Internet is not available on all VMs after upgrade to 17.5 !!!

[DmitryBond]

While I was used Workstation 16.5 - all worked perfectly. On all VMs internet was available (all my VMs using VMNet8).

But just after I upgraded to Workstation 17.5 - internet is no longer available ON ALL VMs! So, Windows 2003, 2012, 2022 and Ubuntu - all VMs lost internet connectivity.

I found some recommendations about it, tried different methods - nothing helped.

Then I tried to uninstall and install Workstation 17.5 again - it did help but only for some time. So, about for ~4 hours it worked fine (this is interval when I checked it). All VMs got internet access again. But then internet access lost again and nothing helps again! 😞

I do not want to uninstall+install Workstation 17.5 3rd time to resolve this problem!

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?! Why you released a product with such critical issue?!?

[louyo]

This is a user to user forum, we did not create/release the product. If you just want to rant, so be it, you have my sympathy.

If you want help troubleshooting, provide some details beyond "Internet is not available" and folks will try to help. 17.5 has never done that to me so it I doubt that it is basic failing for all of us. 

[DmitryBond]

Ah, sorry. I thought it is a kind of a "product forum"...

Details are simple: from any of my VMs I can ping host machine, can ping a router in local network, but Windows reports "no internet" and all attempts to ping any site in the internet fail with "unknown host"/"Ping request could not find host" error. 

I just checked one more thing - it seems only DNS is not working from all VMs! 
If I ping a site from host PC and then copy its resolved IP to VM and ping by IP from VM - it works.
So, looks like that is a problem with DNS only.

And the strange thing - this happens on all VMs just after updated to 17.5.

Also as I mentioned - when I uninstall/install VmWare on host - that helps only for some time, then the problem returns back again. 😕

PS. I tried to disable firewalls on host PC and on VMs - did not help... 😞

Also - Windows troubleshooters cannot help, they report "cannot solve problem".

VmWare Tools - already updated on all VMs - that also did not help.

[louyo]

What do they show for DNS server?

Are you using a VPN service?

What happens if, for test purposes, you use 8.8.8.8 for DNS server?

[DmitryBond]

Here is a piece from "ipconfig /all":

Ethernet adapter Ethernet0:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : localdomain
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) 82574L Gigabit Network Connection
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-29-98-51-C5
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::71ce:29a3:3b00:b492%12(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.18.128(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : 31 January 2024 14:01:23
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : 31 January 2024 14:31:22
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.18.2
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.18.254
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 301993001
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-22-15-4A-6E-00-0C-29-98-51-C5
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.18.2
Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 192.168.18.2
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Note: 192.168.18.2 - is gateway for VMNnet8(NAT) network adapter on host PC.

I tried to update it to be like this:

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.173.254
8.8.8.8

(192.168.173.254 is my local router - it is pingable from VM, 8.8.8.8 - also pingable from VM)

I tried the same nslookup command from host and from VM:

nslookup -debug -type=A+AAAA -nosearch -recurse ukr.net 8.8.8.8 > ns.txt

From host it works. From VM it tells:

DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
timeout (2 secs)
Server: UnKnown
Address: 8.8.8.8

DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
timeout (2 secs)
DNS request timed out.
timeout was 2 seconds.
timeout (2 secs)

[DmitryBond · Accepted solution]

Hm... very strange thing...

I clicked: in VmWare UI -> menu -> Edit -> Virtual Network Editor... -> [Change Settings] -> select VMNet8 -> [NET Settings] -> [DNS Settings]... Then uncheck "Auto detect available DNS servers" -> [OK], click [DNS Settings] again -> checkmark "Auto detect available DNS servers" -> [OK]... 

Now internet works fine on VMs!... I even reset network on VM back to default settings (when all params to set "auto") and restarted VM - all still works fine...

Weird. I not changed anything. I only re-checked checkbox... 

Need to wait and see - if problem may return back with a time...

