
These additional network adapters may be configured using the VirtualBox command-line interface, which is a topic for another post. Fortunately, VirtualBox really supports up to thirty-six network adapters per VM. This limits the complexity of network scenarios you can create. The VirtualBox graphical user interface supports only four network adapters for each VM. Each VM needs to be set up with network interfaces and connected to VirtualBox internal networks to create a network topology. The network topology you will create is shown in the figure below: Once the network topology and IP network design is defined, build configuration plans (see the tables I use later in this post) and set up and debug the emulated network.Ĭreate a small network of three routers, each of which is connected to a PC. Plan how you will manage the emulated nodes. VirtualBox does not have a drag-and-drop graphical user interface for creating networks of virtual machines so you must draw the network using another tool such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Visio, or open-source alternatives like LibreOffice Draw or Dia - or even pencil and paper.ĭetermine which nodes and ports connect to which networks before you start creating virtual machines. To build the emulated network, first create a network plan you can follow.
MAC ADDRESS EMULATOR FOR LINUX HOW TO
In this post, I offer a step-by-step tutorial showing how to use the VirtualBox graphical user interface to set up a network of six devices: three routers and three PCs.


VirtualBox works on the major computing platforms: Windows, MacOS, and Linux. In addition to creating and managing individual virtual machines, VirtualBox can connect virtual machines together to emulate a network of computers and network appliances such as routers or servers.

VirtualBox is an open-source virtual machine manager and hypervisor that may also be used as a network emulator.
