VMWare Networking Mode Configuration: Bridged vs NAT for IIS Development Between Mac Host and Windows 7 VM


3 views

When setting up a Windows 7 VM on Mac for development with Visual Studio and IIS, two critical networking needs emerge:

1. External access to IIS from host machine (Mac)
2. Internet connectivity for VM web browsers

Bridged Networking: Creates a direct connection to your physical network, assigning the VM its own IP address in the same subnet.

NAT Mode: Uses the host's IP address with port forwarding, creating a private subnet for the VM.

For your specific case, Bridged mode is the optimal solution because:

  • Allows direct HTTP access to IIS from Mac via VM's IP
  • Provides full internet access to VM browsers
  • Eliminates need for complex port forwarding

To configure Bridged mode in VMWare:

1. Shut down your Windows 7 VM
2. Go to VM > Settings > Network Adapter
3. Select "Bridged" connection
4. Check "Replicate physical network connection state"
5. Start the VM and verify network connectivity

After configuration, test connectivity from your Mac terminal:

ping <VM_IP_Address>
curl -I http://<VM_IP_Address>

Ensure Windows Firewall allows inbound HTTP traffic:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="IIS HTTP" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80

If connectivity issues persist:

1. Verify VM gets valid IP via ipconfig
2. Check host and VM can ping each other
3. Confirm IIS binding to all IP addresses
4. Test with Windows Firewall temporarily disabled

When setting up a Windows 7 virtual machine (VM) on Mac for Visual Studio and IIS development, two critical networking needs emerge:

  1. Host-to-VM communication (Mac accessing IIS on Windows 7 VM)
  2. VM-to-internet access (Windows 7 VM needing web connectivity)

VMWare offers three primary networking modes, but we'll focus on the two most relevant for development scenarios:

Feature NAT Mode Bridged Mode
IP Assignment Private subnet (e.g., 192.168.x.x) Same subnet as host
Host Access to VM Requires port forwarding Direct access
Internet Access Works out-of-box Depends on network policy
Firewall Considerations Moderate More complex

For your specific needs, NAT mode with proper port forwarding offers the best balance:

# Example VMWare NAT configuration (vmnet8)
# Add to preferences.ini or configure via GUI
[ethernet]
portForwarding.0.protocol = "tcp"
portForwarding.0.hostPort = "8080"
portForwarding.0.guestPort = "80"
portForwarding.0.guestIP = "192.168.100.128"

If your network allows it, bridged mode provides simpler host access:

  1. Configure VM for bridged networking in VMWare settings
  2. Ensure Windows firewall allows incoming HTTP (port 80): 
    netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="HTTP" dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=80
  3. Verify connectivity from Mac: 
    ping [VM_IP]
curl http://[VM_IP]

Problem: Can't access IIS from host
Solution: Check these settings:

# Windows Firewall:
netsh advfirewall show allprofiles state

# IIS Binding:
Get-WebBinding -Name "Default Web Site"

Problem: No internet in VM
Solution: Verify DNS settings:

ipconfig /all
nslookup google.com

For developers hosting multiple sites, use host headers with NAT port forwarding:

# IIS Site Binding:
New-WebBinding -Name "Site1" -Protocol http -HostHeader "site1.local" -Port 80
New-WebBinding -Name "Site2" -Protocol http -HostHeader "site2.local" -Port 80

# Mac hosts file:
127.0.0.1 site1.local site2.local