virtualbox.org

I originally posted this question on LinuxQuestions dot org, but this system won't allow me to post urls.

But I think I'm asking the wrong question. But here goes:
Hi, I'm looking for a way to get access to pfSense in VirtualBox. Host is WinXP pro. VirtualBox 4.3.10r93012. pfSense 2.1.1 i386. XP pro has the Resource Kit and (MS) Services for Unix installed.
The host is an HP laptop, and the pfsense addresses are: WAN - on a DHCP, so different every time I connect to a different wifi. (I travel alot). And LAN: 192.168.1.1 - the default. But neither IE nor Firefox will access the webgui of pfSense (FF gives the "Problem loading page" error). So I went to the pfSense site, and read the install page, booted the live CD image, configured from the text menu, then installed (option 99) to the virtual HDD. I've tried setting both network cards to NAT, Bridged, Internal Host Only, in various combinations, and I simply cannot get to the webgui. So I was hoping that I could use an 'ifconfig' like command in VirtualBox (which I couldn't find anything like that in the VB manual) to list addresses, and hopefully that would allow me access. I've searched for Youtube videos and documents elsewhere on how to configure pfSense (in VirtualBox), but so far they all say bascially the same thing, and it makes me wonder why I cannot access the webgui like everyone else. Do I simply need a wired connection for the host and always use the same addresses (in other words, am I asking too much from VirtualBox and pfSense and my constant travelling?) Perhaps I'm asking the wrong question, and I just need to understand all about networks to be able to setup a whole network? You experts, what am I looking for? Thanks.

What I really want to do is be able to use my host browser more securely going through a pfSense OpenVPN guest on the same host laptop. Since I travel almost all of the time, I don't really desire to connect to email unsecurely at this or that cafe, bookstore, or whatever. I know I can buy VPN services, but the initial connection to that is unsecure and controlled by someone else.
Do I first need to create a virtual network in VirtualBox? Do I just need to configure my WinXP host to recognize and automatically log me onto a virtual network that VirtualBox is always connected to? Thanks, I'm trying to learn all this networking/virtual computing stuff.
gentisle

Moved to Linux Guests, as your Windows host is not relevant to the question asked.

If the software in question can be installed in a physical PC then it can usually be installed in a virtual PC. As to network mode, ideally one would bridge the VM to the physical NIC, but bridging to wireless is often iffy. I can't promise that will work.

I don't really understand your reference to XP - I don't see why the VM would care what the host is, or what software it has. However possibly that's because I know little about pfSense.

There isn't what you're looking for, unless you installed the Guest Additions in the guest OS.
Even then, it will only work if you actually got an IP address.

Even before going in the GUI, you should focus making sure you can ping the IP of pfSense from the host before going further. Until you succeed in the ping, you failed to properly configure something, most likely in pfSense.

To all: Thanks for your answers; I've been offline for a while. I have upgraded VirtualBox to 4.3.12r93733 and pfSense to 2.1.3 and for some unexplainable reason, I now have access to the pfSense interface. Now I just have to learn it, but I still think I need to configure some of the networking in Windows to do what I need to do.

To mpack:
My reference to XP w/the resource kit and service for unix was more FYI -- in case there was a program (that you or someone else might know about) in either of those that would help me do what I want to do. Also, the Service for Unix -- I believe I installed one part of it to be case sensitive, and therefore some things are case sensitive as in Linux/Unix/BSD. I didn't know if that would have some affect in guest *nix boxes.

I understand that the software can be installed in a VirtualBox since it's installable on a normal physical box. The software is installed (in a VM), but has been inaccessible up until lately. The problem was that once installed, the 2 NICs each have an address, and the LAN NIC has a default (it slips my mind at the moment). To get to the configuration of said installation, you type in the address of the LAN in your browser, and it should bring up the login screen. However, I WAS (note the past tense, i.e., not the case anymore) not getting this. Not with the default address, not with address I set in the pfSense text interface. Not anyhow.

To noteirak:
So far, all I've read about Guest Additions is that it only works in Windows, Solaris and Linux, and pfSense is FreeBSD. Also, I tried pinging the addresses of both the WAN and LAN cards in the pfSense VM, and neither answered back, however, I can log in via my browser. Go figure? This is one reason I'm thinking that I need to create a new network in Windows that Windows and all the virtual machines will have access to.

gentisle wrote:I tried pinging the addresses of both the WAN and LAN cards in the pfSense VM, and neither answered back, however, I can log in via my browser. Go figure?

pfSense is a firewall, so it sounds to me like the expected behaviour, to block ICMP & others by default, while allowing management port by default.