About Internet and network connections

In Microsoft Virtual PC, a virtual machine can connect to the Internet and network servers in one of the following two ways.

Shared Networking By using Shared Networking, the virtual machine can share the Internet connection established for the Macintosh, whether the Macintosh is connected through a modem or a local area network (LAN). Shared Networking works well for standard networking tasks, such as browsing the Web and reading e-mail. It can also be used to access shared resources, such as FTP sites, printers, or files.

A virtual machine that uses Shared Networking cannot act as an Internet server. Shared networking uses Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

Virtual Switch By using Virtual Switch networking, a virtual machine that is running Microsoft Windows can have a unique network connection that is separate from that of the Macintosh. A virtual machine that uses Virtual Switch networking can run server applications and act as an Internet server. Use Virtual Switch networking only if you are knowledgeable about network configuration.

To set up Virtual Switch networking, you must specify networking settings in Microsoft Virtual PC and make sure that Microsoft Windows is configured to do one of the following:

Automatically obtain an IP Address from a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server.
Use a static IP address if a DHCP server is not available on the network.

Notes

Shared Networking uses TCP/IP. Other network protocols, such as Novell IPX/SPX and NetBEUI, are not supported. If you must use one of these other protocols, use Virtual Switch networking instead of Shared Networking.
Virtual Switch networking is needed to run some networking software, such as chat programs.

See also

Set up Shared Networking

Set up Virtual Switch networking