Member Avatar for shandow

hey guy, i got a project which need to perform in two server, 1 is host server and another is client server. So my SV asked me to performe it into two different VM.

I using VM player now and 1 of the VM is window XP and another 1 is window 7. i tried to connect each other by Host-only and static IP address, but unfortunate, i cant ping each other IP address, it showed request time out.

Im new in networking and also VM, any one got idea what trouble i met now or have any tutorial, information, reference can share with me?

  • 6 Contributors
  • 7 Replies
  • 419 Views
  • 1 Week Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by suley04

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical checklist that addresses the common causes seen in this thread (references: , , , , ):

Host-only vs Bridged (clarified)

  • Host-only creates a private virtual LAN on the host (all guests attached to the same host-only network can talk to each other and to the host). Bridged puts a VM directly onto the physical LAN. For a simple two-VM client/server test on one machine, host-only is fine — provided both VMs are actually attached to the same host-only network. Bridged is needed only when the VMs must be visible to other physical machines on the real network.

Quick setup and a basic test

  1. In each VM settings make sure the Network Adapter is set to the same mode (Host-only OR Bridged) and that "Connected/Connect at power on" is checked.
  2. Assign static IPs on the same subnet (example): 192.168.50.10/24 and 192.168.50.11/24. No gateway required for an isolated host-only test.
  3. Inside each guest verify addresses and test:
ipconfig /all
ping 192.168.50.11

Troubleshooting checklist (most common causes)

  • Confirm both guests are on the same virtual network type (one host-only + one bridged is a frequent mistake).
  • Check Windows Firewall on XP/7: ICMP (ping) is often blocked by default. Temporarily disable the firewall to test, then add an inbound rule for "File and Printer Sharing / Echo Request" before re-enabling.
  • Verify the guest NIC shows "Media connected" and that VMware Tools is installed for proper drivers.
  • If using Bridged over Wi‑Fi, some wireless adapters or APs prevent proper bridging of guest MAC addresses — try bridging to a wired NIC or use host-only for an isolated lab.
  • If more control is needed over VMnet assignments, use the Virtual Network Editor (Workstation provides it; Player can use an extracted vmnetcfg.exe).

For a quick, reliable lab: attach both VMs to Host-only, set static IPs in the same /24 network, disable the guest firewalls for the test, confirm ping, then open only the required service ports and re-enable firewalls.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for rubberman

What virtual machine manager are you using? And are you using a nat'ed or a bridged network configuration for the virtual machines?

Member Avatar for shandow

im using VM player, my SV asked me to use Host-Only to make the connection, but some how, he dint teach me how to make it, just ask me explore myself, i have no idea with it after i tried google it a period of time, any idea ?

Member Avatar for JorgeM

Host-only networking provides a network connection between the virtual machine and the host computer, using a virtual Ethernet adapter that is visible to the host operating system. This approach can be useful if you need to set up an isolated virtual network. This is not the type of network connection you want to configure if you want connectivity between two VMs. This is for a VM and the host system. Depending on the version of VMWare, the configuration is slighly different. I would suggest you visit VMWare's site and download the guide for the version you are running.

Here is an example of an article for an older version of VMWare that talks about the differences between the types of adapter settings.

Member Avatar for scudzilla

Well, you could assign each VM to its own ethernet adapter interface in the host OS, and bridge them to simulate a connection.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

True and good point. it would require a bit more experience with network design and general understanding of the vm application.

Member Avatar for maniat123

If you are setting up a complex test network using virtual machines, you may want to have two independent host-only networks with a router between them.

Member Avatar for suley04

Hi,

You need to use a Brigded Connection between VMs, you can select this option during the setup phase of the VM, at the time when you select how much RAM you want it to use, how many cores you want it to use, etc.

Hope that helps.
suley04

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.