If you make use of VirtualBox for your virtual machines — especially servers — you might have come across an issue where the machines on your company network cannot reach the guest platforms. There is a very simple reason for this: the default network. Out of the gate, VirtualBox sets networking to NAT, which translates–pun intended–to a 10.0 network. Unless you setup your network such that your desktop traffic can be routed to the network address translated virtual hosts, your virtual machines cannot be reached. This will not do, when those guest servers need to be used. What should you do?

Fortunately, the VirtualBox developers created a setting that allows you to select the network type to be used for each virtual machine. Through this setting you can select NAT, NAT Network, Bridged Adapter, Internal Network, Host-only Adapter, or Generic Driver. If you’re looking to make your virtual machine visible to your company network you’ll want to select Bridged Adapter. By selecting Bridged Adapter, your guest operating system will work on the same network as does your host. You can then set your virtual machine up with a static IP address and the machines on your network will be able to reach the server. Simple.

VirtualBox makes it pretty easy to deal with networking options. But if you’re not sure where those options are, or what to do with them, you’ll find yourself frustrated when your virtual machine servers cannot be reached. Set that networking option to bridged and you and your virtual machines will be good to go.

Also see: