Specifications

CHAPTER 7 Networking
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When host-only networking is enabled at the time GSX Server is installed, the network
number to use for the virtual network is automatically selected as an unused private IP
network number. To find out what network is used on a Windows host, choose Host >
Virtual Network Settings and check the subnet number associated with the virtual
network. On a Linux host, run ifconfig in a terminal.
A NAT configuration also uses an unused private network automatically selected
when you install GSX Server. To find out what network is used on a Windows host,
choose Host > Virtual Network Settings and check the subnet number associated
with the virtual network. On a Linux host, run ifconfig in a terminal.
Using DHCP to assign IP addresses is simpler and more automatic than statically
assigning them. Most Windows operating systems, for example, come preconfigured
to use DHCP at boot time, so Windows virtual machines can connect to the network
the first time they are booted, without additional configuration. If you want your
virtual machines to communicate with each other using names instead of IP
addresses, however, you must set up a naming convention, a name server on the
private network, or both. In that case it may be simpler to use static IP addresses.
In general, if you have virtual machines you intend to use frequently or for extended
periods of time, it is probably most convenient to assign them static IP addresses or to
configure the VMware DHCP server to always assign the same IP address to each of
these virtual machines.
Configuring the DHCP Server on a Linux Host
On a Linux host, you configure the host-only DHCP server by editing the DHCP
configuration file for VMnet1 (/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcp/dhcp.conf). To
configure the DHCP server for the NAT network, edit the configuration file for VMnet8
(/etc/vmware/vmnet8/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
Editing the DHCP server configuration file requires information that is best obtained
directly from the DHCP server documentation. Consult the manual pages dhcpd(8)
and dhcpd.conf(8).