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VMware Fusion 2.0.5 update squashes bugs, adds 10.6 support
VMware Fusion has now been updated to version 2.05. The release number is Build 173382. It is a free update to all Fusion 1 and Fusion 2 owners. The update includes: Support for Mac OS X Server guest operating systems with Intel Xeon 5500 and 3500 series processors Experimental support for Snow Leopard Server as a guest OS (32 bit only) Experimental support for Snow Leopard as a host OS (32 bit only) Reduces CPU usage when a VM is idle Contains more than 80 bug fixes I applied the update this morning and had no issues. You can get a look at the release notes here. Your Fusion app should update automatically on launch, or you can download the update from the VMware support web site. Thanks to Martin for the tip
Troubleshooting Roundup: Mac OS X 10.5.7 Update
While Jason D. O'Grady considers anything more than ordinatrix inflagrante to be success when he's installing a new operating system, he and others are still reporting on the various and sundry issues that have cropped up since Tuesday's 10.5.7 update: I can't find my brain: Some users are reporting that their Buffalo (among other) external disks aren't mounting after installing the update. Solution: Nothing concrete, though many people are suggesting installing the combo update you can download from Apple's site, rather than using Software Update. You can participate in Apple's Support Discussion on the topic if you share this problem. [via MacNN.] Blue screen of death: No joke: since the update restarts your computer up to three times, some users are getting hung up on the first blue screen that appears after the gray Apple logo screen. Solution: Wait until disk activity stops, then shut down the computer hard by holding down the power button. [via PowerPage.] I was blind, but now I see: The update is causing some video cards to output non-native display resolutions. Instead of outputting 1920 x 1200, instead Mac OS X will try and output 1920 x 1080 (which works fine for HDMI, but not many widescreen displays). Solution: An oldie-but-goodie: Zap the PRAM by holding down command + option + P + R at startup until the computer restarts a few times, then letting go. [also via PowerPage.] Cold fusion: VMWare is suggesting people hold off on updating if their configuration includes an ATI graphics card and they use Fusion to run 3D Windows apps. (2D apps are just fine.) Slow and poor rendering and general crashiness are symptoms of the problem. Solution: None yet. Apple and ATI are working on an update. [via MacNN.] Got problems of your own? Let us know by leaving a comment.
Kerio MailServer 6.7
Yesterday, amidst the SlingMobile débâcle and an OS update, Kerio Technologies released Kerio Mail MailServer 6.7. The mail and collaboration server, often used as a replacement for Exchange, has added several new features, including a few geared toward Mac users. The Kerio Global Address List (GAL) is a new feature that provides a simple way to get address and contact info from clients like Outlook or Entourage. It syncs and authenticates with both Microsoft Active Directory and Apple Open Directory, as well as Kerio's own user directory. In any company, people join and leave the group, and users are often required to manually update their address books to add and remove entries. With GAL, it's a single directory in a single place, and changes are transparent for users. It supports Entourage, works with the iPhone and functions offline. Kerio MailServer 6.7 also comes with an auto-configuration script for Entourage 2008, downloadable within the Kerio client, providing pre-configured account setup. There's support for private events in iCal, allowing users to maintain personal schedules without requiring a separate calendar application. AddressBook gets some additional love with support for synchronizing groups (which become Categories in Entourage). Kerio has had good support for iPhone users for a while now. For non-iPhone mobile users, there's new support for viewing HTML emails on Nokia devices, as well as DataViz RoadSync compatibility. The MailServer itself is now a certified VMWare appliance, and promotes compatibility with two new Linux distributions: Ubuntu 8 and Debian 5. CentOS is the preferred platform for running on VMWare. IT admins and users alike will appreciate the dramatically improved anti-spam engine, which has been optimized for multi-CPU use, parallel processing of email messages for large queues, improved heuristics and 13 layers of spam protection. In addition to some of the previously available migration tools provided by Kerio, a new IMAP migration tool relieves what is undoubtedly one of the biggest headaches in switching mail servers: keeping your old mail. It's a cross-platform utility which moves messages, folders, accounts and domains from the old system to Kerio MailServer. The IMAP migration tool has been fully tested with OS X. Kerio's pricing has remained the same with this release. Starting at $499 for 10 users, there's a range of options available for different configurations and add-ons, as well as subscription pricing. See Kerio's pricing page for more details.
