Setting up a Test Lab between DSL Client & Debian Server in VMWare Workstation
 

Hello all,

I am a student of Network Administration and, to test out the skills I am learning, I would like to test up a test environment in VMWare Workstation8.

I am running a Windows7 laptop with VMWare Workstation8. What I would like to do is use DSLinux as a client running through a Debian Squeeze proxy server and out to the internet. It is my intention to use Squid as my Proxy, Shorewall as my firewall and Bind9 as my DNS/DHCP.

For the Debian Server, I am using VMNet8(NAT) to connect to the internet & VMNet2 (Host-only) which I hope is the right config to connect the Server to the DSL Client. It is my imagination that I will use this VMNet2 to channel traffic from the Client to the Server and out VMNet8 to the internet. Is this a correct assumption?

I'm asking for help now before I start running configurations so as to avoid confusion as to where I may have gone wrong, assuming things don't go to plan. Any help would be much appreciated, even just a point in the right direction. Thanks for your help and for taking the time to read this.

Steve

That is one way to do it. Yes, some nic in the dsl can be directed toward the server pretty much as if there were two computers. The issue here is only different in the fact that you are using virtual networking and one is local only but that shouldn't matter. Just check your network settings as you would do in any normal install.

You can make the server to act as a normal gateway or some proxy so settings would change.

Not sure I really answered your question.

It is common to test setups like this but some people get hung up on the virtual oddities. They don't have easy access to real computers where they could figure out the setup like some tech manual might write.

Thanks for the response, Jefro. Yea, that basically answered my question. I totally get the confusion about virtualization being confusing... I'm working on getting an old, used server up and running Debian Wheezy. Next is 3 routers and two switches to practice on, but that'll be around tax season.

Got any suggestions on how you would do this "crossover" on VMWare? Hell, I just figured out yesterday one of my biggest config problems was from using Debian Squeeze so I didn't burn up a lot of space, but documents I found on configuring this kind of thing didn't line up right with Squeeze.

Anyways, thanks again for your response. A question on this forum: should I post additional questions about this setup in this forum, or should I start new ones for each question? Thanks for your time.

Steve

A more problem specific question might help us. Feel free to ask anything you need or want in any area. It might get moved by a mod to help you in some cases. Right now, I can't create a reply to a general question.

Debian with a small footprint window manager and few extras ought to be kind of small. Might even run it from a usb flash drive.

I think the vmworkstation seems to confuse first time users. For some reason they don't feel like they are actually on a real computer. Might start off this test with a more hands on virtual machine like vmplayer or virtualbox.

Each vm has similar ways to do stuff but each type may have unique issues on default ip range or default gateway or how it might even allow ports and services. All that and your common server tasks need to be taken into account.

There are even distro's that can act like switches so you may not need to buy switches. Freesco is one but there are a few others.

This is what helped me the first time I used vm's to replicate a real lan. It was just to imagine the vm clients as real computers. Then use the documentation from the web pages for each task to configure. A vm client with two nics ought to act like a real system with two nics but watch out for oddities on vm's when using nat and bridged and local. Even the virtual support for a distro may need to have advanced settings changed or driver added. For the most part vm's are very easy and quick to use.

Thanks for the direction, Jefro, your explanations made a lot of sense. I responded a couple days ago in a nice long post thanking you, but I hit Back on accident and lost the whole d@mn thing! I have had success with setting up DHCP (isc-dhcp-server) between Client & Server, but now I am having problems setting up the Proxy (squid) to channel the Client through my Server and out onto the Internet.

I will spare you the details, as I just wrote a new thread on the topic, but if you are still interested in helping with my test environment the link to the new thread is:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...on-4175434940/

Again, thanks for all your help! I have taken all your advice to heart & hope to hear more from you in the future. If I don't, thanks for the time you have spent to help me already... what more could I ask for, right?

Steve
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dead=1
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done

Gosh, nicest post I have even received. There are quite a few good people on this forum. Many are pretty darn smart. Someone usually tries to help if they can. I'll peek at the other post and see if I can help at all.