Hello friends! Today I needed to connect a regular desktop computer to the Internet in order to update the antivirus on it. There is no Wi-Fi on it, and it is very difficult to connect a network cable directly to the router; the router is simply not installed in a very convenient place. And my laptop is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi and I decided to try connecting a desktop computer to the laptop via a network cable and using a network bridge to distribute the Internet to the computer through the laptop.

Everything is somehow confusing :). But now everything will become clear. I thought that perhaps I might not be the only one in this situation and that my advice might be useful to someone else.

This means I had internet on my laptop, which I received via Wi-Fi. The task was this: connect a desktop computer to a laptop via a network cable and make sure that both the computer and the laptop have access to the Internet, and not just a network.

Setting up a network bridge

There is internet on the laptop. We connect the computer to the laptop using a network cable (see article on how to crimp a network cable). On the computer, the Internet connection status will be network without Internet access. We need to make sure that there is access to the Internet.

To do this we go to Control Panel – Network and Internet – Network Control Center and shared access (or right-click on the Internet connection status in the tray and select “Network and Sharing Center”). Then select on the right.

Hold down the key Ctrl and select two connections. I have this Wireless network connection (through which the laptop is connected to the Internet) And LAN connection (this connection is used to connect the computer to the laptop via cable).

Select these two connections and right-click on one of them. We choose.

We wait a bit until the bridge settings are created and we have a new connection “Network Bridge”. And two connections, wireless and local network connection should receive the status “Connected, Connected”.

If during the creation of the Network Bridge a message appears that it is impossible to continue because one of the connections is configured to share Internet access, then do this:

Right-click on one of the two connections and select "Properties". Then go to the tab "Access" and make sure there is no tick next to it “Allow other network users to use the Internet connection...” If this checkbox is checked, remove it. Also check the other connection.

On a computer that is connected to the laptop via a network cable, the Internet should appear, at least, everything worked for me. I updated the antivirus on my computer and the Network Bridge became unnecessary for me. If you also want to remove the Network Bridge, then simply right-click on it and select "Delete".

If problems arise during setup and connection, try disabling the antivirus. Very often they block all kinds of connections.

That's all I wanted to tell you in this article. You may find my advice useful.

Make sure the appropriate computers and crossover cable are working. To make sure the cable works, connect it to both computers. If the port light turns on, you know it's working. If it does not light up, then the cord is inoperative.

Get to work. On both computers, go to the Start menu, open the Control panel and go to the "Network and Internet" section. The LAN icon (local area network connection) should appear with the text “no internet access” in the window.

Create a bridge on the host machine. Go to "Change adapter settings" on the left panel of the host machine. Two or more connections should appear. Select both icons: Local Area Connection and Wireless Network Connection. wireless network). Right-click on one of the icons you have highlighted. An options menu with only "Bridge Connection" should appear. Click it. Setting up the connection should take a second.

• Is the bridge already operational? Some computer cards automatically assign the necessary network information for you. If this happens, an icon will appear on the client machine's system tray with a monitor and a fork (like a plug) shown next to it. If the icon has a warning sign, it means that the information must be assigned manually.

Perform error checking. A new icon called "Network Bridge" should appear in the window. Below the words "Network Bridge" should be the name of the wireless network you are connected to. If not, repeat step 3 to remove the bridge and restart the process.

Access command line. Still on the host machine, open the Start menu and type "CMD" in the search bar. Open Notepad and get ready to write down your network information.

Get information about your computer's network. In the CMD window, enter "ipconfig /all". A large list of information should appear. Go to the beginning and find "Ethernet adapter Network Bridge:" and copy IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS Servers.

Install the client machine. On the client computer, click on "Local Area Connection". A window called "Local Area Connection Status" should appear; select Properties, and in this window, double-click to open "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".

Enter the IP address information. To enter network information, select "Use the following IP Address." Three fields should now be activated. In the "IP address" line, enter the IPv4 address from the host machine, and increase the last block of numbers by 1.

• Example: 192.168.1.179 becomes 192.168.1.180. The "Subnet Mask" line is the same as the one that was copied as "Default Gateway".

Among ordinary users, there are not many who know that installed network equipment (network cards on computers and routers) allows you to create bridge-type connections. What it is, what it is needed for, and how to configure it will be discussed further. Let's start with what is the point of creating and setting up such a connection.

