VMware Communities
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

Natted VM are not accessibile

Hi, this is the last issue I've got with Leopard (so much I love it...). This is the time of VmWare. It's 2 days that when I start Leopard my Natted VMs aren't accessible. If I choose to use a bridged connection everything works well, but not natted.

I reinstall VmWare every day and after installing I have no problem. Natted connection works and my VMs are accessible. The day after, Leopard is not able to access these VMs anymore if I use nat. I reinstall VmWare and it works again.

I think that some setting (maybe in the plist file) change after closing VmWare and the next time I open VmWare Leopard refuse to access these VM because of this settings.

Any suggestion to fix this thing? Thanks

Reply
0 Kudos
20 Replies
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

First of all it's VMware not "VmWare" and VMware is a Company so your not installing a company every day! Since you posted under VMware Fusion I'll assume it's Fusion you're having the problem(s) with however there is a lot of ambiguity in your statements so it would be helpful if you could be more explicit and specific about the issue(s) you're encountering.

Have a look at:

Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

The ambiguity comes from my english that isn't perfect due the fact I'm italian. VMware hasn't customers only in countries where people speak english and I cannot pay for a translator.

You don't understand what is my problem? Then, when I load my VM with FUSION I cannot access the VM trough ssh or http because the net is not accessible if I set up a NAT connection.

It works with BRIDGE, but not with NAT. For having a VM which is accessibile via ssh or http or whatever I've to reinstall FUSION every single day. That is not funny and I don't uderstand where and how I can fix it.

I've used a NAT connection until 2 days ago without problems. Now it gives problems.

I hope that is clear now.

Bye

Reply
0 Kudos
mike_laspina
Champion
Champion

Yes a liitle rude.

I do not run MAC however I can at least talk about your problem from a high level.

The bridge service in VMware simply takes packes from the VM an forwards them on the host operating systems Network Card. NAT does things very differently, NAT needs a function to convert the IP and MAC protions of packets from the hosts IP stack to the guests IP stack. It is this service you must focus on. Is it running and configured correctly. Everything else is OK

I hope this will help you.

http://blog.laspina.ca/ vExpert 2009
Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for reply.

I'm sure the problem comes from Leopard. From the 10.5.2 upgrade of Leopard networking has become a nightmare for a lot of unlucky apple customers like me.

Using NAT is like a private network is created between the host system and the guest system.

In the guest system everything works well, no problem with networking, ip are assigned and so on. The host system (Leopard) isn't able to access the guest, like as Leopard isn't part of the private network.

"Network is down" that is what I get if I ping the guest IP.

I'm not able to see any network interface related to vmware in the Osx control panel, neither when working. I can't say that it is the problem, but the guest system has no problem. So it seems that start from Leopard.

I just hope that changing some setting in Fusion will fix it, cause it seems that Apple has decided to rewrite the way networks must works, and it's their way.

Reply
0 Kudos
dp_fusion
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Bonjourno

What you are experiencing is natural and expected for NAT. NAT allows any number of systems to share a single world-visible IP address. Because many systems share this address there is no way to connect back to an individual system behind the NAT. The solution is to select Bridged networking in the virtual machine settings of Fusion. This configures the virtual machine to be a peer of the Mac host, at least so far as networking is concerned.

This has some consequences: The virtual machine must receive a DHCP address from the same source that your Mac receives it's address, or if you use static addresses, then you must assign a static address to your virtual machine, and that address cannot be used anywhere else. There are additional annoying issues. Some DHCP servers will not allow a single machine to request multiple addresses, and so your vm may not be allowed to have an address. If you use a vpn client then both the Mac and the virtual machine will need separate vpn clients running (if you need vpn services from both OS X and the vm). The vm will require, or at least should have it's own firewall - the Mac cannot protect it.

The good news is you will be able to connect to your vm from within your network, and perhaps beyond, depending on your environment.

Reply
0 Kudos
mike_laspina
Champion
Champion

Great explanation dp-fusion.

I would like to add one point.

NAT can forward specific ports back to a VM so as to serve a secured WEB server etc. so there is one way to connect back to a VM.

I don't know if MAC supports it.

http://blog.laspina.ca/ vExpert 2009
Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks all for replies.

I'm a web developer and I use Fusion to run a linux web server as VM. I choose nat and not bridge cause I'm often working around, not always connected to a dhcp, like when I'm travelling by train.

That system - Linux web server <-> Osx - has always worked and still do. The web server is able to connect the internet and to connect to the host system as they were part of the same network.

Osx receive an ip address of the internal network exactly like the linux web server does. It's like Osx have 2 cards. One phisycal with which I connect to the external dhcp and one virtual which receives an ip address from the same virtual dhcp that assign an ip address to the web server.

For better explaination:

Osx cable netowrk interface ip -> 192.168.0.120 (assigned from an external dhcp)

OSx virtual vmware network interface ip -> 192.168.244.1

Linux web server ip -> 192.168.244.129

This way, as you can see, I can connect to the vm also when Osx is not connected to the external dhcp. This works, has always worked and still do after I've reinstalled fusion. Before, it just worked (like my Osx...). I don't know what is happening but from 2 days when I start Fusion, Leopard is not part of the internal network. I reinstall fusion and everything works well again.

It's something with fusion settings, but I don't know where to put my hands, .plist file I suppose, but isn't my speciality to play with system settings.

