The DHCP server in Parallels, serving Host & Shared networking features, should be configurable. As for example, I like to configure ICS in XP in order to route traffic from MacOSX to the VM's #1 interface and out on the other VM's #2 interface. XP can support internet connection sharing. XP forces IP 192.168.0.1 on #1. This is not changeable for ICS to work. The MacOSX side of the same interface must be in the same network (192.168.0.x) but doing so will automatically set the Parallels's DHCP server to 192.168.0.1. In the end XP cannot configure #1 for ICS as it detects, rightly, an IP conflict. A solution would be to be able to freely configure the IP parameters of the Parallels DHCP server.
Doesn't Parallels->Preferences->Network tab solve your problem? I've always found XP ICS completely impenetrable unless you are simply sharing a modem connection. You could always try turning off Parallels' DHCP feature completely and either (a) running a DHCP server on the MacOS side*, listening on the "virtual" network interfaces that parallels creates or (b) setting up a VM running one of the compact Linux firewall distros (such as IPCop). Personally, I always use "bridged" networking and let my router sort everything out (actually I've got an old Mac Mini doing all the dns, dhcp, mail etc. for my home network) * dnsmasq is fairly simple to set up, but you'll need fink or macports to install it.
Thanks for you thoughts. My point is that i want to use ICS to route my MacOSX traffic through the VM, no matter what. I don't mind to configure XP, via the registry, to use IP interface routing, but it doesn't cut the ease of use cake as far I am concerned and it will not work using my company's VPN product. Only ICS will work for later. As for the Parallels networking tab: It will only provide to determine the range of addresses it will assign to clients. However, itself it will assign the xxx.xxx.xxx.1. And that is the problem. I like to be able to configure this very DHCP server address freely.
Sorry - got you. You want to use an XP VM as a gateway to allow thw Mac talk to your VPN. In that case, you *don't* want a DHCP server running on the Mac side *at all* - just turn off the "Enable DHCP scope for Host Only networking" checkbox in the Parallels network panel. The XP VM should then be able to use 192.168.0.1, and the mac side interface ("Parallels Host-Guest") should pick up its address from the XP machine, or you can manually configure it in System Preferences to be 192.168.0.2, mask 255.255.255.0, router 192.168.0.1
