Virtual Networking 101: Understanding VMware Networking

May 30, 2012By Petra Jorgenson On a basic, structural level, virtual networks in VMware aren’t that different from physical networks; vSphere is designed to mimic the functions of a physical network, so a lot of the network hardware you’ll find in the real world, you’ll find virtualized in VMware. If you understand how physical networks operate, then understanding virtual networking shouldn’t be too difficult. Before jumping into an explanation of how VMware handles virtual networking, I’ll first provide a quick refresher of the basic equipment that makes up a physical network. If you already have a firm understanding of how networking works, then you can skip the following paragraph. To connect to a network, a computer must be network-capable, meaning that it must have a working network interface controller (NIC), also known as a network card or network adapter, installed. In VMware, switches are used to establish a connection between the virtual network and the physical network.

Understanding Virtual Networking in VMware Workstation 9 Introduction In my opinion, VMware Workstation is the premier and ideal platform for virtualizing desktops on your local Windows or Linux laptop or desktop computer. This is because Workstation offers the most maturity and functionality out of any of the desktop-based hypervisors. Workstation has a strong snapshot manager, the greatest list of supported guest operating systems, remote virtual machine management/control with the new WSX (see my article – Managing VMware Workstation VMs Remotely with WSX), connectivity to vSphere in the datacenter for VM management and import/export and, finally, the most mature virtual networking. What I’ll be focusing on in this article is how virtual networking works in VMware Workstation and what’s new related to virtual networking in Workstation version 9. Introduction to Virtual Networking in VMware Workstation It’s the virtual network, as created by VMware Workstation, which connects your virtual machines to the physical network. Additional notes:

Configuring a Virtual Network Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next The first topics in this section give you a quick look at the virtual networking components that VMware Workstation provides and show how you can use them with your virtual machine. The rest of the section provides more detail on some networking capabilities and specialized configurations. IBM SDN for Virtual Environments,KVM and VMware Editions - Overview Virtualize networks without changing the physical networking infrastructureAutomate network provisioningDeliver new network and security services using software service chainsDeploy applications more quicklyLogically separate virtual networks for multi-tenancyIntegrate with cloud-based solutions through the OpenStack Neutron plug-in Data center networks today need to be adaptive and responsive while supporting a huge growth in data, thousands of devices attaching to their network, and the mobility of an increasing number of users. Leading edge data centers are moving toward a software defined model where compute, storage, and network resources are provisioned at the request of applications and guided by orchestration managers. IBM is focusing on developing technologies that will help clients build a Software Defined Environment (SDE) that optimizes their IT infrastructure and increases automation. IBM SDN for Virtual Environments can help clients: Product features Software summary

VMWare Interfaces Tutorial | RedNectar's Blog If you are new to VMWare and the concept of Virtual Machines, or even if you have been working with them for a while but don’t quite understand how the Virtual Machine accesses the network through your host machine, then this article is for you. If you want to take it one step further, and start using virtual devices (such as the virtual interfaces in GNS3) in your virtual machine, I’ll take you there too in a future article. If you just want the bare-bones, then this article should do the trick. Assumptions But let’s begin with the basics. I will assume that you have installed some version of VMWare for this article – and in particular VMWare Player and that your host machine is a WindowsPC of some vintage. I’ll also assume you understand the concept of a Host Machine (that’s your PC) and a Guest Operating System (that’s the OS that’s running on your Virtual Machine). Your Host PC When you installed VWMare Player, your Host PC gained two virtual interfaces. Next, look at VMWare Player.

Changing the Networking Configuration Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums Prev Contents Last Next Changing the Networking Configuration Using the Virtual Machine Control Panel (Edit > Virtual Machine Settings), you can add virtual Ethernet adapters to your virtual machine and change the configuration of existing adapters. Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters To add a new virtual Ethernet adapter, follow these steps. Be sure the virtual machine to which you want to add the adapter is powered off. To change the configuration of an existing virtual network adapter, follow these steps. Open the Virtual Machine Control Panel (Edit > Virtual Machine Settings). You can view and change the settings for bridged networking on your host. You can decide which network adapters on your host to use for bridged networking. Open a VMware Workstation window. In the DHCP settings dialog box, you can change the range of IP addresses provided by the DHCP server on a particular virtual network. Windows NT Hosts