# get eth interface to be always in RUNNING status

## STreen

Hi,

one of my eth interfaces is set up correctly and has status UP.

But only with a cable plugged in and a live machine on the other end it gets the status RUNNING as well.

Is there a way to set the status to RUNNING without plugging anything into that interface ?

Maybe disabling hotplugging for the device or something so that it is always treated as running ?

Thanks, S.

----------

## audiodef

Why do you want to do that?

----------

## Veldrin

use a ethernet loopback jack?

OTOH, I am curious to the answer to audiodefs questions...

V.

----------

## STreen

To be able to connect a virtual machine to this interface without plugging a live physical machine into it as well.

----------

## audiodef

Wouldn't that be handled by the VM's drivers?

----------

## STreen

It's VirtualBox I'm using and there I want to use the option for a bridged network adapter. I thought this was emulating a physical cable being plugged into the corresponding host interface but it doesn't as it doesn't effect the interface's running status. Someone over at #vbox told me that virtualbox cannot change this OS behaviour. Before I heard that, my gut feeling had been that it could do just that.

But anyways, I was looking for an easy way around this, where I can physically plug in my 2nd physical machine into the same host interface that the VM connects to as well. And if I don't need my 2nd computer to talk to the VM I can just leave it off and still have the VM talk to its host.

----------

## Hu

Create a bridge device.  Add your Ethernet port to the bridge.  Add your VirtualBox port to the bridge.  Leave your Ethernet port otherwise unconfigured.  Configure the IP address and routing on the bridge device.

----------

