On my main home pc I run linux - I have a “VM” type app called VirtualBox installed that allows me to install a virtual Windows XP. The XP thinks his network is 10.0.2.0 - in this virtual enviroment. This VM XP can ping devices on my 192.168.1.0 network - my router, my mythtv, VOIP box, etc - but this is possible because my Linux computer NATs the XP source address (10.0.2.15) to the linux interface address (192.168.1.111). But that only works for traffic origination from the XP VM - if I’m on my mythtv computer - and try to ping to 10.0.2.15 - that packet will get sent to the router. I would have to have a static route on my mythtv computer essentially saying for any packets going to 10.0.2.0 send them to 192.168.1.111....and to muddle the process more - the 192.168.1.111 - when he received that packet - would think that it was for him - he would not know that it was for the XP device. VirtualBox has some way to handle that case - but in the default install - which is what I using - that’s the way it works. I think VMware does things differently - not sure...
This whole deal MIGHT work if I have multiple gateways.
A big part of the problem here is there are a bunch of unknowns (like what does a box do with packet XYZ destined for IP address A.B.C.D if he doesn’t have any idea of where A.B.C.D is?
Does he just toss it over to the Gateway and say “not my problem...”
See what I mean, there is alot of default actions that I’m not sure of.
BTW, I had my first comp job in 1076. And it wasn’t data entry...
;-)