VMware MVP weds Windows CE and Android in unholy matrimony on dual-boot N800
This is just too good. We knew VMware was working on this sort of thing, but watching it in action is almost too much magic for our fragile hearts to comprehend. VMware MVP lets you run multiple mobile operating systems on a mobile device as virtual machines. It works exactly as you might hope something like this to work -- you can switch between operating systems on the fly, with full graphics acceleration and touchscreen interaction. You can even view both operating systems running simultaneously (in this case Windows CE 6 and Android), with info on just how much power each OS is swiping from your poor little mobile CPU. Performance isn't perfect, of course, but as mobile hardware gets better and the desire for multiple mobile operating systems on the same device becomes unbearable, we see good things happening here. VMware expects to release the software in 2009, video is after the break.
Macworld 2009: Interview with VMware's Peter Kazanjy
In the world of desktop and enterprise virtualization for the Mac, two companies, VMWare and Parallels, top the list. Each offers a suite of products designed to meet the needs of virtualization aficionados -- whether they need to run a rack full of servers or just use Outlook to check email.At last week's Macworld Expo, TUAW's Michael Rose visited the VMWare booth and spoke with the company's Peter Kazanjy to get all the latest info on their VMWare Fusion product for the Mac and some news that will be of particular interest to those of you wanting to play some cool Windows-only games.Click through to check it out.
Parallels Desktop 4 updated
Popular virtualization software Parallels has been updated to build 3810. The software offers many upgrades and fixes, including Windows DirectX 9.0 with Shaders Model 2 support, as well as "experimental" support for Snow Leopard and Windows 7 beta. The "experimental" caution, as you might surmise, means not all features will work. For example, in Snow Leopard, there is no USB support, and Parallels notes there is no shared networking support.Parallels has been running a competitive race against VMware Fusion as each software solution tries to out-feature and outperform the other.The Parallels update can be downloaded at this link, or you can select "check for updates" from the Parallels application help menu. A complete list of the enhancements in this build can be found here. Some users are reporting faster performance and some improvements with use of peripherals.
Get VMWare Fusion 2.0 at a steal, after rebates, free upgrade
If you have been waiting to get your hands on VMWare's Fusion, then now is the perfect time. Fusion is the software that allows you to run Windows, Linux, and now Mac OS X Server in a virtual machine right inside of Mac OS X! And you don't have to pay the regular $79.99US for it either. MacMall is currently offering VMWare Fusion 1.0 for $14.99US after a $20US mail-in rebate. Fusion 1.0 can be upgraded to the newest version (2.0) via a free upgrade available from VMWare. You can grab this after-holiday sale item from the MacMall website. Know of more holiday sale items online? Tell us about them in the comments! Thanks to Karl for the tip!
VMWare Fusion - 50% off, today only
As if all the deals from "Black Friday" weren't enough, the good folks at VMWare are keeping the love going through today with this stellar deal offered exclusively for "Cyber Monday." Here's all the details, directly from the virtual horse's mouth:Get 50% off automatically when you purchase VMware Fusion online, using the coupon code "CyberMondayDeal" for one day only. *Regular Price: $79.99 Your Price: $39.99 *Offer Expires at 11:59PM PT on Monday, December 1, 2008.So, even if you love the Mac but still, on occasion, wish you could run that particular Windows app just like your Windows-loving friends, today is the day to get your hands on a tool that will enable you to do just that. Note that if you already own a license for Parallels or Virtual PC that you bought from a small selection of online retailers, you can get an additional $30 rebate when purchasing Fusion -- check it out.
