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Common Networking Configurations

VMware GSX Server provides virtual networking components that let you create a wide range of configurations. The following types of networking are the most common for virtual machines:

• Bridged networking. If your host computer is on an Ethernet network, this is often the easiest way to give your virtual machine access to that network. With bridged networking, the virtual machine appears as an additional computer on the same physical Ethernet network as the host. A virtual machine with bridged networking may transparently use any of the services available on the network to which it is bridged, including: file servers, printers, gateways and so on. Likewise, any physical host or other virtual machine configured with bridged networking can use resources of that virtual machine. >>More information
• Bridged and host-only networking. On Linux hosts, you can select both bridged and host-only networking. If you chose to install Samba (host-only networking) when you installed VMware GSX Server or if you already had Samba configured appropriately on your host the guest operating system can share files with the host using the facilities of the host-only network.
• Host-only networking. A type of network connection where the virtual machine is connected to the host operating system on a virtual private network, which normally is not visible outside the host. Multiple virtual machines configured with host-only networking on the same host are on the same network. >>More information
• Network Address Translation (NAT). If you want to connect to the Internet or other TCP/IP network using the host computer's dial-up networking connection and you are not able to give your virtual machine an IP address on the external network, this is often the easiest way to give your virtual machine access to that network. The virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external network. Instead, a separate private network is set up on the host computer. The virtual machine obtains an address on that network from the VMware virtual DHCP server. >>More information
• No networking. The virtual machine is run in isolation and cannot communicate with the host operating system or any other virtual machine running on the host. This option is useful if you desire complete isolation for testing or security purposes. To set up your virtual machine in this way, simply do not install a virtual Ethernet adapter when configuring the virtual machine.

Related links:

• How networking appears on the host
• How networking appears on a guest operating system
• Components of a virtual network
• Adding a virtual Ethernet adapter to a virtual machine
• Setting up NAT networking
• Setting up bridged networking
• Setting up host-only networking
• Assigning an IP address to a virtual machine
• Connecting to an external network using a proxy server
• Connecting to a Token Ring network

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