between the guest and the rest of your network."

Here's IP configuration on my VB guest OpenSolaris svn_117 (address acquired by DHCP):

e1000g0: flags=1004843<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST,DHCP,IPv4> mtu 1500 index 2
inet 9.123.131.98 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 9.123.131.255

It runs on my Windows XP VB host with IP 9.123.131.159. The Windows host can ping/telnet/ssh to OpenSolaris guest just fine.

I have one AIX host on the same network:

en1: flags=5e080863,c0<UP,BROADCAST,NOTRAILERS,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST,GROUPRT,64BIT,CHECKSUM_OFFLOAD(ACTIVE),PSEG,LARGESEND,CHAIN>
inet 9.123.131.192 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 9.123.131.255

OpenSolaris guest can ping/telnet/ssh to AIX just fine.
The problem is AIX cannot ping/telnet/ssh to OpenSolaris VB guest.

Two-way communication between AIX and Windows VB host is also fine.

So what could be wrong with my setup?

Thanks in advance for any help, this has been bothering me for a while now, hours of Internet searching with no solution!

I just did a fresh install of the same VB (3.0.0), with same configuration (bridged networking), and the same VDI image (OpenSolaris snv_117), on a fresh Windows 7 RC box.
I can now access the guest from all hosts on the network!
Oh well, past problem could be the network setting on my WinXP (all the existing company AGN, Bridge, VPN settings), since I don't know much of Windows network stack, I probably can't fix it myself ...

At least now I am sure what Bridged Networking can do for me!