Virtual machines have a bunch of use cases, and are now widely used in business operations. Virtual machines are fairly simple to understand but have many different settings and configurations. Today, I will explain if virtual machines use the internet.
A virtual machine connects to the internet via a physical internet connection which is located at the physical computer that is running the virtual machine.
If you create a virtual machine on your own computer, the settings on the virtual machine software you are using need to be modified to allow the virtual machine to connect to the internet connection on your computer.
There is a very simple test to see if your virtual machine has internet. Below, I will explain what this is, as well as:
- If you can connect to a VM over WiFi
- How to use internet on virtual machines
- How to access the internet on a VMWare virtual machine
- How to access internet on a Virtual Box virtual machine
Let’s get into it!
Can a VM use WiFi
I’ve personally done quite a bit of work on virtual machines, in particular Azure Cloud. You can view some of my projects that include walkthroughs on my Github
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A VM can use WiFi. To do so you need to allow it to access the WiFi connection on your local computer. This is done in exactly the same way as allowing internet access for a wired connection over an ethernet cable. You go into the settings and allow the virtual machine to access the network card on your local computer.
The instructions for each software is a little bit different. At the end of this article are videos and instructions for how to connect a VMWare and Virtual Box virtual machine to the internet.
For a Virtual Machine provided by third part such as Azure, it’s connected to the internet automatically.
It’s connected to Azure’s internet connection. It’s possible to modify the settings to connect to the WiFi connection on your local computer. However, there is no reason to this and therefore, it’s not common practice, outside of tinkering around.
How to see if your VM has internet access
To check your VM has internet access open the Command Prompt on your VM, and attempt to ping a website on the internet. An easy example is google.com
Here’s what to type:
ping www.google.com
It will say either:
- Ping request could not find host www.google.com.
- Reply from [IP address of google.com]
The first one means your virtual machine is not connected to the internet. And the second one means your VM connected to the internet.
Does a VM Need Internet
A VM does need the internet if you want to access the world wide web on it. Otherwise, it does not need the internet. If you are running a VM on your own computer the settings on your VM need to be changed to allow it to access the internet connection on your computer.
The one your are running the virtual machine on. On the other hand, if you are running a virtual machine on the cloud, such as with Microsoft Azure, then it is connected to the internet by default.
No changes need to be made to the default settings on a cloud virtual machine to use the internet on it. Such as, browsing the web on a web browser like Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
Can a VM Act as a Server
A VM can act as a server. It’s common for a virtual machine to act as a server in business operations. It’s used to manage user accounts where files can be shared and edited on a private local area network (LAN).
Users can also log in remotely to a virtual machine, which allows them to access and use business programs, completely separate from their personal computer. And allows a System Administrator to grant, and restrict access using user accounts.
Using a VM for a server means a System Administrator can monitor, make changes, and troubleshoot the server from anywhere, without needing to be in the same physical room as the server.
I’ve personally set a virtual machine server in Microsoft Azure. After that, I set up some user accounts and administrators. I then set up a few virtual machines, and gave them access to shared folders on the server.
How to Use Internet on Virtual Machines
A virtual machines can be connected to the internet by changing the settings in the virtual machine software you are using. Whereas, cloud virtual machines are connected to the internet by default. You don’t need to change anything to use the internet on a cloud virtual machine.
On a virtual machine you’ve created on your personal computer, you need to edit the settings so that it uses the network card on your computer.
When you do that it will be connected to the internet using the same internet connection your computer is using.
The instructions for how to do that vary depending on the specific virtual machine software you are using.
Below, are videos that show how to do it on the two of popular ones, VMWare, and Virtual Box. If you’re using a different one, do a Google or Youtube search of the specific virtual machine software you are using
How To Access Internet on VMWare Virtual Machine
To access the internet on a VMWare Virtual Machine you need to go into the settings and allow the virtual machine access the network card on your local computer. First, the virtual machine needs to be turned off.
Below, is a video that shows the whole process from start to finish:
How to Access Internet on Virtual Box Virtual Machine
To access the internet on a Virtual Box virtual machine you go into the settings on Virtual Box, and allow your virtual machine to use the network card on your local computer.
When you do that it uses the same internet connection as your local computer. It works regardless of whether your computer is connected over an ethernet cable or over WiFi.