how to config "host only" network on winxp host to winxp guest @VirtualBox?

[somjit{}]

my host is XP sp2 , and virtual box guest is XP SP3. i want to access the guest from the host. I read and felt that a host-only network is what i want.( ill be using it to use database loaded on guest from the host). i googled it , but found no windows-windows solution... any help please?

[JorgeM]

i googled it , but found no windows-windows solution.

Not sure what you mean by Windows-Windows solution. When you assigned this guest to the "Host-Only" network, did you validate network connectivity, at least by opening a command prompt from the host and PING'ing the guest VM?

Another alternative if you want to make this guest VM visible to other hosts on your LAN is to "Bridged Adapter". This will place the guest VM basically on the same interface as your Host's NIC.

[CimmerianX]

With a Virtual box 'host only' interface assigned to the Guest VM, you would receive an IP address from the HOST ONLY ADAPTER that you configured in virtual box on the HOst OS. To Check this, Open up Virtual Box, Goto FILE -> PREFERENCES -> NETWORK. Do you have a Host-only adapater listed here? If you don't, you need to create one. When you do, you can pick the subnet and DHCP server options. With that, when you boot a VM with host only adapter, it will dhcp from the settings you just defined.

[somjit{}]

@JorgeM : i did try it , but got a request timeout. i dont need anything for multiple hosts.. just one host. and by windows-windows solution i meant windows host - windows guest solution.

@cimmerianX : it does have a host only adapter listed there... but im not sure what to do further as pinging from host to guest from cmd @ host is giving request timeout.

[CimmerianX]

So in that Adapter page, there is a tab for DHCP. Make sure the settings here are correct.

If everything worked, the guest OS gets an IP address from this pool. The Host OS also has a host only adapter with an address int he same range. Use IPCONFIG from a command prompt to check IPs.

IF they have IPs in the same range, PING the IP of the other host.

[somjit{}]

DHCP is configured it seems , it has ip , mask n everything. also , ping seems to on the ipv4 address obtained from the adapter page of Virtual Box, but the ip i get from ipconfig on the guest cmd , pinging that from the host results in request time out. is this normal? i dont understand why this is like so..

from the basic networking classes , i think i remember the dhcp being pinged first , and then it provides a dynamic ip from its pool. i thought i try pinging the dhcp server , but it didnt do anything. also pinging my (host) ip from the guest showed destination not reachable , so that i suppose is because the adapter is "host only" and allows host-to-guest link , not the other way round? is that so?

[CimmerianX]

It should be 2 way traffic.

[somjit{}]

hmm.. then somethings not right.

[JorgeM]

pinging that from the host results in request time out

Before you worry about anything else, you have to focus on getting the network connectivity functioning correctly. If you are going to use the host-only adapter, you need to make sure that the adapater actually exists on your host (you will see it in the Network Connections appplet. When you configure the guest VM and choose Host-only for the virtual NIC, once you bring it online, you can assign that guest a static IP/mask that is compatible with the host-only subnet and you should be able to ping that adapter from the guest.

[somjit{}]

you need to make sure that the adapater actually exists on your host (you will see it in the Network Connections appplet.

on my host's network connections window , it seems to be there , well and connected... im sorry i didnt get the part you said after that...