What is a network bridge and why is it needed?

As you know, to create network connections and access the Internet, two types of connections can be used - wired and wireless. The first type provides more stable communication for each terminal connected to the network. But the second involves connecting several machines at once by connecting computers into a network via Wi-Fi (you can even create virtual network through the Internet).

A Network Bridge is essentially a tool that allows you to combine both connections into one. What is it for? Let's assume that a user's computer is connected to one network via an Ethernet network card, and to the second via Wi-Fi. It is clear that the networks do not touch each other (in a wired network, when trying to identify a terminal with a wireless connection, you will only see the router). When creating a bridge, this problem is eliminated quite simply, plus the stability of the connection increases.

The same applies to cases when, as network equipment A single-port modem is used, to which only one computer can be connected. What to do with the remaining terminals? In this case, they must be connected through the main computer, which will act as a host machine. Below we will discuss the actions performed for two computers. If there are more of them, then the configuration will need to be done on all client machines.

Creating a bridge on the host terminal

Now let's move on to practical actions. I would immediately like to please all users who are not particularly versed in network settings that there is nothing particularly complicated here, and the creation and configuration of a network bridge is completed within a couple of minutes. If two computers are used, they must be connected with a crossover cable with RJ-45 connectors that are inserted into the network cards.

So, in Windows network The bridge can be configured through the standard section of networks and the Internet (“network control center”), which is located in the “Control Panel”. In it, you need to follow the hyperlink to change the properties of the adapter, after which the window will display the two types of connections that were indicated above.

Now you need to select both icons (for example, with a regular click while holding down the Shift key) and select “Bridge Settings” using RMB.

In just a second, the Network Bridge icon will appear in your network connections. In theory, an icon will appear in the system tray on the client machine, but only if the system provides for automatic assignment of parameters. Otherwise, the bridge icon will have a cross on it, indicating that the network bridge will need to be configured manually.

Address verification

The bridge has been created and, in theory, works, but the computers cannot yet communicate with each other. On the host terminal, open the command prompt and enter the ipconfig /all command. A window will appear with a bunch of information.

In the presented parameters, find and write down the IP and DNS addresses. It is not necessary to remember the Default Gateway, since it always has the same value (255.255.255.0).

IPv4 protocol settings on the client machine

At the next stage, to connect the network bridge on the client terminal, you need to configure the IPv4 protocol options.

To do this, through the connection properties, enter the protocol parameters and enter the static IP that you found out on the main machine, increasing the last digit or number by one. In other words, if there was, for example, a two at the end of the address, enter a three.

DNS Options

Using bridges network devices will not work without specifying DNS server addresses.

If specified automatic receipt addresses, deactivate it and for the preferred server enter the combination received on the host terminal, and for the alternative - the same address, but with the last number or digit increased by one, as was done for the IP address. When the settings are complete, check the box next to Confirm settings when exiting and click OK. At this point, the creation of the bridge can be considered complete.

Note: Please note that if the connection does not work for DNS addresses, the use of free configurations, for example, from Google, is not possible, since only strictly defined combinations should be used when creating such a connection.

Setting up a network bridge in a VirtualBox virtual machine

In use, creating and configuring a bridge looks even simpler. In this case, you can use several virtual adapters. In the program itself, you first need to select the created virtual machine (menu on the left), and in the right window click on the network section.

In the properties window, the first thing you need to do is specify the adapter type (it is best to choose PCnet-Fast III, since it will have fewer problems with configuration). It is also necessary to activate the fields for enabling the adapter itself and connecting the cable.

Now in the network connections of the “Control Panel” via RMB on a wireless connection, go to properties and make sure that the VirtualBox Bridged Networking Driver adapter appears in the list. On the access tab, you need to activate both fields (allow Internet connection and manage sharing for other computers). In the warning, remember the IP address and click “OK”. Now, using RMB on the VirtualBox connection, we select and compare the original and existing IP. If they match, then everything was done correctly and the bridge is operating normally.

