Change Network Settings When Virtual Machine is on – Sun VirtualBox

As you can change network adapter and connection type when virtual machine is on in VMware workstation, sun VirtualBox also supports this feature.  Now sun VirtualBox allows changing network adapter and connection types setting when virtual machine is powered on. This is one of new main feature in VirtualBox 3.1.0

Sun VirtualBox 3.1.0 supports this feature. Earlier versions of VirtualBox did not allow changing virtual machine’s network settings when it’s powered on. The option is completely disabled. When you try to change network option in earlier version, it will bring the following screen where nothing can be done.

In above screen (old version), you can only select or deselect network adapter on virtual machine when it’s on. It will not bring any properties screen.

Network options can be changed easily when virtual machine is on by following screen in VirtualBox 3.1.0

Network type can be changed by clicking drop down mark in ‘Attached to’. Also, connecting and disconnecting virtual network cable also can be done in this screen.

To get above network change option from working virtual machine, right click on network icon on console as shown below.

Explanation for each network type as on VirtualBox help

Not attached

In this mode, VirtualBox reports to the guest that a network card is present, but that there is no connection — as if no Ethernet cable was plugged into the card. This way it is possible to “pull” the virtual Ethernet cable and disrupt the connection, which can be useful to inform a guest operating system that no network connection is available and enforce a reconfiguration.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

If all you want is to browse the Web, download files and view e-mail inside the guest, then this default mode should be sufficient for you, and you can safely skip the rest of this section. Please note that the ping utility does not work over NAT, and that there are certain limitations when using Windows file sharing

Bridged networking

This is for more advanced networking needs such as network simulations and running servers in a guest. When enabled, VirtualBox sets up an additional, software-based network interface on the host to which the virtual machine is connected.

Internal networking

This can be used to create a different kind of software-based network which is visible to selected virtual machines, but not to applications running on the host or to the outside world.

Host-only networking

This can be used to create a network containing the host and a set of virtual machines, without the need for the host’s physical network interface. Instead, a virtual network interface (similar to a loopback interface) is created on the host, providing connectivity among virtual machines and the host.

Unfortunately, adding another network adapter when virtual machine is powered on is not supported in sun VirtualBox 3.1 which is supported in VMware workstation.

So, with this new network feature in VirtualBox 3.1.0 you can change network and adapter option in virtual machine without powering off the machine.

Read more about new feature in virtualbox 3.1.0 – Branched Snapshots