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Lionel MMFlag for United States of America

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Can host to Windows 2003 Server VM logon to that VM it hosts

I have a system that is running windows 7 and I have a Windows 2003 server VM on it (using Oracle's VirtualBox). I want to know if the host, the Windows 7 system can then logon to that Windows Server 2003? If so, how would you do it? Problem I see is that for the Server VM to be running and being able to authenticate clients the Win7 host would already have to be booted up so the Server VM could be started, right? Only way I can think of doing this is to have a host with 2 VM's, one for Server 2003 server and another for a Win7 VM. The host OS would bootup, you would then start the Server 2003 VM and then the Win7 VM which could then logon--right? Alternate suggestions or recommendation please. Also how do you auto-start a VM in VirtualBox, so the 2003 VM starts when the host reboots? Thanks! (This client is strapped for cash so can't invest in a new server or new Windows server software).
Avatar of Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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Setup networking on the Windows 2003 Server VM as Bridged Networking.
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ASKER

How does the host then logon to the Server VM?
the host cannot logon to the server, if the VM is not running!

So the VM must be running first, but if both Host and VM are on the same network, and Server VM is running in Bridged Mode.

You can then use network or map shares to the server.

Start the Server VM, and then if it's a Domain Controller, add the Windows machine account to it, or keep it as a work group.

But as soon as the Server VM is ready to accept network connections, you will be able to connect to the server.

What do you want to do, when you mean "login from Host to VM"

use RDP, Fileshares?
If I logon to a server, I logon with my username and password. When that is done the server authenticates me, uses group policy to decide what policies will be placed on my system, gives me network connections, and provides me with permissions to access Active Directory resources (printers, file server access, etc.).
SOLUTION
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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)
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Can't get this to work--Host PC (Win7) cannot connect to the domain (client vm)--domain not found error message.
Come on; I know if the server is on or not--I logon to it and see the desktop; come on!
The Server is a VM which is running inside the Host Client, so did you follow the steps to successfully start the VM as a Service before logging into the Host?

and VM must be set to Bridged Networking. Start you Host PC (Windows 7), and without logging in and using it interactively, can you ping the server from another Client on the network?
Its not on the corporate network--its in testing at my office, so pinging from another system is out, and the client is setup with bridged networking. Before we go any further I have been in this industry since 1995, a MCSE since 1995. I am new to VM because I specialize in small businesses. Still I know what a host and client are, what VM's are and have an expert knowledge of networking and domain administration albeit in none virtualized setups so the help I am looking for has to do with issues related to hosts and their VM clients. Thanks.
the Guest VM must be started in the Host OS. I believe you server you want to login to is the Guest VM.

http://www.coretechnologies.com/products/AlwaysUp/Apps/RunVirtualBoxAsAService.html

the above article shows how to configure virtualbox, so that Guest VM Server can be started as a service, so it's running at Desktop Boot.

without another computer, it will be difficult to test, if the Guest VM (Server) has BOOTED, at Host Desktop Startup/Boot.
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The solution you seek is to configure Virtualbox to start the virtual machine with the Host Services. (As A Service).

have you configured Virtualbox to start the VM at Host Boot?

It is rather odd, because usually you would have a Server, hosting a Workstation!
Yes.
can you confirm the server is available at Host Boot?

e.g. ping/rdp from another client (a laptop with crossover cable)

logging into the desktop interactively, cannot prove this.
This does not work and even with setting VM to start at boot time as s service it does not work, PLUS AlwaysUp is not free so paying for something that does not work is out of the question. Thanks for the help though