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I have a server 2003 host and server 2008 guest clean installed with bridged network adapter.
trying to share folders on the network. the server 2008 is visible when searching for network shares unable to login to shared folders. is there additional configuration on the host needed to share folders on the guest?

Since you're using bridged adapter, your guest will appear as any other real computer on the network. There are two ways to have "common" folders; a 'Windows share' and a VirtualBox 'shared folder'. It is not clear from your post which of the two you refer to, but I guess you're talking about a 'Windows share'. If that's the case, check your firewall settings on the host and the guest and search on Windows forums for network sharing issues.

mbjbdc wrote:the server 2008 is visible when searching for network shares unable to login to shared folders.

Mbjbdc, does this mean you are asked to give a username and password when you try to access the 2008 guest's shared folders? I have an idea:

At home I have to give username and password to get my XP laptop to access my Windows 7 tower's shared folders. I have to use the username and password for the account for the Windows 7 tower.

Say my Windows 7 tower is named "coreI5", so I try to get the shared folders by typing "\\coreI5" in the Run window. A username & password window comes up. I must type my username like this:

coreI5\Scott

and my password for the Scott account on the Windows 7 tower. Then the shared folders appear in Explorer and are accessible.

If this is your issue, find out the network name of your 2008 guest, and a username and password for an account on that 2008 guest, then type 2008guestname\username and the password for that 2008 guest user.

is bridged connections right option?

Bridged would probably be the easiest way to get shared folders working, because the host and guest are in the same IP address range.

what ports do I need to open on host for the guest to share folders across the network in a workgroup mode?

still unable to access shared folders on guest.
I can access them on the host but not across the network. any ideas?
I opened ports 139&445 on the host

How would opening ports on the host change how the guest works!

If you are using bridged networking the host will not see any traffic going from the guest to another network machine. When you are using bridged networking the guest behaves like a separate machine on the network. I think it is time for a bit of network analysis. Do an ipconfig on the host and the guest and compare them. They should be identical except for the actual IP address.

all computers are on same network confirmed by ipconfig. the host and guest have static ip
the host is the only computer able to access the shared folders

I'm wondering whether things are really set up as they're thought to be set up. Please post a log, maybe we can see what your setup is
See "Minimum info needed for assistance" viewtopic.php?f=24&t=48476

Also, please let us know the answer to my question above regarding the username and password?