To enable communication between different VM machines with different IP subnets (VLANs) on a single host machine, you can follow these steps:

  1. Set Up Virtual Networks (VLANs):
    • Determine the VLANs and IP subnets you want to use for each VM.
    • Configure virtual networks or virtual switches on your virtualization platform (e.g., Hyper-V, VMware, VirtualBox) to represent each VLAN.
  2. Assign VMs to Virtual Networks (VLANs):
    • Edit the network settings of each VM and assign them to the appropriate virtual network representing their VLAN.
    • Configure the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for each VM according to their respective VLANs.
  3. Configure VLAN Tagging:
    • Ensure that your physical network infrastructure supports VLAN tagging.
    • Configure the physical network switch or virtual switch to allow VLAN tagging for the ports connected to the host machine.
  4. Enable VLAN Tagging on the Host Machine:
    • Access the network settings or virtualization platform settings on the host machine.
    • Enable VLAN tagging for the network interfaces connected to the virtual switches representing the VLANs.
  5. Set Up Routing between VLANs:
    • Configure the host machine as a router to enable inter-VLAN communication.
    • Create routing rules or configure a routing protocol on the host machine to forward traffic between the VLANs.

Example (Windows Server with Hyper-V):

  1. Set Up Virtual Networks (VLANs):
    • Create two virtual networks: “VLAN10” for Subnet1 and “VLAN20” for Subnet2.
  2. Assign VMs to Virtual Networks (VLANs):
    • Edit the network settings of VM1 and assign it to “VLAN10”. Configure its IP address as 192.168.10.2/24.
    • Edit the network settings of VM2 and assign it to “VLAN20”. Configure its IP address as 192.168.20.2/24.
  3. Configure VLAN Tagging:
    • Ensure that your physical network switch or virtual switch supports VLAN tagging.
    • Configure the ports connected to the host machine to allow VLAN tagging for VLAN10 and VLAN20.
  4. Enable VLAN Tagging on the Host Machine:
    • Open the network settings for the host machine.
    • Enable VLAN tagging for the network interfaces connected to “VLAN10” and “VLAN20”.
  5. Set Up Routing between VLANs:
    • Enable IP forwarding on the host machine.
    • Create routing rules or configure a routing protocol on the host machine to forward traffic between VLAN10 and VLAN20.

By following these steps, you can establish communication between different VM machines with different IP subnets (VLANs) on a single host machine. The host machine acts as a router, forwarding traffic between the VLANs and allowing communication between the VMs in different VLANs.