Network configuration in virtual PC 2007.

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Seaspray - 26 Feb 2008 21:34 GMT

Host OS is Win XP on a gateway laptop. I wish to create the following
virtual scenario to test windows distribution through WDS. Will virtual PC
2007 be able to support the following setup:

First guest: win2k3 w/sp2 with WDS, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP. Two
Network interfaces: Nic1 gets IP from local area network (via laptop nic).
Nic2 connects to a virtual internal network only and provides DHCP, DNS, etc
to virtual internal network.

Second guest: winXP. Nic connects to virtual internal network only.
Second guest must be able to boot to network (PXE compliant) to be able to
test downloading boot/image from WDS service on first guest. The boot image
will be running Windows PE 2.0 from the WAIK or boot.wim from vista.

I guess it boils down to: 1. can I have an internal and external network?
2. Can a host connect to both? 3. can a host boot to network?

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Bill Grant - 26 Feb 2008 23:15 GMT

Yes you can do that, but it isn't a good idea. Not because of anything to
do with virtual machines, but simply because it is a bad idea to have a
multihomed DC (unless you are running SBS, which is designed to work like
that.).

It would be better to run the DC with only one NIC in the private
virtual network.

If you want the host to be in the same network as the guests, you could
install a Microsoft Loopback Adapter in the host and use the virtual network
linked to that for your guests. I personally like to keep the host out of
the picture. I would run the vms on the internal virtual network (Local Only
in VPC). Then the domain machines and particularly the DHCP server are
isolated from host and its physical network.

And no, there is no way the host could boot from the vm. The host must
be up and running before you can start VPC.

> Host OS is Win XP on a gateway laptop. I wish to create the following
> virtual scenario to test windows distribution through WDS. Will virtual
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> network?
> 2. Can a host connect to both? 3. can a host boot to network?

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Seaspray - 26 Feb 2008 23:22 GMT

Found part of the answers after reading a post just prior to mine wanting to
do 2 vpc with internet sharing, so it seems... yes to the first and second.
I have one question left open: Can you boot the guest virtual machine with a
network boot? i.e. press F12 for network boot.

> Host OS is Win XP on a gateway laptop. I wish to create the following
> virtual scenario to test windows distribution through WDS. Will virtual PC
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> I guess it boils down to: 1. can I have an internal and external network?
> 2. Can a host connect to both? 3. can a host boot to network?

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