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diff --git a/docs/system/net.rst b/docs/system/net.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..4b2640c448 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/system/net.rst @@ -0,0 +1,100 @@ +.. _pcsys_005fnetwork: + +Network emulation +----------------- + +QEMU can simulate several network cards (e.g. PCI or ISA cards on the PC +target) and can connect them to a network backend on the host or an +emulated hub. The various host network backends can either be used to +connect the NIC of the guest to a real network (e.g. by using a TAP +devices or the non-privileged user mode network stack), or to other +guest instances running in another QEMU process (e.g. by using the +socket host network backend). + +Using TAP network interfaces +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +This is the standard way to connect QEMU to a real network. QEMU adds a +virtual network device on your host (called ``tapN``), and you can then +configure it as if it was a real ethernet card. + +Linux host +^^^^^^^^^^ + +As an example, you can download the ``linux-test-xxx.tar.gz`` archive +and copy the script ``qemu-ifup`` in ``/etc`` and configure properly +``sudo`` so that the command ``ifconfig`` contained in ``qemu-ifup`` can +be executed as root. You must verify that your host kernel supports the +TAP network interfaces: the device ``/dev/net/tun`` must be present. + +See :ref:`sec_005finvocation` to have examples of command +lines using the TAP network interfaces. + +Windows host +^^^^^^^^^^^^ + +There is a virtual ethernet driver for Windows 2000/XP systems, called +TAP-Win32. But it is not included in standard QEMU for Windows, so you +will need to get it separately. It is part of OpenVPN package, so +download OpenVPN from : https://openvpn.net/. + +Using the user mode network stack +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +By using the option ``-net user`` (default configuration if no ``-net`` +option is specified), QEMU uses a completely user mode network stack +(you don't need root privilege to use the virtual network). The virtual +network configuration is the following:: + + guest (10.0.2.15) <------> Firewall/DHCP server <-----> Internet + | (10.0.2.2) + | + ----> DNS server (10.0.2.3) + | + ----> SMB server (10.0.2.4) + +The QEMU VM behaves as if it was behind a firewall which blocks all +incoming connections. You can use a DHCP client to automatically +configure the network in the QEMU VM. The DHCP server assign addresses +to the hosts starting from 10.0.2.15. + +In order to check that the user mode network is working, you can ping +the address 10.0.2.2 and verify that you got an address in the range +10.0.2.x from the QEMU virtual DHCP server. + +Note that ICMP traffic in general does not work with user mode +networking. ``ping``, aka. ICMP echo, to the local router (10.0.2.2) +shall work, however. If you're using QEMU on Linux >= 3.0, it can use +unprivileged ICMP ping sockets to allow ``ping`` to the Internet. The +host admin has to set the ping_group_range in order to grant access to +those sockets. To allow ping for GID 100 (usually users group):: + + echo 100 100 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ping_group_range + +When using the built-in TFTP server, the router is also the TFTP server. + +When using the ``'-netdev user,hostfwd=...'`` option, TCP or UDP +connections can be redirected from the host to the guest. It allows for +example to redirect X11, telnet or SSH connections. + +Hubs +~~~~ + +QEMU can simulate several hubs. A hub can be thought of as a virtual +connection between several network devices. These devices can be for +example QEMU virtual ethernet cards or virtual Host ethernet devices +(TAP devices). You can connect guest NICs or host network backends to +such a hub using the ``-netdev +hubport`` or ``-nic hubport`` options. The legacy ``-net`` option also +connects the given device to the emulated hub with ID 0 (i.e. the +default hub) unless you specify a netdev with ``-net nic,netdev=xxx`` +here. + +Connecting emulated networks between QEMU instances +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Using the ``-netdev socket`` (or ``-nic socket`` or ``-net socket``) +option, it is possible to create emulated networks that span several +QEMU instances. See the description of the ``-netdev socket`` option in +:ref:`sec_005finvocation` to have a basic +example. |