[louyo]

Not sure why it would have changed,  I always use static DNS server addresses and very rarely use DHCP  for IP addresses. There are public DNS servers if you don't like using Google (8.8.8.8). I typically use the DNS server of my Internet provider. 

At least you are back on line.

[DhairyaT]

@DmitryBond Please confirm whether the Virtual Network Adapter for the VMs is configured as NAT or Bridged

[DmitryBond]

It is NAT - that was specified in discussion - "VMNnet8(NAT)".

Please see a screenshot:

[indyrhett · Accepted solution]

My team has been having the same problem. Once a day we have to restart the "VMWare NAT Service" on the host to regain internet access. Only way I know how to fix. Hoping for a VMWare patch soon that will fix this.

[DhairyaT]

@DmitryBond Ticket has been raised internally, relevant team will look into the same.

[Sam2555]

This bug also happens on my computer recently, but I using bridging network. For me, it works after I change VMnet0 "Bridge to" from "Auto" to current physical machine's network adapter. After I chang it back to "Auto". it still works.

P.S. Only new create VM affected, the exist vms are all work withou any problem.

[claudiot]

Same problem here, same "solution": I'm keeping the services.msc window open on the host, and every now and then I have to restart the VMWare NAT service. Networking works again for the guests immediatly after that, and then stops again after some hours. Quite annoying.

[dhandalian]

I have the same problem since upgrading.

Symptom: DNS cannot resolve.

> ex: ping "google.com" ==> get error "ping: google.com: Temporary failure in name solution"

> ex: ping "8.8.8.8" ==> works fine.

> ex: cannot browse (no connection)

Same issue in multiple VM's (all Unix).

Used VMware 16 for multiple years, never had this problem.  Just upgraded from 16.2.5 directly to 17.5.1.

Env: VMware Workstation 17 Pro (17.5.1 build-23298084).  Windows 11 Pro version 23H2 (64 G RAM, plenty of disc space). 

DmitryBond's solution worked great - ONCE.  https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Workstation-Pro/Internet-is-not-available-on-all-VMs-after-...

Since then, nothing has worked.  Some of the things I've tried:

-DmitryBond's solution (multiple times)

-switching to static DNS server address

-Microsoft's services.msc solution (posted by claudiot).

-uninstalling and reinstalling VMWare 17.5.1 (about half dozen times now) (including, once, creating a whole new Ubuntu 22)

-uninstalling, then installing (downgrade) VMWare 17.0.2

-uninstalling, then installing (downgrade) VMWare 16.2.5 (which used to work fine)

Would love any ideas folks have.  Thanks!

[DmitryBond]

Here in discussion above the working solution was listed already. I'm also using it.

Just need to restart "VMware NAT Service" service every time VMs lost internet connection.

So, I'm starting Services at morning and then restarting "VMware NAT Service" service when VM cannot connect to internet.

[dhandalian]

Thank you, Dmitry, for taking the time to post.   What I'm saying is that your solution worked exactly once for me.  Since then, my problem persists but your solution no longer works.  I lost internet, and I've gone through your steps (and many more), but I do not have internet back.

[indyrhett]

DhairyaT,

Any word from the dev team? I have to restart NATservices once a day. This has been going on ever since 17.5. I have tried all other solutions presented here.

Thanks,

Rhett

[dhandalian]

Rhett -- what method do you use to restart NAT services? 

[indyrhett]

I just stop/start "VMWare NAT Service" and it's instantly up and running again. Just seems to crash about once per day.

[DhairyaT]

@DmitryBond @indyrhett Please try clean installation of WS Version 17.5.1 using below steps and update here-

1) Uninstall WS Pro.
2) Go to this location - C:\ProgramData\VMware and delete the folders for VMware Workstation and VMware Player.
3) Go to this location - C:\Users\dtomar\AppData\Roaming\VMware and delete all the files inside
4) Go to this location - C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware and delete the folders for VMware Workstation and VMware Player.
5) Install WS Pro