XP Host and XP Guest on Domain

[mpack]

If I setup the virtual machine to use Host-Only the guest and the host CANNOT talk to each other. Both can see the static IP address I set the Host-Only Network to in the host machine

You keep doing these extra steps I don't understand the purpose of. I didn't even know it was possible (never had occasion to find out), but "Host only" is a physically separate network, so why are you overriding the host network address??

[Sasquatch]

Thanks....

Additionally.....

If I setup the virtual machine to use Host-Only the guest and the host CANNOT talk to each other. Both can see the static IP address I set the Host-Only Network to in the host machine, but the guest and the host are unable to communicate.

When I set the Host-Only network to obtain a IP address it comes back with a 192.168.56.101 address ?!? This address is not on our domain, we have a 192.168.17.1/255.255.255.0 addresses. would this address be coming from VB?

How do I setup the Host-Only so that the communication works between guest and host machine. I will worry about internet access later, I really only need the host and guest machines to talk and at present the only way I have managed this was with a bridged connection.

You fail to understand the differences in the two types. With Host-Only, you create a separate network for only those machines you hook it up to. If you set two different networks with the same IP range, and one of them has a gateway set for that range, it will never be able to access the other machine, because it tries to go through the default gateway, not look at the other side of the 'cable'. Keep it on DHCP for the VM.

[mess]

Its most likely I am doing something wrong. So, to recap my goal here is to get my host and guest to talk to each other, whilst not upsetting the domain DHCP and I am using my domains username to login to the guest machine.

Thanks for the reply Sasquatch...

I have setup the host-only adapter as you suggested and seperated the two networks. I now have the host and guest talking over a 192.168.56.0/255.255.255.0 network.

However, just one question, I did have a setup similiar to this originally, but I changed it to bridged adapter because the 192.168.56.0 address was broadcasting over the domains DHCP. I just need to understand that the guest and host are the only two machines on that 192.168.56 network and if any new PC's join the domain (192.168.17) then they will not be trying to connect to the virtual box DHCP. I dont have any adapters bridged in this setup. This in theory should be what I require?

[Sasquatch]

The Host-Only adapter does not broadcast it's IP's over the network, except through the Host-Only adapter. Maybe you bridged that with your physical NIC, which would explain the broadcast.

[mess]

Thanks Sasquatch,

I have VBox running presently and havent heard anything from the IT department regarding the domains DHCP. I think you hit the nail on the head there, I did have the Host-Only adapter bridged to my physical NIC. I thought this was necessary for the virtual machine to gain access to the Domain controller to validate my domain account etc.

Currently I have the just the Host-Only adapter and the guest machine DHCP to the Host-Only adapter. Then I have the physical host NIC on its own, no bridging between the two which effectively is giving me two separate networks.

I guess I was trying to make something that was quite simple a lot more complex than it needed to be and the bridging between my physical NIC and the HOST-ONLY adapter was causing the Vbox DHCP to be broadcast over the entire domain network. Interesting point to note was that any new machines accessing the network connected to my Vbox DHCP broadcast rather than the Domain DHCP broadcast.

Thanks again for all the help.