Virtualbox host-guest network setup

Question

How do I set up a network between the Host and the guest OS in Windows vista?

Answer 1

I don't run vista, but virtualbox should do most of the setup for you - all you need to do is assign an IP address, subnet mask, and (optionally) a default gateway to your guest OS, and it should just work.

Don't bother with any of the advanced network settings in the options for the VM - they're useful in some situations, but I've never had to use them, and I've been using virtualbox for some years now.

If you post the specific problem you're having perhaps I can help more. But your question is rather vague...

Answer 2

One way to do that is to set up port forwarding on the host. You can try following the guide.

Answer 3

Just to clarify, are you looking for a way with VirtualBox to have a network of your guest, your host, and nothing else (what VMWare calls a "host-only" network")? I'm looking for that too, and I can't seem to find the answer.

Answer 4

You can do this on a Linux host. I've documented the steps I took in Ubuntu 9.04 here.

Answer 5

Here is a nice tutorial: http://paparadit.blogspot.com/2007/08/virtualbox-windows-xp-guest-in-windows.html

Answer 6

Give the guest two network adapters, one NAT and the other Host-only. The NAT one will allow the guest to see the Internet, and the Host-only one will allow the host to see the guest.

One of them also allows the guest to see the host. I'm not sure which, but I know it works since I've tested web server stuff with it. You just have to choose the right IP address, 10.x.x.x or 192.168.x.x.

Also, you may have to be careful about having File and Printer Sharing running on both adapters at once, since the guest will see its own name and conflict with itself. I ran into this during install.

Answer 7

I've got a better answer than my first one.

Give the guest a single Host-only network adapter, and enable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on the host. I've tried this on a Windows XP host with a Windows XP guest.

The guest can connect to the Internet.

The guest can connect to the host at an address like 192.168.0.1 (chosen by ICS). -- Remember to allow the guest through the host's firewall.

The host can connect to the guest at an address like 192.168.0.22 (assigned by the DHCP service provided by ICS).