Virtualbox Bridged Adapter With Ubuntu/Debian Host (AKA Guest OS On Same LAN As Host)

By default, Virtualbox uses NAT to provide network support for guest operating systems. This is fine if you just want to have basic network functionality such as internet access, but it means that the guest will be on its own network. Often having the guest machine on the same LAN as the host is desirable (if you want to connect to the guest via SSH for example).

This is actually very simple to set up. Just open a terminal on the host and install the necessary packages:

Next open Virtualbox, select your guest and click Settings. Change ‘Attached to’ from NAT to Bridged Adapter, and click OK.

If you are using DHCP, that’s it. If you are using a static IP, you will need to configure the guest OS accordingly so that it can join your LAN.