VMware, Domain Controllers, and Networking Oh My!

I am running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise. I have VMware running to emulate
2 more servers. A child domain controller and an Application Server. This is
for a project demonstration, but the trick is, I need to have this "virtual
network" operate without being connected to an actual network (PC's network
card has nothing plugged into it).

Here is the problem I am running into:

I have my physical server configured.
I have VMware installed.
I created my 2 virtual servers.
I created all static IP addresses.
I tried making one of the virtual servers the child domain controller, but
it says that it failed to contact the domain name.
I tried making the other virtual server just a member of the domain and I
receive the same message.
I can not ping my physical server from either one of virtual servers.
DNS is installed on the physical server, but it seems that with no network
connection, it can't ping out or in.

Any ideas? Or is this idea a complete flop and I have no chance of making
this work? Thank you in advance. Any help or ideas will be greatly
appreciated.

=?Utf-8?B?UGhpbCBCdXp6ZXR0ZQ==?=
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:8F371A9A-2419-4C29-BCF3-(E-Mail Removed):

> I am running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise. I have VMware running to
> emulate 2 more servers. A child domain controller and an Application
> Server. This is for a project demonstration, but the trick is, I need
> to have this "virtual network" operate without being connected to an
> actual network (PC's network card has nothing plugged into it).
>
> Here is the problem I am running into:
>
> I have my physical server configured.
> I have VMware installed.
> I created my 2 virtual servers.
> I created all static IP addresses.
> I tried making one of the virtual servers the child domain controller,
> but it says that it failed to contact the domain name.
> I tried making the other virtual server just a member of the domain
> and I receive the same message.
> I can not ping my physical server from either one of virtual servers.
> DNS is installed on the physical server, but it seems that with no
> network connection, it can't ping out or in.
>
> Any ideas? Or is this idea a complete flop and I have no chance of
> making this work? Thank you in advance. Any help or ideas will be
> greatly appreciated.
>

When you installed VMware it should have created 2 additional virtual
NICs, usually VMnet1 and VMnet8. One of them is for NAT the other is the
'Host Only' adapter.

To allow your config to work without a physical network, you should use
the host only virtual nic. The VMs and the guests will be able to
communicate with each other but only in your virtual world. Using the
NAT nic would also work and give you the option of actually connecting to
the real world when you do have a physical network connection. You can
create other virtual NICs; assuming you're using VMWare Workstation,
Edit, Virtual Network Settings... is where you would do that.

HTH,

Wayne Tilton

Does VMware not support an internal (virtual) network? I use this feature
with Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 to accomplish the same thing.

Wat version of vmware do you use? Vmware Workstation and ESX does support an
virtual network.

"NooB Won Kenobi" wrote:

> Does VMware not support an internal (virtual) network? I use this feature
> with Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 to accomplish the same thing.
>

I have to try the way that Wayne recommended, but I am using VMware
Workstation to answer your question.

"Dennis van Leur" wrote:

> Wat version of vmware do you use? Vmware Workstation and ESX does support an
> virtual network.
>
> "NooB Won Kenobi" wrote:
>
> > Does VMware not support an internal (virtual) network? I use this feature
> > with Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 to accomplish the same thing.
> >

Edit the Virtual Machine's Ethernet settings to HOST ONLY on all machines on
the virtual network.

"Wayne Tilton" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xns99017DC681E8DNWDCLMIT@207.46.248.16...
> =?Utf-8?B?UGhpbCBCdXp6ZXR0ZQ==?=
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> news:8F371A9A-2419-4C29-BCF3-(E-Mail Removed):
>
>> I am running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise. I have VMware running to
>> emulate 2 more servers. A child domain controller and an Application
>> Server. This is for a project demonstration, but the trick is, I need
>> to have this "virtual network" operate without being connected to an
>> actual network (PC's network card has nothing plugged into it).
>>
>> Here is the problem I am running into:
>>
>> I have my physical server configured.
>> I have VMware installed.
>> I created my 2 virtual servers.
>> I created all static IP addresses.
>> I tried making one of the virtual servers the child domain controller,
>> but it says that it failed to contact the domain name.
>> I tried making the other virtual server just a member of the domain
>> and I receive the same message.
>> I can not ping my physical server from either one of virtual servers.
>> DNS is installed on the physical server, but it seems that with no
>> network connection, it can't ping out or in.
>>
>> Any ideas? Or is this idea a complete flop and I have no chance of
>> making this work? Thank you in advance. Any help or ideas will be
>> greatly appreciated.
>>
>
> When you installed VMware it should have created 2 additional virtual
> NICs, usually VMnet1 and VMnet8. One of them is for NAT the other is the
> 'Host Only' adapter.
>
> To allow your config to work without a physical network, you should use
> the host only virtual nic. The VMs and the guests will be able to
> communicate with each other but only in your virtual world. Using the
> NAT nic would also work and give you the option of actually connecting to
> the real world when you do have a physical network connection. You can
> create other virtual NICs; assuming you're using VMWare Workstation,
> Edit, Virtual Network Settings... is where you would do that.
>
> HTH,
>
> Wayne Tilton