VMware updates Fusion to 2.0.1
It's not as big a jump as an upgrade from v3 to v4, but VMware's fetish for releasing upgrades late on Friday continues with the 2.01 build of VMware Fusion, now available for download. The new version's DMG sizes up at a healthy 246 MB, and the list of enhanced features and fixed bugs is reasonably long. Standouts include several improvements to mirrored folder performance and a safety check that pauses snapshot creation when your virtual machine is active. Version 2.0.1 is a free upgrade for all VMWare Fusion owners. If you spend your Friday night upgrading it (we know you, and we know you will) please let us know how it goes. Note that there is still an incompatibility between Fusion and the CheckPoint SecureClient software noted on the release notes page.
Parallels 4 is released
Virtualization vendor Parallels has just released Parallels Desktop 4.0 for the Mac. Parallels Desktop is designed to let users run Windows (or Linux) on your Intel Mac within OS X. The newest version of Parallels Desktop boasts better performance (Parallels is claiming a 50% increase over Parallels Desktop 3.0), better graphics, support for more OSs and support for up to 8 GB of RAM and 8 CPUs. Like VMWare Fusion 2.0, Parallels Desktop 4.0 also supports OS X 10.5 Leopard Server as a guest OS, and features experimental support for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Some of the other stand-out features: Ability to save screenshots across operating systems Remotely manage Windows VMs via the iPhone Direct X 9.0 and OpenGL 2.0 support and support for up to 256 MB of video RAM (you can see a list of supported games here) Parallels Virtual Appliance support You can check out the full list of new features here. I'm converting my Parallels virtual machine to 4.0 right now and will post more thoughts on Parallels 4.0 and how it stacks up to other virtualization options from VMWare and VirtualBox in the next few days. Parallels Desktop 4.0 is $79.99 and available now. Existing Parallels customers can upgrade for $39.99 through the end of November. If you purchased Parallels Desktop AFTER September 1, 2008, your upgrade is free.
Installing Ubuntu 8.10 on a Mac
When it comes to virtualization on the Mac, it's mostly discussed in the context of running a variant of Microsoft Windows. This makes sense; the ease of getting Windows to run within OS X (on Intel hardware) is one of the key reasons many first-time Mac buyers are migrating to Apple. However, Windows is hardly the only game in town. Although the annual proclamations of "the year of the Linux desktop" haven't really panned out, thanks to distributions like Ubuntu, more and more individuals are at least giving Linux a try. Today, Canonical made both the server and desktop versions of Ubuntu 8.10 (codenamed 'Intrepid Ibex') available for download. Even before the Intel switch, PPC users could effectively run Linux distros on their machines, but virtualization coupled with Intel hardware has made running a VM of Ubuntu -- or any Linux distribution -- fairly painless. Using commercial software like VMware Fusion 2.0 or Parallels Desktop, or open source and free solutions like VirtualBox, you can set up an Ubuntu virtual machine much like you would with Windows. If you have ever installed a Windows virtual machine, using Parallels, Fusion or VirtualBox, the process for installing Ubuntu is almost exactly the same. Download the Ubuntu 8.10 ISO image (a slow process today with the demand for the new release; it should speed up next week, and there are Bittorrent seeds for faster service) and then select that image for the virtual CD drive when creating your VM. The process, depending on your system, should take under 20 minutes from beginning to end. Today, I set up a virtual machine of Ubuntu 8.10 in both VMware Fusion 2.0 and VirtualBox 2.04. Parallels Desktop works with Ubuntu, but I had problems trying to get Ubuntu 8.04 installed and am still reading reports of problems with 8.10. Parallels might work just fine with Ubuntu 8.10, but keep in mind that it might be kludgy. Read on for more install options.
