Host Interface problem, 1.6.6_OSE Debian host.

[tothbela]

Hello!

I'm using the above version of Virtual Box, and I'm trying to create a WinXP guest opsys, but the network does not work:
i can ping anything, but thats about it, every other kind of connection fails from WinXP.

I have altered the /etc/network/interfaces file:

#Virtual box interface
auto br0
iface br0 inet dhcp
bridge_ports eth0
bridge_fd 2.5

I have edited the /etc/vbox/interfaces file:
vbox0 tothbela br0

ifconfig shows br0 and eth0 have the same ip adresses.
ipconfig shows i have an uniq ip in the virtual XP.

(And of course I have configured Virtual Box for Host Interface with vbox0 as device.)

Any suggestions?

(Switching to an alternative version is not possible: the one in the Debian Lenny repository must be used.)

[Sasquatch]

Could you elaborate why an alternative cannot be used?

You have to give some more Host config information, like NIC brand (Realtek, Broadcom, Intel). Also your entire interfaces file with how you have the physical NIC and the bridge configured (physical must NOT have any config set). Guest IP information and DNS servers.

[tothbela]

Thanks for your reply.

Mainly because I want to maintain a 100% Debian Lenny configuration, without any .deb packages added from external sources.
If everything fails, I'll be forced to renounce that policy, but not until the current failure is proved to be a bug/incompatibility.

The guest xp would be used as a development aid with MS SQL server, etc. so it has to be seen as a separate machine on the LAN.

Host:

$lspci | grep -i ethernet
04:00.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM5787M Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express (rev 02)

$uname -a
Linux xxxx 2.6.26-2-686 #1 SMP Wed Aug 19 06:06:52 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux

$cat /etc/network/interfaces
# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0

# The primary network interface
#--Removed because of bridged connection.
#allow-hotplug eth0
#iface eth0 inet dhcp

iface wlan0 inet dhcp

#Virtual box interface
auto br0
iface br0 inet dhcp
bridge_ports eth0
bridge_fd 2.5

$cat /etc/vbox/interfaces
# Linux static host networking interface configuration
#
# <interface> <user> <bridge>
vbox0 tothbela br0


Guest internal info:
Windows XP Professional SP3
ipconfig /all
I'll add it here later, I'm on wlan0 now, and I don't except that to work the same.

[Sasquatch]

The old bridged method with Host Interfaces won't work with wireless, limitation in the bridge-utils software.

For the interfaces file, add the vbox0 interface to the bridged_ports. In 'the old days', I've written several posts with the Host Interface configuration. If you search for my username, plus Host Interface on Google, you should find the posts you need.

[tothbela]

I know, that's why I'm not trying it now, only wlan here.
I have already tried to add eth0 to the bridge_ports, I took it out after some post (can't find again, google delivered it) mentioned it should not be added, but I'll try it again as soon as I get to wired network.
Searching Sasquatch Host Interface gave little to work with, it only revealed I have already read some of your post before posting here, but I'll try harder after I get wired net.

[tothbela]

Ok, I have done what you suggested. Results:
I was able to active the Xp.
I'm able to browse via iexplorer, and firefox.

Ping does not work: host->guest, guest->host, neither.
WinSCP does not work from guest->host.

As far as I went with testing, nothing except browsing works.

Host ifconfig:

br0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1e:37:d9:46:1f
inet addr:157.181.164.224 Bcast:157.181.164.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::21efed9:461f/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:14264 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:4591 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:4571160 (4.3 MiB) TX bytes:729055 (711.9 KiB)

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:1e:37:d9:46:1f
inet addr:157.181.164.224 Bcast:157.181.164.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::21efed9:461f/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:88673 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:46735 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:102980220 (98.2 MiB) TX bytes:3758308 (3.5 MiB)
Interrupt:18

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:506 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:506 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:75125 (73.3 KiB) TX bytes:75125 (73.3 KiB)

vbox0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:ff:08:433f
inet6 addr: fe80::2ff:8ff:fe43:cd3f/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:41302 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:75586 errors:0 dropped:7682 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:500
RX bytes:2779771 (2.6 MiB) TX bytes:98052787 (93.5 MiB)

vbox0:avahi Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:ff:08:433f
inet addr:169.254.6.72 Bcast:169.254.255.255 Mask:255.255.0.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

wlan0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:21:5c:50:f0:cd
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:10103 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2650 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:3268107 (3.1 MiB) TX bytes:426064 (416.0 KiB)

wlan0:avahi Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:21:5c:50:f0:cd
inet addr:169.254.9.139 Bcast:169.254.255.255 Mask:255.255.0.0
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

wmaster0 Link encap:UNSPEC HWaddr 00-21-5C-50-F0-CD-6C-6F-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)


On the guest, ipconfig /all reveals nothing, it has an ip unique, as in not showing up in host ifconfig.

Any suggestions?

[Sasquatch]

It would've helped if you posted the ipconfig /all output too.

Anyway, your /etc/network/interfaces file should look something like my config in the following topic: http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=11535
That has my working configuration for the Host. Change 'static' to 'dhcp' and remove the 'address' and 'netmask' lines if you don't use static addresses. I find it really strange that you still had br0 and eth0 with an IP address, while I stated you don't need it, and it shouldn't get one.

[tothbela]

It would've helped if you posted the ipconfig /all output too.

Copy paste does not work between host and guest, reculant to type that much.

Anyway, your /etc/network/interfaces file should look something like my config in the following topic: viewtopic.php?t=11535
That has my working configuration for the Host. Change 'static' to 'dhcp' and remove the 'address' and 'netmask' lines if you don't use static addresses. I find it really strange that you still had br0 and eth0 with an IP address, while I stated you don't need it, and it shouldn't get one.

What do you mean static to dhcp, I fail to see the "static" word in the interfaces file.
Address and netmask lines belong to the loopback device, afaik that does not interfere with the current problem.

Did you mean this config:

Code: Select all

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
address 127.0.0.1
netmask 255.0.0.0

auto br0
iface br0 inet static
   bridge_maxwait 0
   bridge_ports eth0 vbox0
   address 192.168.0.1
   netmask 255.255.255.0

iface eth0 inet manual

iface vbox0 inet manual

Because this does not solve the problem, and obviously does not work if the host is to receive ip by dhcp.
My host has dynamic ip, as you have probably deduced by now.

[tothbela]

Originally I used the instructions found here: http://wiki.debian.org/VirtualBox

[Sasquatch]

Did you read the topic I linked to? That has my config which you have to change to fit your situation. I used static, you need DHCP.