The following is a brief explanation of these options and how you can set them, but it is strongly recommended that you read the Networking section of your VMWare product documentation before you use any of these options.

Bridged networking
Bridged Networking is the default option that VMWare sets up for your new virtual machine. If you use bridged networking, your virtual machine needs to have its own identity on the network. For example, on a TCP/IP network, the virtual machine needs its own IP address. The virtual machine is a full participant in the network. It has access to other machines on the network and can be contacted by other machines on the network as if it were a physical computer on the network.

Network Address Translation
NAT gives a virtual machine access to network resources using the host computer's IP address. A network address translation connection is set up automatically if you follow the Custom path in the New Virtual Machine Wizard and select Use network address translation.

If you use NAT, your virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external network. Instead, a separate private network is set up on the host computer. Your virtual machine gets an address on that network from the VMware virtual DHCP server. The VMware NAT device passes network data between one or more virtual machines and the external network. It identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual machine and sends them to the correct destination.

Host-Only Networking
Host-only networking creates a network that is completely contained within the host computer.A host-only network is set up automatically if you select Use Host-Only Networking in the New Virtual Machine Wizard.

Host-only networking provides a network connection between the virtual machine and the host computer, using a virtual Ethernet adapter that is visible to the host operating system. This approach can be useful if you need to set up an isolated virtual network. If you use host-only networking, your virtual machine and the host virtual adapter are connected to a private TCP/IP network. Addresses on this network are provided by the VMware DHCP server.