> I need to setup a lab environment with the following requisites:
>
> - Internal AD domain
> - Internal DHCP server
> - External connectivity using NAT (the internal network should be
> isolated)
>
> I haven't found a way to do this using Virtual Server or Virtual PC, while
> it was really easy to achieve using VMWare products. Please help if you
> can.
>
> 1) I can't use Virtual PC's "shared networking" feature, because it comes
> with a built-in DHCP server which conflicts with the internal one.
> 2) I can't do it at all using Virtual Server, as it doesn't even have NAT
> capabilities.
> 3) Someone suggested installing a loopback adapter on the host and
> enabling Internet Connection Sharing on it; ok, but then ICS will enable
> its own DHCP server too, effectively creating the same situation as #1.
>
> Possible solutions I've come up with:
>
> - Add a second network adapter on the host, add a VM connected to both the
> internat network and the external one and install a firewall in the VM
> (RRAS, ISA Server, etc.).
> - Install Windows Server 2003 on the host, add a loopback adapter and use
> RRAS instead of ICS to share the external connection.
>
> Both solutions are quite cumberstome and not applicable in my case (the
> host is my own client computer and it only has a single network adapter).
>
> Or, of course, there's the easiest solution of all: use VMWare.
>
> I'm really, REALLY, *REALLY* trying to get used to Virtual PC/Virtual
> Server, but I'm always finding something that VMWare does a lot better...
> I can't believe I can't do a simple NAT in 2009 when VMWare has been doing
> it for YEARS!
>
>
> Massimo
>

>I need to setup a lab environment with the following requisites:
>
>- Internal AD domain
>- Internal DHCP server
>- External connectivity using NAT (the internal network should be isolated)
>
>I haven't found a way to do this using Virtual Server or Virtual PC, while
>it was really easy to achieve using VMWare products. Please help if you can.
>
>1) I can't use Virtual PC's "shared networking" feature, because it comes
>with a built-in DHCP server which conflicts with the internal one.
>2) I can't do it at all using Virtual Server, as it doesn't even have NAT
>capabilities.
>3) Someone suggested installing a loopback adapter on the host and enabling
>Internet Connection Sharing on it; ok, but then ICS will enable its own DHCP
>server too, effectively creating the same situation as #1.
>Possible solutions I've come up with:
>
>- Add a second network adapter on the host, add a VM connected to both the
>internat network and the external one and install a firewall in the VM
>(RRAS, ISA Server, etc.).
>- Install Windows Server 2003 on the host, add a loopback adapter and use
>RRAS instead of ICS to share the external connection.
>Both solutions are quite cumberstome and not applicable in my case (the host
>is my own client computer and it only has a single network adapter).
>Or, of course, there's the easiest solution of all: use VMWare.
>
>I'm really, REALLY, *REALLY* trying to get used to Virtual PC/Virtual
>Server, but I'm always finding something that VMWare does a lot better... I
>can't believe I can't do a simple NAT in 2009 when VMWare has been doing it
>for YEARS!
>

> So why don't you stick with VMWare then???

> There are several ways to do this. The simplest is to create a vm that
> will be used as a gateway to the external world. You can install whatever
> OS you want in this vm. It will need two (possibly virtual, possibly
> physical) network adapters. The OS will have to be capable of being a DHCP
> server and a router. I usually use a Windows server OS or an open source
> solution like Untangle for this.

> 3) Create a virtual machine for routing with *two* network adapters.

> If you are running a server OS on the host you can use RRAS as a NAT
> router between the physical and virtual networks. If you are running on a
> client OS, ICS is not really suitable for running a domain on the virtuals
> because it cannot be configured. Ditto for the Shared Networking (NAT)
> built into VPC.

> "Bo Berglund" <(email address - cut out)> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>
>> 3) Create a virtual machine for routing with *two* network adapters.
>
> Yes, that's also what I had in mind (I don't know why I was talking about
> a second network adapter on the host, that was actually useless).
> But when memory is scarce, running a full VM only to get some routing is
> really a waste...
>
>
> Massimo
>

> "Kerry Brown" <kerry@kdbNOSPAMsys-tems.c*a*m> ha scritto nel messaggio
> news:(email address - cut out)...
>
>> There are several ways to do this. The simplest is to create a vm that
>> will be used as a gateway to the external world. You can install whatever
>> OS you want in this vm. It will need two (possibly virtual, possibly
>> physical) network adapters. The OS will have to be capable of being a
>> DHCP server and a router. I usually use a Windows server OS or an open
>> source solution like Untangle for this.
>
> Yes, I did the same in many test labs where I had to put good firewall
> capabilities in (using ISA Server).
> But for a simple setup where you only need Internet connectivity, an
> integrated NAT is simpler *and* it also saves a VM, which is good when you
> have to run a full SCCM test lab...
>
>
> Massimo
>

> So give one of the servers in the test lab two NICs then install DHCP and
> RRAS. Neither take a lot of resources and if it's a test lab I wouldn't
> worry too much about running multiple roles on a server. Even if you use a
> separate vm you only need about 512 MB to run a 2003 server with those
> roles, less if you use Linux.