SBS with virtual server

I have a question regarding a VMWare Virtual Server that is installed on an
SBSR2 Std. I have installed the VMWare Server properly and imported the
virtual machine that I intend to use. The machine starts up fine but I have
an idea about SBS users should be able to connect to the VMWare Server
network interface. Since the SBS is situated at a server hotel, there are two
NICs in it. On of the NICs are connected to the server hotel Internet
connection and is configured as a "Direct Broadband Connection" in the
Internet Connecitivity settings for the SBS. The other NIC is just present in
order for the server to at all accept a direct connection to the Internet,
and hence activating the built in firewall in the SBS.

When connecting with VPN to the SBS I acquire IP adresses from the RAS
Server but the built in DHCP server doesn't seem to work under the conditions
specified above. Is there something terribly wrong about this setup? When
activating the settings for VPN connectivity in the RAS-console to use DHCP
to assign IP adresses to remote clients, the remote clients do get connected,
but they do not get any IP adresses.

I reckon that if one could get the VPN clients to acquire IP information
from a built in DHCP server in the SBS, why shouldn't this be possible for
the virtual server as well? And, for what is more, could this possibly make
it a possibility for the two to communicate?

Any input is mostly appreciated.

Steve
Tue Jul 15 04:24:30 PDT 2008

Richard Johansson, Parnasso wrote:

>I have a question regarding a VMWare Virtual Server that is installed on an
>SBSR2 Std. I have installed the VMWare Server properly and imported the
>virtual machine that I intend to use. The machine starts up fine but I have
>an idea about SBS users should be able to connect to the VMWare Server
>network interface. Since the SBS is situated at a server hotel, there are
>two
>NICs in it. On of the NICs are connected to the server hotel Internet
>connection and is configured as a "Direct Broadband Connection" in the
>Internet Connecitivity settings for the SBS. The other NIC is just present
>in
>order for the server to at all accept a direct connection to the Internet,
>and hence activating the built in firewall in the SBS.
>
>When connecting with VPN to the SBS I acquire IP adresses from the RAS
>Server but the built in DHCP server doesn't seem to work under the
>conditions
>specified above. Is there something terribly wrong about this setup? When
>activating the settings for VPN connectivity in the RAS-console to use DHCP
>to assign IP adresses to remote clients, the remote clients do get
>connected,
>but they do not get any IP adresses.
>
>I reckon that if one could get the VPN clients to acquire IP information
>from a built in DHCP server in the SBS, why shouldn't this be possible for
>the virtual server as well? And, for what is more, could this possibly make
>it a possibility for the two to communicate?

If the VMWare guest is configured to use the internal nic (ie bridged to
the internal nic), it should be seen as an internal client and receive an
IP from DHCP as normal. The only wrinkle I can see is that your internal
nic isn't connected at all, and that _might_ be confusing SBS or VMWare or
both.

If it doesn't work that way, then I'd probably reallocate the SBS internal
network to use the VMWare VMNet1 adapter instead, and bind the guest to
that network in VMWare (after disabling VMWare DHCP for that network).

--
Steve Foster [SBS MVP]
---------------------------------------
MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.

RichardJohanssonParnasso
Sat Jul 26 12:22:01 PDT 2008

Hi again!
I read the response to my question from Steve and consider that this
solution, to reallocate the SBS internal network to the VMNet1 adapter
instead, seems like a feasible solution. The problem now is how?

I can remember that there is a way of doing it through the guides in SBS,
but as this restarts many of the services that I need to be doing the
reconfiguration through a remote connection, then this is not a solution that
I would want to use. Are there any other means or is the guide the only way
to do this? I feel quite insecure about where to moddle with the changes, and
would very much appreciate some help.

Thank again Steve!

"Steve Foster [SBS MVP]" wrote:

> Richard Johansson, Parnasso wrote:
>
> >I have a question regarding a VMWare Virtual Server that is installed on an
> >SBSR2 Std. I have installed the VMWare Server properly and imported the
> >virtual machine that I intend to use. The machine starts up fine but I have
> >an idea about SBS users should be able to connect to the VMWare Server
> >network interface. Since the SBS is situated at a server hotel, there are
> >two
> >NICs in it. On of the NICs are connected to the server hotel Internet
> >connection and is configured as a "Direct Broadband Connection" in the
> >Internet Connecitivity settings for the SBS. The other NIC is just present
> >in
> >order for the server to at all accept a direct connection to the Internet,
> >and hence activating the built in firewall in the SBS.
> >
> >When connecting with VPN to the SBS I acquire IP adresses from the RAS
> >Server but the built in DHCP server doesn't seem to work under the
> >conditions
> >specified above. Is there something terribly wrong about this setup? When
> >activating the settings for VPN connectivity in the RAS-console to use DHCP
> >to assign IP adresses to remote clients, the remote clients do get
> >connected,
> >but they do not get any IP adresses.
> >
> >I reckon that if one could get the VPN clients to acquire IP information
> >from a built in DHCP server in the SBS, why shouldn't this be possible for
> >the virtual server as well? And, for what is more, could this possibly make
> >it a possibility for the two to communicate?
>
> If the VMWare guest is configured to use the internal nic (ie bridged to
> the internal nic), it should be seen as an internal client and receive an
> IP from DHCP as normal. The only wrinkle I can see is that your internal
> nic isn't connected at all, and that _might_ be confusing SBS or VMWare or
> both.
>
> If it doesn't work that way, then I'd probably reallocate the SBS internal
> network to use the VMWare VMNet1 adapter instead, and bind the guest to
> that network in VMWare (after disabling VMWare DHCP for that network).
>
> --
> Steve Foster [SBS MVP]
> ---------------------------------------
> MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.
>

Steve
Mon Jul 28 05:52:16 PDT 2008

Richard Johansson, Parnasso wrote:

>Hi again!
>I read the response to my question from Steve and consider that this
>solution, to reallocate the SBS internal network to the VMNet1 adapter
>instead, seems like a feasible solution. The problem now is how?

Well, that was my _second_ choice - *if* bridging the VM to the internal
nic didn't work.

>I can remember that there is a way of doing it through the guides in SBS,
>but as this restarts many of the services that I need to be doing the
>reconfiguration through a remote connection, then this is not a solution
>that
>I would want to use. Are there any other means or is the guide the only way
>to do this? I feel quite insecure about where to moddle with the changes,
>and
>would very much appreciate some help.

The CEICW would take care of this. Since you won't be making any change to
the external side, I wouldn't expect to have a problem doing this via a
direct RDP. I would have a contingency plan with the hosting company in
place just in case though! (they should be able to bring up a console view
of your server)

--
Steve Foster [SBS MVP]
---------------------------------------
MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.

RichardJohanssonParnasso
Mon Jul 28 06:06:01 PDT 2008

Hi again!
All the direct RDP connection possibilites have been eliminated due to
security restrictions. Instead I have been using RAS/PPTP authentication and
then been using RDP across the VPN connection. This solution will stop
working however, when running the CEICW.

Is an onsite console view the optimum solution you think?

Thanks again!

"Steve Foster [SBS MVP]" wrote:

> Richard Johansson, Parnasso wrote:
>
> >Hi again!
> >I read the response to my question from Steve and consider that this
> >solution, to reallocate the SBS internal network to the VMNet1 adapter
> >instead, seems like a feasible solution. The problem now is how?
>
> Well, that was my _second_ choice - *if* bridging the VM to the internal
> nic didn't work.
>
> >I can remember that there is a way of doing it through the guides in SBS,
> >but as this restarts many of the services that I need to be doing the
> >reconfiguration through a remote connection, then this is not a solution
> >that
> >I would want to use. Are there any other means or is the guide the only way
> >to do this? I feel quite insecure about where to moddle with the changes,
> >and
> >would very much appreciate some help.
>
> The CEICW would take care of this. Since you won't be making any change to
> the external side, I wouldn't expect to have a problem doing this via a
> direct RDP. I would have a contingency plan with the hosting company in
> place just in case though! (they should be able to bring up a console view
> of your server)
>
> --
> Steve Foster [SBS MVP]
> ---------------------------------------
> MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.
>

Steve
Tue Jul 29 05:44:35 PDT 2008

Richard Johansson, Parnasso wrote:

>Hi again!
>All the direct RDP connection possibilites have been eliminated due to
>security restrictions. Instead I have been using RAS/PPTP authentication
>and
>then been using RDP across the VPN connection. This solution will stop
>working however, when running the CEICW.
>
>Is an onsite console view the optimum solution you think?

I guess it's time to invoke the arrangements you have for if the server is
inaccessible remotely.

--
Steve Foster [SBS MVP]
---------------------------------------
MVPs do not work for Microsoft. Please reply only to the newsgroups.