Now you need to go to the settings in the program itself (with deactivated virtual machine) in the adapter menu, by clicking on the button marked with a screwdriver icon, once again make sure that the settings are correct. Next, with a static IP, on the DHCP tab, make sure that the server is disabled. Upon completion, just in case, you can check the ping by entering ping in the command line and separated by a space the IP of the virtual machine. If the exchange of packets has started, then everything is in order. In theory, the guest terminal address in the last numbers will have a value from the range 1-254 and correspond to the real address network adapter.

Brief summary

That, in fact, is all that concerns the creation and configuration of a “bridge” connection. As an afterword, I would like to advise you to be as careful as possible when entering addresses, since just one incorrectly entered number will negate all your efforts. Otherwise there shouldn't be any special problems. If for some reason you need to get rid of the created connection, in the adapter properties section you can either deactivate it or completely delete it using the RMB menu items.

One fine day I needed to connect a virtual machine from VirtualBox to the Internet via a WiFi connection. Of course, I tried to connect using the already proven method. But no! Vig to you! Don't think that the previous method of creating a virtual bridge VirtualBox machines doesn't work, of course it works. I just didn’t immediately realize that for the created connection (bridge) you also need to enter the password to access the WiFi gateway, since the network is closed. But I guessed it after I connected using the method described below. And so let's get started! ;)

Let's start by setting up the network interface in VirtualBox. Select the installed virtual machine and on the “Details” tab, click “Network”.

As in the figure below, we go through the items marked with checkmarks. Naturally we are interested in:
1. Network Bridge
.
2. The name of the physical interface through which we connect to the network.
3. Adapter type, I usually choose PCnet-Fast III (less problems with determination, but see for yourself according to the circumstances).
4. Don't forget to check the boxes "enable network adapter" And "cable connected".

Click "OK"

Make sure that the "VirtualBox Bridged Networking Driver" component is enabled on the "Network" tab (you installed all the VirtualBox components when installing the program :))? Yes, y virtual adapter don’t forget to check the same component!) and confidently go to the “Access” tab.

Check the box "Allow other network users to use the Internet connection" of this computer". Then "OK".

We receive a warning, see just above. We remember the IP indicated there (it will be needed for the control check below). And we speak boldly "Yes". By the way, I almost forgot, before this I temporarily disabled all unused network interfaces, so as not to get in the way. :)

The next step is to check the “Status” of the “VirtualBox” network connection.

See picture below.

Make sure that the IP and subnet mask are obtained correctly.

Returning to settings VirtualBox. Changing any settings in VirtualBox only possible when the virtual machine is turned off (not to be confused with the program VirtualBox :)).

On the network settings tab VirtualBox select the name of our network adapter and click “Screwdriver”.

Once again we make sure that the IP is correct and the subnet mask is obtained correctly. Well, just in case. Although we came here for the tab " DHCP server".

If you build a computer with two network cards and connect it to two different networks, then he will see all remote systems, and other network participants will see the router in the network environment, but nothing more. In order for computers in different segments to see each other, it is necessary to create a network bridge type connection.

In order to create a network bridge in Windows OS, go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network Connections.

Select network connections, which you want to bridge, and right-click on them. Next, select “Bridge connection” from the context menu.

The network bridge will not function if at least one of the connections has the “Automatic IP address assignment” service activated. It is necessary that the IP addresses of different network segments do not overlap. There should be only one bridge, but it can include an unlimited number of network interfaces. As long as the network bridge exists, changing any network parameters is impossible.

Typically, a network bridge is used to inexpensively and quickly connect segments local networks. Often a network consists of several LAN segments. Before the advent of operating rooms Windows systems XP, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition and Windows Server 2003, two methods were used to create a network containing multiple LAN segments: IP routing and bridging. IP routing requires purchasing hardware routers or setting up computers and assigning IP addresses to each computer on each network segment, as well as configuring each network segment as a separate subnet. Bridge equipment does not require such complex setup, but in this case additional bridge equipment will be required. Using various types network media, you will need to create a separate subnet for each media type.

Differences between switches and bridges

In most applications, a switch (also known as a switch) and a bridge are similar in functionality. The difference lies in the internal structure: bridges control traffic using CPU, the switch uses a switch fabric (hardware circuit for switching packets). Currently, bridges are practically not used (since they require a powerful processor to operate), except for the case when network segments are connected to different first-level organizations, for example, between xDSL connections, optics, Ethernet.