🧪 Ubuntu VM Web Server Lab (VMware + SSH + Nginx)
A hands-on lab to learn Linux web servers, networking, firewall rules, and real-world troubleshooting (plus how these skills transfer to AWS EC2 and DevOps).
🧰 Tech Stack
- Windows 10/11 (Host OS)
- Ubuntu Linux (Guest VM)
- VMware Workstation
- Nginx Web Server
- SSH (from PowerShell)
🎯 Why I installed Nginx
I installed Nginx to:
-
Practice hosting a web service on a Linux server
-
Test networking between Windows (host) and Ubuntu VM (guest)
-
Learn real-world troubleshooting: firewall, ports, VM networking
-
Build skills that directly transfer to AWS EC2 and DevOps work
🛠 Setup Overview
-
Host OS: Windows
-
VM: Ubuntu on VMware Workstation
-
Access method: SSH from PowerShell
-
Goal: Access a web page on the VM from Windows browser
1️⃣ Connect to Ubuntu VM via SSH (from PowerShell)
ssh alok@
2️⃣ Install and start Nginx on Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
Verify Nginx is running:
sudo systemctl status nginx
Test locally on the VM:
curl http://localhost
✅ This confirmed Nginx was working inside the VM.
3️⃣ Find the VM’s IP address
hostname -I
Example:
192.168.80.129
4️⃣ Try accessing from Windows browser
http://192.168.80.129
❌ Issue: Page kept loading / timed out
Error:
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT
5️⃣ Check Ubuntu firewall (UFW)
sudo ufw status
Output showed:
-
Port 22 (SSH) allowed
-
Ports 3000, 5000, 8000 allowed
-
❌ Port 80 NOT allowed
🔧 Fix: Allow HTTP (port 80)
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw reload
Tried browser again ❌
Still timing out → meaning firewall wasn’t the only issue.
6️⃣ Confirm Nginx was not the problem
sudo systemctl status nginx
curl http://localhost
Result:
-
Nginx: ✅ running
-
curl localhost: ✅ works
👉 Conclusion:
App layer is fine. Problem is networking between Windows ↔ VM.
7️⃣ Verify VMware network mode
Checked:
-
VMware → VM Settings → Network Adapter
-
Mode: ✅ NAT (already selected)
So NAT wasn’t misconfigured, but NAT services might be broken.
8️⃣ Fix VMware NAT networking (host-side issue)
On Windows:
-
Press
Win + R -
Run:
services.msc
- Restart:
-
✅ VMware NAT Service
-
✅ VMware DHCP Service
This fixed the broken network path between Windows and the VM.
9️⃣ Test again from Windows
In Chrome:
http://192.168.80.129
✅ Nginx page loaded successfully
Problem solved 🎉
🧠 Root Cause Summary
| Layer | Status |
|---|---|
| App (Nginx) | ✅ Working |
| Local access | ✅ curl localhost works |
| Ubuntu firewall | ❌ Port 80 blocked (fixed) |
| VMware NAT service | ❌ Broken on Windows (fixed by restarting services) |
| Browser access | ❌ Timeout → ✅ Works after fixes |
🔍 Troubleshooting Commands Used
On Ubuntu VM
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl status nginx
curl http://localhost
hostname -I
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw reload
On Windows
ssh alok@
ping
Windows UI:
-
services.msc- Restart VMware NAT Service
- Restart VMware DHCP Service
💡 What this taught me (real-world skills)
-
How web servers work on Linux
-
How ports and firewalls affect access
-
How VM networking (NAT) works
-
How to isolate problems by layer:
- App
- Firewall
- Network
- Host services
This is exactly the same thinking I’ll use when:
-
An EC2 instance won’t load
-
A Docker container isn’t reachable
-
A service times out in production
