Fresh result – 2019 01:
qemu does support ne2k_isa NIC, so invoke it like this:

qemu-system-i386 -M isapc -m 16 -cpu 486 -no-reboot -net nic,model=ne2k_isa -net user -fda de200flp.tar -hda 825x16x63.vmdk -no-fd-bootchk

First, download de200 xenix drivers from dlink ftp sites.
There is a need for DE200 (NOT de220) xnx-specific driver. Install base os, then streams, then tcp. Then manually from a .tar file you made it previously from the de200 files with weird case sensitive names, which is simply padded with zeroes up to 1440kbytes in order to act as a floppy image.
Then from xenix console as root:

tar xvf /dev/install

then chmod three specific files in /usr/lib/*/

Then install with two specific commands in the readme enclosed to the dlink package.

Parameters: DE200 subtype (not the de100), IRQ = 9 (NOT 5), PORT 0x300 (default), segment arbitrary.

Successfully telnetted out to the host (netcat listener was the “telnetd” )

Enjoy!

Yes you can do networking under qemu, and under virtualbox. Use virtual serial port from host and slip from guest. More details can be sent via email, if requested.

No, Qemu doesn’t emulate one of the 3 network cards that Xenix can utilize. However MESS can.

This method of installing also working in Vmware Workstation.