XP Mode Network Linking

[cjrokke]

So I like to play games and there is a program that I use with one of them. It doesn't fully work in windows 7 for me. I was thinking that it might work fine in XP mode, but It needs to be receiving the packets on the same network card as my game. With the game running in Win 7 and the program running in XP Mode, is there a way that I can link them together?

 

[aem]

I would say fat chance, but the only way to know is to test it.

 

[Kari]

Like aem here above, I can not see it could be done. Even though XP Mode runs virtually on your computer, it acts - and basically is - as an independent computer.

If this were to work, then it would also work when using two computers. And that is IMO not possible, at least without some very serious code cracking.

Kari

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
why not install the game on the virtual machine, and set the networking to BRIDGED (that way the Internet sees your VM as a totally separate Physical machine with the same properties as any other XP machine in the universe).

Switch off the XP mode Integration feature whilst you're running the game so you are running an independent Virtual machine.

The main problem with games and Virtual machines is that the virtual graphics adapter probably won't be able to run your game properly.

You can see the problem Virtual Graphic adapters have -- just try running the "Bog standard" Spider Solitaire on a W7 Virtual machine -- it hardly runs at all.

You won't get any 3-D rendering and I think there is only limited support for Direct-X.

Virtual graphic support is still better on XP virtual machines

The next generation of Virtual Machines should address this as Virtualisation has moved well away from being a niche geeky product. It's used a LOT now by businesses who have passed over their IT infrastructure to "Server Farms" - and they want increasing hardware sophistication and compatability now.

Cheers

jimbo

 

[Kari]

Jimbo, out of interest: If we forget the emulated GPU issue, you think the bridging is the key? Or did I once again misunderstand something?

Kari

 

[jimbo45]

Hi Kari
what Bridging does is to make sure that the machine has it's OWN network IP address and virtual connection to the network so to all intents and purposes its a 100% separate UNIQUE machine.

If you use NAT the machine SHARES the IP and network adapter with the HOST.

From reading the OP it seemed that one of the problems was that the game needed to run on the SAME machine as the network adapter otherwise it wouldn't work.

By running in Bridged mode the outside Internet will just see this like the OP's original REAL machine so installing the game on this VM shoud work fine (apart from the video adapter constraints).

There might be some setup - I don't know what the game is - but if the OUTSIDE server needs an IP / host name pass the one's from the VM to it.


(You might also need to enable Port Forwarding on the router so the packet / request / service is passed directly to the Virtual machine on your LAN -- here again Bridged is the key since it will have its own separate address on your network and you can give it a domain name -- use something like no-ip if you need to do this).

Cheers

jimbo.

 

[aem]

I wondered if he tried running that program with Xp compatibility mode?

It would seem the game which he installed on W7 has a setting which needs a network card to be defined. Then he installs an add-on program which also requires the same thing. Thing is, this network card has it's specific PCI ID, and in Xp mode this PCI ID is different (being virtual). If he means to be able to just get data packets to travel to and from the network card then this shouldnt be a problem due to the integration feature of Xp mode. Depends on that that program is. My 0.02.

 

[Kari]

Hi Kari
what Bridging does is to make sure that the machine has it's OWN network IP address and virtual connection to the network so to all intents and purposes its a 100% separate UNIQUE machine.

If you use NAT the machine SHARES the IP and network adapter with the HOST.
...
...
Cheers

jimbo.

That opens the door to some quite interesting scenarios. Thanks for teaching me something new.

Kari

 

[jimbo45]

Hi Kari
Don't forget of course that in NAT the machine still has a separate IP address on your INTERNAL LAN -- so you can ping it etc etc.

However the OUTSIDE internet will only see your HOST.

With Bridged you'll be able to get a separate domain for the VM if you want and this will be seen as a separate machine by the Internet -- so you'll for example be able to RDP to it etc etc. Of course if you need to acess multiple machines (Real or Virtual) from the Internet you'll need to enable port forwarding on your router to the appropriate LAN addresses.

You might need for example if you want to be able to RDP to both a HOST and a VM to change on one of the machines the default ports as most HOME type routers can't port forward ports to multiple machines on a LAN.

Cheers
jimbo