[MOVED] windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server

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skycrakr
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[MOVED] windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server

Post by skycrakr » Tue Dec 28, 2010 12:22 am

i want to create a windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server on same laptop. that way, when using public wi-fi i can just connect my windows client to my openvpn server running on the laptop. will this work, and if so will it be secure?

(i will use an openvpn virtual ubuntu appliance with a vmware machine.)

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gladiatr72
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Re: windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server on same

Post by gladiatr72 » Tue Dec 28, 2010 1:40 pm

Hello,

That's an interesting proposal. OpenVPN wouldn't be necessary, though.

You could assign a dummy address to your wireless adapter and then bridge the linux vm's external interface to the wireless device. The trick, though, is getting the windows host to participate in the vm's "internal" network. Assuming this is possible, you could configure the linux vm as a NAT/firwall and route all of the traffic from the windows host through the vm. You'll need to consult the vmware documentation/forums/website/etc for details on configure vmware's network to allow this, though. VirtualBox creates virtual devices in support of its internal networks under Linux that can be used to communicate with any machines on those networks, but I'm not sure how it works under windows or how vmware takes care of this.

You'll also want to configure the windows firewall to be very stingy with inbound connections, of course. Using a hopefully bogus network will cause the windows networking stack to ignore the directly connected world, but you never know...

Good Luck

-Stephen
[..]I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. [...]Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? -Marcus Cole

skycrakr
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Re: [MOVED] windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server

Post by skycrakr » Tue Dec 28, 2010 8:41 pm

Stephan,

Thanks, that sounds good. I'll definitely try that. However, what if I wanted to use the OpenVPN method? Would that work, and if so how would you set up the network configuration? (I've been having trouble getting the windows client to connect to the OpenVPN...and running test connection in OpenVPN manager fails as well.) Also, between the two methods which one is more "secure"?

David

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gladiatr72
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Re: [MOVED] windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server

Post by gladiatr72 » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:05 pm

Hello again,

Similarly to how I described it before, you could set up a virtual network and (maybe?) bridge it onto a private net that is shared with your wireless adapter and the establish a vpn link to a vm network interface that is (also) bridged to the wireless adapter so it can get an address on the local wireless network.

Is it more secure? My opinion is that it wouldn't be. I haven't tried this sort of thing before, but you very well may be running into some issues with the routing table on your windows host. As stated before, I am not familiar with vmware on windows and how it sets up its networking. If it sets up virtual devices to support internal networks and those internal networks are visible to the windows host, it might not like it when the vpn client tries to install additional routes to those same networks.

-Stephen
[..]I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. [...]Wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? -Marcus Cole

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krzee
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Re: [MOVED] windows client and ubuntu virtual machine server

Post by krzee » Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:43 am

this would help nothing...
the same traffic would leave your laptop, the encryption would only exist on your unimportant virtual network
you need to encrypt to an off-site node instead

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