Host-Guest No Network Access

[nowsheik]

Hello Forum,

I have been using Virtualbox to setup a demo network and have come across this issue that Host and Guest not able to communicate using Virtual Host Only Network Adapter.

Some of the background regarding setup is as below
1. Windows 7 Ultimate acting as a Host
2. Installed Windows Server 2003 EE as a guest O/S in Virtualbox
3. Configured Guest (Win2003) as Domain Controller and DNS
4. Configured Static IP's for Guest and Host

When i try to join the Domain getting below Error
"An attempt to resolve the DNS name of a domain controller in the domain being joined has failed. Please verify this client is configured to reach a DNS server....."

And getting "Request timed out." when i ping either ways i.e from guest to host vice verse.

Appreciate any help in solving the problem

Thanks,
Nowsheik

[BillG]

That is to be expected unless you have reconfigured the DNS setting on the host. In a domain environment, all domain members must use the local DNS (ie the DNS which has the AD records), and the host is unlikely to do that.

Why did you promote the guest to a DC?

[nowsheik]

Hi Bill,

Since my host runs on a Client O/S Win7, i have installed Win2003 as a guest and i promoted it to DC.
I see no issues with guest being a DC and i have DNS configured on the same guest VM.

There seems to be a issue with "Virtual host-only network adapter" and am unable to resolve it, looks like a MAC issue.
Please help out if anyone has insight on this!

Thanks,
Nowshad

[scottgus1]

We have an SBS guest as DC for our network just fine, too. But you should not and may really not be able to properly join the host PC to the guest domain.

In Windows domains the client wishing to join has to reboot (in my experience - it may have changed since XP and 2003). But if the client is hosting the domain controller as a guest, then the domain controller must be shut down while the client is rebooting and trying to join the domain, and the DC isn't running yet.

And the DC and clients need to pass info back and forth every so often. If the DC doesn't get run for a while, the time limit for the validity of that data may expire, then the client can't log on, can't get past the Ctrl-Alt-Del screen. So you need to log in to start the DC guest, but can't because the client can't find the DC to update its info, becasue the DC isn't running, because you have to log into the client to start the DC. One of those "I'm my own grandfather" time paradox things...