Braden Holschuh

IT Specialist

[
[
[

]
]
]

Command Line File Sharing Between Linux Virtual Machines

The purpose of this lab is to configure two Linux virtual machines (VMs in VirtualBox) so they can communicate with each other and share files over a network. This lab demonstrates basic virtual networking, IP connectivity, and file sharing using secure and network-based methods.

Environment

  • Hypervisor – Oracle VirtualBox
  • Operating System – Linux (Ubuntu/Debian-based)
  • Number of Virtual Machines – 2
  • Network Mode – NAT Network
  • File Sharing Methods – SCP and NFS

Network Configuration

I powered off both virtual machines and configured their network settings in VirtualBox. For each VM, I navigated to Settings > Network > Adapter 1 and set the adapter to ‘NAT Network’. I ensured both VMs were connected to the same NAT Network so they could communicate with each other.

Verifying Network Connectivity

On each virtual machine, I identified the assigned IP address using the following command:

ip a

The IP addresses assigned were:

  • VM1 “Alpha” – 10.0.2.4
  • VM2 “Beta” – 10.0.2.5

To verify connectivity, I sent ICMP packets from VM1 to VM2:

ping 10.0.2.5

The successful responses confirmed that the virtual machines could communicate over the network.

Method 1: File Sharing Using SCP (Secure Copy)

Installing and Enabling SSH

I installed and enabled the SSH service on both virtual machines using:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openssh-server -y
sudo systemctl enable --now ssh

Transferring Files

From VM1, I transferred a test file to VM2 using SCP:

scp test.txt beta@10.0.2.5:/home/beta/

I also tested copying an entire directory:

scp -r project/ beta@10.0.2.5:/home/beta/

Result

The files were transferred successfully, confirming that SCP was functioning correctly between the two virtual machines.

Alpha (VM1):

Beta (VM2):

Method 2: File Sharing Using NFS (Network File System)

Configuring the NFS Server (VM1)

I installed the NFS server package on VM1:

sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server -y

I then created a shared directory and set appropriate permissions:

sudo mkdir /shared
sudo chmod 777 /shared

Next, I configured the NFS exports file:

sudo nano /etc/exports

I added the following entry to allow access from the NAT network:

/shared 10.0.2.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

Finally, I applied the configuration and restarted the NFS service:

sudo exportfs -a
sudo systemctl restart nfs-kernel-server

Configuring the NFS Client (VM2)

On VM2, I installed the NFS client utilities:

sudo apt install nfs-common -y

I created a mount point for the shared directory:

sudo mkdir /mnt/shared

I mounted the NFS share from VM1:

sudo mount 10.0.2.4:/shared /mnt/shared

To verify functionality, I created a test file in the shared directory:

touch /mnt/shared/testfile.txt

Result

The test file created on VM2 appeared in the shared directory on VM1, confirming that the NFS share was working correctly.

Verification

I verified successful completion of the lab by confirming:

  • Network connectivity using ping between both virtual machines
  • Successful file transfers using SCP
  • Successful file creation and access through the NFS-mounted directory

Troubleshooting Notes

During the lab, I noted that using NAT Network instead of standard NAT was required for VM-to-VM communication. I also ensured that the SSH service was running for SCP to function and that the correct subnet was specified in the NFS exports configuration.

Conclusion

In this lab, I successfully configured two Linux virtual machines in VirtualBox to communicate and share files. I used SCP for secure file transfers and NFS for persistent file sharing. This lab reinforced my understanding of Linux networking, remote access, and file sharing concepts commonly used in real-world IT environments.