View source for VDE native support for VirtualBox

VirtualBox has added the support of VDE networking as a standard feature included in the source tree.

<del>VDE is currently included in the SVN version, it should enter in the next source code release and then in
the binaries provided in major GNU-Linux distributions.</del>
VDE support is a standard feature of VirtualBox 3.2.0.

== VDE-VirtualBox usage scenarios ==

Why VDE on VirtualBox?

Let us compare VDE over all the other networking methods provided by VirtualBox:

* VDE vs "NAT" (a.k.a. slirp): NAT is just for client application, VDE provides a ''real'' virtual network, supporting all services running on all ports.
* VDE vs "Bridged" (a.k.a. tuntap or netfilter): VDE is usermode/userlevel. No need to mixup real and virtual networks, no need to use extra privileges (root access is not required).
* VDE vs "Internal": VDE spawns outside the set of VMs running on a VirtualBox VMM. It goes further, it can provide LAN connectivity among Virtual Machine running on processors spread over the Internet, and not only for VirtualBox VMs: kvm, qemu, user-mode-linux, umview, kmview, pearpc, gxemul,  etc
* VDE vs HostOnly: VDE is *not* host only, it is distributed.

* VDE vs "not attached": for safety ''not attached'' is not bad, unfortunately running a disconnected VM is often useless. VDE is quite safe, and allows the deployment of useful services.

== VDE-VirtualBox Linux build instructions ==

The instructions to build VirtualBox are:
[http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux%20build%20instructions here]

just remember to add
    --enable-vde

to the ./configure command.

== How to set up a VM using VDE ==

It is straightforward simple. Choose the VDE item in the Network Adapter configuration dialogue.

[[Image:vboxvde1.png]]

The "Name" of a VDE network is the pathname of the switch directory (see -sock parameter of vde_switch(1)).
When name is left black the standard switch is used (/var/run/vde.ctl or /tmp/vde.ctl).

[[Image:vboxvde2.png]]

The VDE interface is listed in the machine configuration summary as follows:

[[Image:vboxvde3.png]]