Sharing an Internet connection through a virtual PC

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Ok,

Been tinkering with my VMs today, and I can't figure this one out, or even if it is possible so any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have a 2003 server which is set up as a DC.
I also want this server to be configured as a DHCP server eventually, so that it assigns IP's to my VM clients.

What I'd like to do is to have the server as the sole point of connection to the internet for my virtual network, so that if a client wants to gain access to the net it has to go through my server.

Now, I currently have a network adapter in the VM which is set to use NAT and gain access to the web through the Host. This works fine, however the address is dynamically assigned. I want to give the server a static address, it being my DC.

What I thought about doing was installing a second adapter set to local only which would serve as the LAN connection and have the other one NAT'ed as the Internet connection. I was then going to run ICS on the NAT'ed adapter, but this again changes the IP Address to 192.168.0.1 which also happen to be the IP Address of my Cable Modem, which kind of confuses the host OS I think.

Anyone got any ideas as to what I need to be setting my adapters to inorder for what I want to do to work?

 

Naa, not really. As this is in a virtual lab it would only be very low volumes of traffic going through the link. Prob only be a single client and a member server connected.

 

The thing with ICS is that is is really only designed for a few computers to use it, and when it is set up it automatically assigns the IP address already mentioned, it also sets up a very simple form of DHCP, to which you have no controll over.

Changing It's IP Address basicaly breaks the connection sharing!

I'm thinking that I may have to delve into Routing and Remote access to achieve what I want to do.

Why on earth do I have such bright ideas that seem good at the time!

 

Simon you can change the default 192.168.0.x IP scheme that ICS hands out. It is the default but it can be changed to anything you desire. You de admin, make it so

 

Okay here is a link...

How to Change the IP Range for the ICS DHCP Service

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;230148

 

Thanks for that Blue.

May well be worth a try.

The only thing though is I would like to put a DHCP server somewhere in the little network somewhere, rather than the one that ICS hands out.

ahh, never mind, its only a dhcp server, I can live without it in my little lab set up. Will try the link and let you know how it goes.

 

Strange, the registry key:
Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\ICSharing\Settings\General
doesn't appear to be there on my system?



EDIT: Ahh, just noticed this:

:hhhmmm :hhhmmm :hhhmmm

 

I've seen suggestions on the net that the hack which worked for Win9x doesn't work for XP - and that there is no way of doing it on XP.

I have no idea if this is correct.

[EDIT] Further searches suggest that it *can* be done, but the DHCP server goes away.
http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/WinXP/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/2004-06/19682.html

Harry.

 

Anyway, if you are setting up a domain, with local DNS etc, it is not recommended to use ICS. ICS will break the local DNS name resolution process. You should be thinking about using *NAT* instead.

ICS is really only for sharing an Internet connection between two or three workstations.

 

Yeah, I didn't realise that when I was first thinking about it.

I think that I've realised that I need to go down the route of RRAS / NAT.

Found this from the MS News Groups

 

Use RRAS. It is fairly simple to setup. Good practice too.