You can use the virtual network editor to set up multiple host-only virtual networks.

On Windows and Linux host systems, the first host-only network is set up automatically when you install Workstation Pro. You might want to set up multiple host-only networks on the same computer in the following situations.

  • To have two virtual machines connected to one host-only network, and other virtual machines connected to another host-only network to isolate the network traffic on each network.

  • To test routing between two virtual networks.

  • To test a virtual machine that has multiple network interface cards, without using any physical network adapters.

Prerequisites

Familiarize yourself with host-only networking. See Configuring Host-Only Networking for more information.

Procedure

  1. Select Edit > Virtual Network Editor.
  2. Click Add Network.
  3. Select a virtual switch.

    On Windows and Linux hosts, the VMnet1 virtual switch is mapped to a host-only network by default.

    Workstation Pro assigns a subnet IP address to the virtual network.

  4. Select the new virtual network from the list and select Host-only (connect VMs internally on a private network).
  5. (Optional) To connect a physical network on the host system to the network, select Connect a host virtual adapter to this network.
  6. (Optional) To use a local DHCP service to distribute IP addresses to virtual machines on the network, select Use local DHCP service to distribute IP addresses to VMs.
  7. (Optional) (Windows hosts only) To customize DHCP settings if the network uses a local DHCP service, click DHCP Settings.
  8. (Optional) To change the subnet IP address or subnet mask, modify the addresses in the Subnet IP and Subnet mask text boxes.
  9. Click OK to save your changes.

What to do next

If you want to rename the new network to a name that is meaningful to you, see Rename a Virtual Network.