Hello all! I am stuck and a bit lost on how I can make this work. It really isnt that complicated, I am just verbose. 
I would like to setup a lab test network on my desktop computer so that I can deploy a Win Server 2012 VM and test out all the functionality. I know that I must have the server setup on a network that does not have an active existing DHCP enabled. To make matters a bit more interesting (read: confusing), the desktop PC in question is behind a router, which is plugged into another router, which is plugged into my ISP modem. My initial idea was to use cascading routers like most people say and just turn DHCP off on the one that is connected to the machine hosting the server. I know I must take care to make sure that the internal IP on that network is set to a DIFFERENT subnet than the one that is handling DHCP on the first router. It seems that these two routers I have cannot assign internal IPs outside of 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.255. Anytime I try to assign an IP to the second router other 192.168.1.X, it either claims it isnt a valid range or it says that it changed but then I can't get back into the config page. Also, this desktop PC is using PIA's VPN, and I often connect to many different gateway countries when online. Dont know if that matters at all, but PIA's VPN utility does install its own drivers for connectivity to prevent programs from going around it. This is my main desktop computer so I use it for everything. Some have suggested that this ISNT impossible but more difficult than having a secondary computer running on the test network instead of your main desktop. true?
So basically that's the run down.
ISP<---->Router 1(all other connections)<----->Router 2(only my desktop with VPN and VMware)<------>Desktop PC with VPN<----->VMWare<----->Win Server 2012.
Here is the config as it stands today:
My ISP has supplied me with a modem for connectivity (no wifi). The modem ethernet is plugged into the WAN port of my first router (ASUS RT-N65U). This router has two wifi networks on it for all mobile devices in the house and also has a hard wired ethernet for my wife's PC, my Living room TV, and my kitchen PC. It also has a wired ethernet which goes into the LAN (NOT wan) port of my second router (ASUS RT-N56U). From the second router, WIFI has been turned off as well and the only thing plugged into that one is my desktop PC that uses the VPN and has my VM of win server 2012.
In my first router has a LAN IP of 192.168.1.1. I have set the range to 192.168.1.3 through 192.168.1.200 because initially I wanted to use a DMZ address outside of that range, but I never did.
The second router has a LAN IP of 192.168.1.2. This isn't right because that is the same subnet as Router 1 with DHCP on it. Changing that IP to anything else (tried 10.0.0.1, and 172.16.0.0, and 192.168.X.X) makes it inaccessible through the browser configuration. I went back to the first router to use MAC filtering for assigned an IP, yet anything other than 192.168.1.X makes it respond with "invalid IP address". I read in a CNET review that this router, the second router of this story(ASUS RT-N56U) CANNOT change its IP from 192.168.1.X. Seriously?? Maybe its true and Im in denial, but what the hell? I have made sure that DHCP on this second router is OFF.
I see that VMware offers the ability to configure subnets by editing or adding a network adapter. Ive also seen people using Linux VMs (like CentOS) to create a virtual router. Is that what I should do? I think I am making this too complicated! So here I am...
To sum it up, I want my desktop computer(using PIA's VPN) to be isolated on a subet that has Win Server 2012(installed but net setup yet) in a VM. Server will NOT be up 24/7(will that change when it becomes a DHCP server?), but I will need the ability to allow it to access the internet for specific services. To achieve this I have tried to separate my main desktop from all other devices on the network by using two routers, but, again, seems like that won't work because these routers can't change from 192.168.1.X. Lastly, I use this PC for my daily use cases which revolve around VMware, Audio/Video editing, FTP, heavy internet usage, Office, and email.
Any help much appreciated, and I apologize for writing such a loooong entry.
I would like to setup a lab test network on my desktop computer so that I can deploy a Win Server 2012 VM and test out all the functionality. I know that I must have the server setup on a network that does not have an active existing DHCP enabled. To make matters a bit more interesting (read: confusing), the desktop PC in question is behind a router, which is plugged into another router, which is plugged into my ISP modem. My initial idea was to use cascading routers like most people say and just turn DHCP off on the one that is connected to the machine hosting the server. I know I must take care to make sure that the internal IP on that network is set to a DIFFERENT subnet than the one that is handling DHCP on the first router. It seems that these two routers I have cannot assign internal IPs outside of 192.168.1.1 through 192.168.1.255. Anytime I try to assign an IP to the second router other 192.168.1.X, it either claims it isnt a valid range or it says that it changed but then I can't get back into the config page. Also, this desktop PC is using PIA's VPN, and I often connect to many different gateway countries when online. Dont know if that matters at all, but PIA's VPN utility does install its own drivers for connectivity to prevent programs from going around it. This is my main desktop computer so I use it for everything. Some have suggested that this ISNT impossible but more difficult than having a secondary computer running on the test network instead of your main desktop. true?
So basically that's the run down.
ISP<---->Router 1(all other connections)<----->Router 2(only my desktop with VPN and VMware)<------>Desktop PC with VPN<----->VMWare<----->Win Server 2012.
Here is the config as it stands today:
My ISP has supplied me with a modem for connectivity (no wifi). The modem ethernet is plugged into the WAN port of my first router (ASUS RT-N65U). This router has two wifi networks on it for all mobile devices in the house and also has a hard wired ethernet for my wife's PC, my Living room TV, and my kitchen PC. It also has a wired ethernet which goes into the LAN (NOT wan) port of my second router (ASUS RT-N56U). From the second router, WIFI has been turned off as well and the only thing plugged into that one is my desktop PC that uses the VPN and has my VM of win server 2012.
In my first router has a LAN IP of 192.168.1.1. I have set the range to 192.168.1.3 through 192.168.1.200 because initially I wanted to use a DMZ address outside of that range, but I never did.
The second router has a LAN IP of 192.168.1.2. This isn't right because that is the same subnet as Router 1 with DHCP on it. Changing that IP to anything else (tried 10.0.0.1, and 172.16.0.0, and 192.168.X.X) makes it inaccessible through the browser configuration. I went back to the first router to use MAC filtering for assigned an IP, yet anything other than 192.168.1.X makes it respond with "invalid IP address". I read in a CNET review that this router, the second router of this story(ASUS RT-N56U) CANNOT change its IP from 192.168.1.X. Seriously?? Maybe its true and Im in denial, but what the hell? I have made sure that DHCP on this second router is OFF.
I see that VMware offers the ability to configure subnets by editing or adding a network adapter. Ive also seen people using Linux VMs (like CentOS) to create a virtual router. Is that what I should do? I think I am making this too complicated! So here I am...
To sum it up, I want my desktop computer(using PIA's VPN) to be isolated on a subet that has Win Server 2012(installed but net setup yet) in a VM. Server will NOT be up 24/7(will that change when it becomes a DHCP server?), but I will need the ability to allow it to access the internet for specific services. To achieve this I have tried to separate my main desktop from all other devices on the network by using two routers, but, again, seems like that won't work because these routers can't change from 192.168.1.X. Lastly, I use this PC for my daily use cases which revolve around VMware, Audio/Video editing, FTP, heavy internet usage, Office, and email.
Any help much appreciated, and I apologize for writing such a loooong entry.