How can I setup a Ubuntu virtualbox on win 2003 and access it from the internet?

Question

How can I setup a Ubuntu virtualbox on win 2003 and access it from the internet? I'm new to the virtual concept ( and networking ) and I can't connect to my virtual Ubuntu machine from the internet.

I have 2 network cards in the host server and I have been trying to give the virtual Ubuntu machine access to the second network card and use that with no luck. What I need is a push in the right direction. I have tried to set up a bridge network but I don't know if I config the ip on the windows server or in the Ubuntu machine. I can give the second network card it's know public ip if I need.

Answer 1

First things first, a virtual machine should behave just like a physical machine. If you have not already, set up a network card within Virtual Box and it should be made available to the virtual machine.

Next, it is up to you how to proceed. If you choose NAT/shared, this is the worst option for most scenarios. To any machine on your network, they will need to communicate to the IP of the host machine running virtualbox and you will need to use the configuration utility in order to forward ports to the guest.

The est solution you can choose is Bridged networking. This will basically split your network card and will look like a independent physical machine to anything else on the network. You simply need to go to the router and forward port 80 (or whatever services you want) to the IP address of the guest. You can see the IP through IFCONFIG or other tools, but at the end of the day, once set up, you treat it like a physical machine.

If I have not been clear or you want more details on anything, let me know.