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Question Regarding Networking For Onboard Ethernet Adapter For Retronas With Actual Windows 98 / XP Computer

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First post, by ShortstopGFX

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Hey there,

A friend of mine helped me build a Windows 98 and XP build maybe half a year ago.

It runs just fine on both Windows 98 and XP on the same harddrive.

My current issue is that I am trying to figure out how to actually enable the onboard networking device for use in this kind of workflow with 'RetroNAS':
- I have a mini PC running Kubuntu
- This same mini PC also is running Virtualbox, which is hosting a Debian VM running Retronas
- This same Retronas instance contains a harddrive containing all of the ripped games I have etc
- I have the mini PC (host PC) connected to a shared NetGear S350 Series switch that is also connected to the Windows 98 / XP machine --> Both machines are connected via ethernet cables to the switch and to their respective machines
- The mini PC is using its own wifi to access the internet, but this is downstairs in my basement so my router is upstairs etc.

That being noted, I tried doing the following for assigning a static IP address to the Windows XP machine and troubleshooting overall:
- I assigned a static IP address to the Windows XP machine itself in the network settings
- I am able to ping the Debian 10 VM from the Kubuntu mini PC, and vice versa
- Every time I try to ping the Debian 10 VM's IP address or Kubuntu host mini PC address FROM the Windows XP computer, it keeps timing out for network requests with 32

In the Windows 98 / XP machine's BIOS, I have these settings enabled:
- Advanced > Onboard PCI LAN_2: Enabled
- Advanced > Onboard PCI LAN_2: LAN Option ROM: Disabled

Questions:
Q1. Should I proceed with trying to get the onboard networking to work, or should I get a separate PCI networking card?

If so, what specific networking card would work well with Windows 98 and XP, and has decent driver support and is on eBay?

Q2. Am I making this harder than it needs to be by not just enabling Samba in Kubuntu (host), and just seeing if I can share a network share between Linux and Windows 98 and XP? If so, anyone have a decent guide for this?

Q3. In addition to maybe getting a separate PCI network card, do you think I should just maybe figure out a Samba share setup for the Windows XP side of things since it would probably have support for it in an easier fashion or even straight up do a USB 2.0 file transfer setup, since the Windows XP machine while booted into XP has access to the same 98 drive?

Anyway, I ask all of this because I believed this all worked to some extent without an issue when I was using Windows 10 on the host mini PC before. But I might be misremembering it because I remember the sound having issues, hence my friend took a look at the machine again, helped me install a better soundcard for it, and I think determined that the onboard LAN might be fighting with IRQ values or whatever (idk its been a long time since I tried this).

Happy to do whatever though. I am think

Reply 2 of 4, by paradigital

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First things first, the NIC is clearly working in XP, so I doubt there are resource conflicts.

Secondly there isn’t enough information regarding the actual network setup.

1) When you say the host can ping the RetroNAS VM, what network is this through, you mention both a wired switch and a wifi connection, are they separate subnets?

2) if they are separate subnets, are both passed through to the VM?

If I had to guess at this point, the host can ping the VM because they are on the same network physically, but something in the network config (likely of the VM within virtualbox or the virtual networks in virtualbox) is preventing the NAS from getting to both subnets.

Reply 3 of 4, by ShortstopGFX

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I can find out further after work today.

I think from what I remember, I can ping the XP machine from the Kubuntu mini PC.

I think you're right, something is wrong with the way the networking is handled on the VM.

I have a bridged adapter setting from what I remember but yeah it's gotta be something with the VM.

I might just try setting up a Samba share on the host Kubuntu mini PC instead.

To answer your questions:

1) When you say the host can ping the RetroNAS VM, what network is this through, you mention both a wired switch and a wifi connection, are they separate subnets?

They are on the same subnet as I assigned them to include IP addresses with 192.168.1.(specific IP number) and includes the default 255 subnet.

2) if they are separate subnets, are both passed through to the VM?

I think so. How can I prove this with some terminal commands?

Reply 4 of 4, by ShortstopGFX

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Any other screenshots needed?

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