Outside computer cannot ping NAT guest vm but host and guest can ping each other

[CorvetteFan86]

Hello All,

I am using workstation 7.1.4. So I have my DNS 2008 server (10 network) as the host while my virtual machine 2008 server (WSUS) is hosted on it as NAT(192 network). Both the VM and host can ping each other just fine but when I try to ping from my laptop with windows 7 on the same network as the DNS server (10 network) I get request timed out. I currently have both firewalls turned off on the guest and host. It seems like something to do with NAT? Can someone please help!! Thanks!

[RDPetruska]

That's the point of NAT!  Computers behind a NAT router (whether physical or software, or in this case virtual/software) are hidden from the outside world, while being able to initiate connections themselves.

If you want the virtual machine to appear just like another PC on your network, you need to use Bridged networking mode.

[KevinG]

Page 289 has a nice diagram that may help you understand the NAT network configuration

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/ws71_manual.pdf

[wentwog]

That's the point of NAT!  Computers behind a NAT router (whether physical or software, or in this case virtual/software) are hidden from the outside world, while being able to initiate connections themselves.

I'd say that's not true. Computers behind a NAT router are accessible from the outside world. To make them accessible one should configure port forwarding on a (virtual) NAT router. In VMware Workstation it's done via Edit->Virtual Network Editor->NAT Settings->Port Forwarding : 

You set up a rule so that requests coming at the VM host machine, at port, say, 1111, get routed by virtual NAT adapter/router to virtual machine having IP say 192.168.0.7, on port say 2222. So VMware starts listening on port 1111 of the host machine routing the request to the VM.

(Personally, I have made my behind-NAT-VM accessible from Internet, not only my internal subnet.)