VMWare gurus: inter-VM networking on OS X?

[Komiksulo]

Is it possible to run several virtual machines at the same time in OS X and set them up as a network, with IP addresses and all, and then communicate between them?? I'd like to test out a server setup.

If so, can the network of VMs connect to the 'real' network outside the Mac?

 

[Bobbi Flekman]

Yes.

I routinely run 2 XP machines and sometimes others when I need to test things out on other platforms. In Finder I can see all the other "machines" and copy move files and folder to and from. Just remember that all the requirements for normal networking are also applicable here. So ... Same workgroup name, Windows sharing enabled, share discs or folders, etc.

 

[Komiksulo]

Thanks. I was looking around on the VMWare forums and found a clear explanation.

In Bridged mode, the external network is extended by Fusion and each VM can have a static IP address the same as external devices (and your Mac) on your network. (I think that they will accept DHCP addresses as well.)

NAT mode isolates the VM from the external network, so that its IP address space is unrelated to those of the Mac or other external nodes.

Host mode disconnects the VM from the external network completely.

I'm not sure whether multiple VMs in the same Mac running under NAT or Host mode can 'see' each other and are part of their own little network, or what.

A router would make it easier to handle local static IP addresses while presenting only one node to the external network. I'm not certain whether my cable modem have this kind of capability. If using Bridged mode, I might have to set all the VMs to DHCP mode and who knows whether my ISP would allow that many nodes off my modem?

Time to get a router/firewall. Perhaps Time Capsule will do.

 

[Bobbi Flekman]

I am in NAT (I believe*), and I have no problems with it.

*: Let me expand on that. What I mean is that I have a bunch of DVDs with Virtual Machines that I already used with VMware Workstation on Windows. There I am sure that I was using NAT, as I experimented with NAT, Bridged, Host as network configuration. NAT worked best with what I wanted. Under Fusion I never changed anything, just loaded the VMs from DVD to hard disc unset the ReadOnly bits and started up. No problem. Mac saw the VM, VM saw the Mac, VM saw the Hosts shared folders, VM could wander the Internet... As I said, no problem whatsoever. So I think I am in NAT mode.

 

[jonsamson]

Using VMWare Fusion, set to bridged (did not work in NAT), I was able to join the windows "computer" to the server (SBS2003) domain. This is in addition to the Mac computer which is also set to the domain. It shows up on my server as two computers, one is a mac and one is a windows.

Jonathan