Reply
0 Kudos
mike_laspina
Champion
Champion

OSx virtual vmware network interface ip -&gt; 192.168.244.1

Linux web server ip -&gt; 192.168.244.129

Are you saying that these adresses can no longer talk to each other when the problem starts?

http://blog.laspina.ca/ vExpert 2009
Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

It seems that the virtual vmware network interface of Osx is not initialized.

Today I have no problem, this is the virtual vmware network interface of Osx:

vmnet8: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500

inet 192.168.244.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.244.255

ether 00:50:56:c0:00:08

And this is the network interface of the web server:

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0C:29:0F:B5:6E

inet addr:192.168.244.129 Bcast:192.168.244.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

inet6 addr: fe80::20c:29ff:fe0f:b56e/64 Scope:Link

UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1

RX packets:305 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0

TX packets:250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0

collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000

RX bytes:32940 (32.1 KiB) TX bytes:122016 (119.1 KiB)

Interrupt:16 Base address:0x2000

As you can see everything is ok. Osx and the web server are in the same "private" network and can talk each other. In the last 3 days I was forced to reinstall fusion to have it working because the Osx virtual interface wasn't created.

Reply
0 Kudos
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

It seems that the virtual vmware network interface of Osx is not initialized.

Today I have no problem, this is the virtual vmware network interface of Osx:

As you can see everything is ok. Osx and the web server are in the same "private" network and can talk each other. In the last 3 days I was forced to reinstall fusion to have it working because the Osx virtual interface wasn't created.

Instead of reinstalling next time just try restarting the VMware Network using the following command in a Terminal (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal) copy and paste then press Enter and enter your password and press Enter:

sudo "/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion/boot.sh" --restart

Then if that works let us know and hopefully someone from VMware will chime in with a solution.

kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks.

I'll do it and let you know if it works.

Reply
0 Kudos
dp_fusion
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I wonder if selecting the Fusion network option "Host-Only" would work for you while you're disconnected. I've not used this myself but it is one more option that allows host/guest communication.

Side note: I spent two weeks traveling all over Italy last summer, including by train, and I don't see how you cannot enjoy the view out the window rather than working on the computer Smiley Happy

Reply
0 Kudos
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

I wonder if selecting the Fusion network option "Host-Only" would work for you while you're disconnected.

While that would technically work it doesn't solve the problem of what's taking down at the least the VMware Network NATed Adapter which was being brought back up by reinstalling which is why we need to see if issuing the restart command on the VMware Network brings communication on the NATed Adapter back without reinstalling Fusion first.

There is not enough information given so far to know if the Host-Only Adapter isn't also being affected by whatever is causing the known loss of communication on the NATed Adapter too. So even if Host-Only was working and was not affected by the current issue the current issue needs to be resolved anyway and my suggestion would be first fix whatever is taking vmnet8 down and go from there.

Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

It works, but nat gives the option to connect also to the internet when the host system is connected to an external dhcp. And it's one setting for all that allow me to don't think about it. When it works....

Side note: I spent two weeks traveling all over Italy last summer, including by train, and I don't see how you cannot enjoy the view out the window rather than working on the computer Smiley Happy

Smiley Happy Just because I live in Milan that has a really awful countryside (only industries...) and also because as italian to survive in this "wonderful" country I've to work like a slave 10-12 hours per day. Saturday included.

I know that all the foreing people are in love with my country but I swear that at least 50% of the italian people want to fly away. It's beautiful for holiday, not for living.

Reply
0 Kudos
dp_fusion
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I wonder if selecting the Fusion network option "Host-Only" would work for you while you're disconnected.

While that would technically work it doesn't solve the problem of what's taking down at the least the VMware Network NATed Adapter which was being brought back up by reinstalling which is why we need to see if issuing the restart command on the VMware Network brings communication on the NATed Adapter back without reinstalling Fusion first.

Of course - it was suggested as a way to get work done on the train now while waiting for a solution to be found for the original issue.

Reply
0 Kudos
mike_laspina
Champion
Champion

I know what you are saying kimurax, I went for a Holiday in Italy this year and drove from Milan to Catania. I would go bankrupt if I had to live there with the 8 hours a day I work now.

http://blog.laspina.ca/ vExpert 2009
Reply
0 Kudos
WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

Of course - it was suggested as a way to get work done on the train now while waiting for a solution to be found for the original issue.

It's a good suggestion and possible work-a-round however I was trying to make two points, one fix what's broken first and the second was vmnet1 may also stop communicating at the same time vmnet8 is and if that's the case Host-Only isn't any better then NATed if a restart of the VMware Network reestablishes communication without a reinstall using either and I suspect that vmnet1 is going down then same time vmnet8 is so finding the fix for how the OP prefers to configure the Virtual Machine's Network is what's key here.

Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

I'm sorry but I'm not able to test what WoodyZ suggested. I've waited 2 days to see if the problem came out again but it seems that from the last re-installation everything has been fixed.

If I'll have the same problem in the future I'll make the test and report the result here.

Thanks all

Reply
0 Kudos
kimurax
Contributor
Contributor

After a long period this issue has came out again.

I've tested WoodyZ's solution he suggested here: http://communities.vmware.com/message/874497

It has worked, so thanks WoodyZ.

If someone have the same problem the solution is to restart Vmware by terminal typing:

sudo "/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion/boot.sh" --restart

Reply
0 Kudos