Sharing Network Connections

B

bhandy

Bit poster
I currently work for a company which does not support VPN functionality for Macs. Therefore, I must start up Parallels, and then use the Windows system in Parallels to do all of my work when I connect remotely.

Is there some mechanism where I can setup my virtual machine to be the dominant connection to the internet and have my Mac's internet requests go through my virtual machine's "bridged" connection? This way, I could start up parallels in coherence mode, connect to my VPN, and then use Mac apps to do the rest of my work.

If this currently isn't feasible, is there a possibility this functionality could be included in a future release of Parallels?
 
This is not typical task, it is not simple.

If you are using Windows XP Pro as a Guest OS you can share its Internet VPN connection with other network. The other network in this case is a network between your Mac and Parallels VM, for example, Host-only network. You can force Mac send all packets through this connection using Parallels Host-Guest network adapter. You need to add second virtual network adapter to your VM. The first you should use in Bridged mode (or Shared, if is possible) for Internet VPN connection, the second - in Host-only mode for Host-Guest network between your Mac and Parallels Windows XP VM. Only the second virtual network connection you should use inside your WinXP VM for sharing with Internet VPN.
 
What's Next

Once I get the new virtual adapter setup, do I just share that connection to force all of the Mac's packets through the virtual machine? Or, is there something else I need to do on the Mac to force the packets through the virtual machine?
 
bhandy said:
Once I get the new virtual adapter setup, do I just share that connection to force all of the Mac's packets through the virtual machine? Or, is there something else I need to do on the Mac to force the packets through the virtual machine?
Click to expand...

No, it's not so simple.

Please, try the next:

1) Add new virtual network adapter in Windows VM as "Host-only Networking"
2) Run the virtual machine, open VPN connection properties and enable in "Advanced" tab the "Internet Connection Sharing" and select Host-only network adapter as "Home networking connection:"
3) In Mac OS X select "System Preferences"->"Network", select "Parallels Host-Guest" network port and press "Configure..."
4) In "Configure IPv4" select "Manually", set 192.168.0.2 as "IP address", 255.255.255.0 as "Subnet Mask", 192.168.0.1 as "Router" and DNS server IP address as "DNS Servers". Click "Apply Now" finally
5) Make sure that you have no "Router" field enabled in any other network port. If you have it then switch DHCP configuration or the whole the network port in off state for forcing Mac OS X to use 192.168.0.1 as default router
6) Establish VPN connection in Windows guest

NOTE:
If the 192.168.0.0/24 IP network is used in your environment you should set any other free IP addresses at step 4) and change the IP address of Host-only network adapter in Windows AFTER step 2).
 
5) Make sure that you have no "Router" field enabled in any other network port. If you have it then switch DHCP configuration or the whole the network port in off state for forcing Mac OS X to use 192.168.0.1 as default router
6) Establish VPN connection in Windows guest
Click to expand...

I didn't have to remove the "Router" configuration for any other network adapter. In Leopard, I just had to reorder the network adapter services in the Network settings. I placed both Parallels adapters in front of my wireless adapter. After starting the VM, I was able to connect to the internet with both machines. (It was really pretty sweet.)

When I establish a VPN connection to my corporate network, it's not a VPN connection configured in Windows. I have to log into a specified access site. Once I login, the site starts up a process which allows my machine to access machines within the corporate network. The problem is that the network traffic from my Mac through the virtual machine is not going through the virtual adapter. So, I'll have to see if my networking group will help me with this. (fat chance of this happening.)
 
Mac can't see Windows VPN Connection

I found this old thread and am trying to do exactly the same thing.

I have followed all the steps in the post, but still cannot forward the packets from the Mac to the Windows VM Host Only network adapter. I can ping 192.168.0.1 from the Mac side before a Cisco VPN connection, but after connecting, it fails.

In detail:

1. Added new virtual network adapter in XP Pro VM as "Host-Only Networking"

2. In XP Pro VM, right clicked properties of Cisco Systems VPN Adapter (in Network Connections) enabled ICS and selected the above Host-Only Network Adapter.

3. This adapter (Parallels Ethernet Adpt #3) now has
Manually Configured
IP 192.168.0.1
SN 255.255.255.0
GW none listed(?)

4. From Parallels tool bar in lower right-hand corner, selected the other adapter and set to: Bridged Networking/Ethernet

5. Right Clicked Status of this Bridged Network adapter (Parallels Ethernet Adpt #2) and noted settings
DHCP
IP 192.168.1.4
SN 255.255.255.0
DG 192.168.1.1

Over to the Mac side in Network Control Panel:
Ethernet
Manually
IP 192.168.1.2
SN 255.255.255.0
GW -blank-
DNS 192.168.1.1
•Note: setting this to Manual was the only way I could blank out the Router field

Parallals Adapter Host-Only
Manually
IP 192.168.0.2
SN 255.255.255.0
GW 192.168.0.1
DNS 192.168.0.1

Parallels Adapter Shared
Manually
10.211.55.2
SN 255.255.255.0
GW 192.168.1.1
DNS 192.168.1.1
*Note that when I left this at DHCP, I had no internet connection in XP, so I put in the IP of my router so that (Parallels Ethernet Adpt #2) could "see" my router.

So with this configuration I have internet in XP and can ping ICS router (192.168.0.1). I have no internet on Mac side, but can ping ICS router (192.168.0.1). As soon as I connect to VPN I lose this ping. How can you test that the Mac packets are being forced over to XP VM?
 
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