Define a network bridge using Ubuntu’s / Linux Mint’s Network Manager application

I’m regularly passing large amounts of data between my Windows VM and my Linux host. To avoid bottlenecks, I use a virtual network bridge that creates a 10 GBit link between the guest and the host, enough to challenge the fastest SSD on the market.

When running Ubuntu 18.04 or Linux Mint 19.1, Network Manager offers a convenient way to configure a network bridge.

Here is how you set up a virtual network bridge for connecting a Virtual Machine to the Linux Host. Please note that this will not work with a wireless network connection, at least not without some modifications:

1. Click on the Network Manager icon (near the bottom right in the Linux Mint panel). Then select “Edit connections…”.

   

2. Click “Add”, then select “Bridge” from the drop-down menu.

   

   Then click “Create…”.

3. Select the Bridge tab and click “Add”.

   

4. From the drop-down menu, choose “Ethernet” as the connection type.

   

   Click “Create…”.

5. Under the Ethernet tab, select your network link next to the “Device:” specification. I have selected enp3s0 which is the fixed Ethernet link to my router.

   

   Click “Save” to save the configuration and to close the window.

6. Back in the “Editing Bridge connection 1” window, select the IPv4 Settings tab.

   

   If you wish to automatically assign an IP address every time you start your PC, you can click “Save” and close the window. Congratulations – you are done!

   If, like me, you prefer to use a static IP, select “Manual” from the “Method:” drop-down menu. Fill in the IP address, network mask, gateway address, and the DNS server address. Mine are as follows:

   

   I also selected “Require IPv4 addressing for this connection to complete” (not sure this is needed). Once you are done, click “Save”. Close the “Network connections” window.

7. Check the new configuration by clicking on the Network Manager icon, then select “Connection Information”. Here is my configuration:

   

8. To enable the new network configuration, reboot your computer!

Good luck!