How Do I Obtain Network Connectivity Between Two Virtual Machines ???

[HJLBX]

• Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
• Default Windows Firewall on Host and in each Virtual Machine
• VMWare Workstation Pro 12.5.5
• Virtual Machine 1 (VM1)
• Virtual Machine 2 (VM2)

Goal:  Install a Server on VM1, install a Client on VM2, and have the Client on VM2 connect with the Server on VM1

I am using the default network configuration created by VMWare when creating a virtual machine (NAT); both VM1 and VM2 are default NAT

Ping is disabled in Windows Firewall, so that is not a useful test of network connectivity between VM1 and VM2

That being said... I do not understand why below is possible if Ping Echo Request is disabled by default in Windows Firewall:

VM1 <- ping -> Host   OK

VM2 <- ping -> Host   OK

* * * * *

I tried a couple of things to test if VM1 <- network connectivity -> VM2 was working as I expected it to based upon the VMWare documentation

I tried TotuSoft's LAN Speed Lite:

A.  Install on VM1

B.  Enter the IP address of VM2 in LAN Speed Lite

C.  Begin Test

D.  Test fails as LAN Speed Lite cannot detect VM2 (IP address) on the network

I tried Windows Remote Desktop Manager (it's allowed by default in Windows Firewall so it should be a good test tool to establish VM1 <- network connectivity -> VM2):

A.  Configure VM2 to allow Windows Remote Desktop Manager

B.  Launch Windows Remote Desktop Manager on VM1

C.  Windows Remote Desktop Manager cannot detect the system name of Windows installed in VM2 on the network

I tried Server-Client:

A.  Install Server on VM1

B.  Install Client on VM2

C.  Client on VM2 cannot connect to the Server installed on VM1

Why is networking between VM1 and VM2 not functioning as I expect it to ?

I have been at this for days now...

[RDPetruska]

If you require NAT, and you want connectivity INTO a VM behind a NAT router (which the VMnet8 switch is, essentially), you need to setup port forwarding to that guest VM.  Is there any reason you don't want to use Bridged mode for these VMs - it should vastly simplify the networking setup (each VM will be seen as just another physical PC on your network)?

[HJLBX]

1.  The reason for wanting to use NAT or Host-Only is that it is to setup a test environment for pen-testing a security software against samples.

     I am trying to validate the protections and thought VMWare would be the easiest and safest way to achieve this goal.

2.  I only know the networking basics - hence my difficulty in sorting this out.

3.  I must be misunderstanding when I read online that "To allow communication between individual VMs, set them to the same networking mode in

     VMWare."

4.  I suppose there is no possibility of VM-into-VM networking using Host-Only ?

[gimmely]

What OS are your guests?

Regardless, you certainly can disable firewall on your guests to make network traffic go through.  In this way, you leave the firewall feature to your host or router, which should be fine.  If you don't feel secured, you'll have to go through all firewall rules to make a decision on each one, which you may have to ask a network admin/engineer for help and is not VMware-specific.

About your description of server/client communication between VM1 and VM2, I suppose you mean that as a particular client/server application.  Then, you'll need to find out/confirm if this particular application should require static IP(s) or even rely on a domain/DNS, which should determine what VM1 and VM2 should be configured.

You may want to take a reference here: Assistance needed with understanding how I get internet on my vm with a domain controller .

[HJLBX]

1.  Windows 10

2.  Even if I completely disabled Windows Firewall using default NAT on both VM1 and VM2, none of the tests that I have performed will pass.

      For example, Remote Desktop Connection returns "The remote computer is not available on the network" with both VM firewalls disabled.

      So no inter-VM networking between VM1 and VM2 is possible - no matter what I have tried.  According to others, all I needed to do was to use

      the same type of networking for VM1 and VM2 and it would work as expected.

3.   I am getting replies, but no specific "How-Tos" - and I don't have access to a network engineer.

4.  Lots of users online report these same issues, but not finding any concrete answers as to how to solve this issue.

5.  When I purchased VMWare Workstation Pro, I was assured that VM-to-VM networking was possible and straight-forward.

[gimmely]

... none of the tests that I have performed will pass ...

What tests were these?

For example, Remote Desktop Connection returns "The remote computer is not available on the network" with both VM firewalls disabled.

I can see remote desktop connection is one, if not the only, test.  Then, have you checked references like the following, because remote desktop connection is not (only) firewall?

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/setup-use-remote-desktop-windows-10/

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/instantanswers/ff521c86-2803-4bc0-a5da-7df445788eb9/how-to-use-r...

I have to admit that I have not verified if any of these should make remote desktop connection work for me or anyone, because I don't have that problem or need (yet).  In another word, again. a lot of these basic functions depend on many different things, but are hardly specific or related to VMware.

I am getting replies, but no specific "How-Tos" - and I don't have access to a network engineer.

This shouldn't be a surprise, because almost all the people here are about VMware.

Lots of users online report these same issues, but not finding any concrete answers as to how to solve this issue.

This is also no surprise because not everyone is doing things in the same way and there're circumstantial factors too.

I was assured that VM-to-VM networking was possible and straight-forward.

I believe what you were assured is true.  Look at it in this way, again: if you'd made two Windows 10 physical machines work in the same way as you'd expect these two VMs, you'd be able to repeat the same procedure on the two VMs.

Please don't get me wrong as I completely understand your frustration and am not here to rebut everything you said.  I believe you'll make it work eventually, if you can be a little more "specific" in your analysis and think outside VMware.

[RDPetruska]

"4.  I suppose there is no possibility of VM-into-VM networking using Host-Only ?"

If you do not need or want internet connectivity into or out of these guests, then the most straightforward network type would be a "Guest-Only" connection.  Choose Custom, and select one of the unused VMnet hubs (2-7, 9). Just make sure to use the same for each of the guests.  Note that you will have to manually configure the IP address and subnet mask in each Windows 10 guest - there will not be any DHCP server for them.

[HJLBX]

I know absolutely nothing networking.  Nothing...

So what information is needed ?

[HJLBX]

I tried Host-Only, it did not work.  Then again I did not set static IP address.  As I've said repeatedly I know nothing about networking.

How does one set a static IP address using VMWare\virtual machines ?

[RDPetruska]

Not host-only.  Guest-only.  I described above exactly how to configure such.

"How does one set a static IP address using VMWare\virtual machines ?"

Exactly the same as one sets it in any physical machine.

[HJLBX]

"Exactly the same as one sets it in any physical machine."

I guess you didn't read my earlier posts that I know absolutely nothing about networking and need step-by-step "How-To" guide.

How do you set it on a physical machine ?

[RDPetruska]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+configure+static+ip+on+windows+10&oq=How+to+configure+static+...

Google is your friend...

Basically, trying to point out that what you are asking has nothing specifically to do with VMware, but just typical networking.  So read/search and treat it as such so you can learn it.