Running Linux alongside Win 10

[aix]

I have an always-on Win 10 Pro box.  It is connected to the net over Wi-Fi.

I'd like to run Linux alongside Windows.  As in: both running all the time, i.e. not dual-boot.

Furthermore, I would like the Linux install to be visible on the network as a separate entity, i.e. have its own DHCP lease and generally show up as if it were a separate box.

I played with Hyper-V and VirtualBox.  The only way I was able to have Linux networking going was by setting up a Wi-Fi-to-virtual-Ethernet bridge.  However, this ultimately piggybacks on the host's WLAN connection (has the same IP etc) and so doesn't achieve the goal as having Linux show up as if it were a separate box.

I also tried having a second Wi-Fi adapter (a USB dongle), thinking I can give each OS its own Wi-Fi.  However, this confused the hell out of Windows and I didn't get anywhere trying to get the second Wi-Fi adapter working under VirtualBox.

Any advice?

[Someone]

Bridged networking should not show externally as the same IP address:
https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch06.html#network_bridged
but there have been issues previously:
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/17186

[greenpossum]

If you set up bridging for the VM interface you should get a separate IP address by DHCP. You don't need a second WiFi adapter. That said, for me it's worked on wired Ethernet, and on a Linux host with both Linux and Windows in VMs. So I don't know if there are issues binding multiple IP address to your WiFi device. You don't say what version VB, but make sure it's the most recent as bugs keep getting fixed.

[Monkeh]

You cannot bridge on wifi clients like that. Not with normal APs and with Windows, anyway.

If you can't get USB passthrough to work properly you may need to try PCI passthrough either of the USB host device, which is often highly problematic, or of a PCI wifi card - perhaps the internal one and use the USB one for Windows. I'm not sure if VB supports PCI passthrough these days.

[aix]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, I tried the most recent VirtualBox (as of this morning).

As several of you have suggested, I suspect the issue is specifically around Wi-Fi.  In other words, if it were a wired LAN connection, things would have been easier.  I mean, having a wired LAN is not out of the question, but would complicated the hardware setup in my case.

I've used USB passthrough with VB many times in the past, but never with a network adapter.  Using a PCI card is an interesting suggestion, though the NUC in question only has an M.2 slot (taken by an SSD).

[Monkeh]

I know it is - a standard wifi frame only has 3 MAC fields, under the assumption either the source or the destination must be the station. This, as it turns out, is a stupid assumption.

A NUC should have integrated wifi which appears as a PCI device.

[Ian.M]

Also consider a WiFi range extender with a bridge capable Ethernet port.  Connect it by Ethernet cable to the PC, configure it, then (depending on your VM software's capabilities) either give your VM exclusive access to the host Ethernet adapter, or bridge the host ethernet adapter to the VM interface and on the host, un-bind Win10's TCP/IP protocol from  the bridged connection so the extender only 'sees' the VM's IP address using its Ethernet port.

[aix]

Ian, thanks for the suggestion.  I could definitely add an extra (fifth!) Wi-Fi access point to my mesh setup, and plug the server into its wired LAN port.  I think that would work, though does involve a bit more hardware than I was hoping for (don't have a lot of space).

Now thinking along the same lines, I wonder if I could turn a RasPi-style SBC into a WLAN-to-LAN bridge.  It would be smaller & cheaper than a full-blown access point, though a bit faffier to set up.

Thoughts?

[aix]

A NUC should have integrated wifi which appears as a PCI device.

You're quite right.  The built-in WLAN adapter (Intel AC 9560) does show up as a PCI device.

Just to make sure that I follow your line of thinking:

• I could enable PCI passthrough in VB for the built-in adapter (assuming this works) to give the guest OS exclusive use.
• I could then have a secondary WLAN adapter (USB) for the host OS to use.

Is that what you have in mind?

[Monkeh]

That's the idea, yes. It's not optimal but it could work.

[greenpossum]

I've used USB passthrough with VB many times in the past, but never with a network adapter.  Using a PCI card is an interesting suggestion, though the NUC in question only has an M.2 slot (taken by an SSD).

I have used USB passthrough with a USB WiFi dongle. The trick is to activate the network driver for it in the host OS, but to bind an IP and associate with an access point in the guest OS. However I did this on Linux so I have no idea if it will work in Windows.