VMWare offers free training videos on YouTube
VMWare has started publishing short, but informative YouTube videos demonstrating various tasks in the new version of Fusion for the Mac. One of the videos (shown above, YouTube link here) shows how to install Windows XP in a new virtual machine in Fusion 2.0. If you don't want to watch low-quality YouTube videos, you can send an email to downloadrequest@vmware.com. An auto responder will return a message with links to download the high-quality versions of the videos. Thanks, Jason!
VMWare Fusion 2.0 is released
Great news for any virtualization junkies out there (I know I'm not the only one). VMWare Fusion 2.0 has just been will be released Tuesday! Fusion 2.0 is a free upgrade for all existing 1.x customers, and it adds more than 100 new features and enhancements.[Note: VMware's product manager told us an official announcement time of 12:01am Tuesday morning, EDT; however the final version of Fusion 2.0 has not appeared on VMware's website yet as of 12:45am, as pointed out by Jonathan 'Wolf' Rentzsch. –Ed. Update: as of 1 am EDT, the Fusion page has been revised to include the 2.0 upgrade information. –Ed.]I've been using Fusion 2.0 since it first entered beta during the summer and have been very impressed with its performance and feature set. In addition to TUAW, I also write for Download Squad, where we've been a little bit Chrome-Crazy for the last couple of weeks. Although I have access to a few Windows machines, because all my tools for writing and screenshots and graphics are on my Mac, I've been using the beta and release candidate versions of VMWare Fusion 2.0 for all of my testing. Fusion 2.0 features lots of improvements and new features, but the most significant feature, from a technology-pushing perspective, is probably the ability to run Leopard Server as a virtual machine. When Apple made the decision to allow for server virtualization right after Leopard's release, both VMWare and Parallels announced plans to integrate that feature into their respective products. Parallels released Parallels Server back in June, targeting the higher-end enterprise market. VMWare decided to include the feature in Fusion 2.0 to give consumers a taste of the good life. Although my year-old MacBook isn't really the ideal platform to run a virtual instance of Leopard Server, I did give it a go with one of the RC releases and was pleasantly surprised to find I could run a stable local MAMP server off it, and it withstood a pounding from my boyfriend's MacBook and the other media computers we have scattered around our apartment. On a loaded iMac or Mac Pro, I could see Fusion being very handy for testing or replicating a production environment.Another new feature to Fusion 2.0, which first appeared in one of the release candidates, is a 1-year subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus. Although I personally prefer NOD32 for Windows anti-virus protection, having anti-virus software already built into the virtual machine is a great step, especially for users who might be new to virtualization and/or the Mac. There is no longer an excuse to not have some sort of protection on your Windows installs.VMWare Fusion 2.0 is $79.99 for new users, and free for existing customers. VMWare offers a 30-day free trial, if you want to try it out before buying. You need an Intel Mac running OS X 10.4 or higher. Like all virtualization products, the more RAM you have in your machine, the easier things will go.
Forrester: Apple nearly quadruples enterprise share
Ben Gray, analyst at Forrester Research, says that Mac OS X accounts for 4.5 percent of the business operating system market, 3¾ times their share in January 2007. Computerworld notes that all this has happened with one thing notably absent: an enterprise strategy. "I haven't seen anything from Apple that seems to show it's attack[ing] the enterprise market," Gray said. He says the gains in market share are due to two trends: client virtualization (using software like Parallels or VMWare) and the idea that corporate IT departments are more willing to support a broader range of hardware and software. "In the end, [IT departments] want their employees to be as productive as humanly possible, so they'll approve tools that people are more comfortable with," said Gray. In related news, Windows' overall share of the corporate market dipped slightly from 95.6 to 94.9 percent for the same time period. [Via Macworld.]
VMWare Fusion 2 Beta 2 available now
The VMWare team has just released the second beta for VMWare Fusion 2.0, the company's popular virtualization program for the Mac. The new beta adds a TON of new features, as the video above demonstrates. I got a chance to talk to VMWare today about the new beta and it is HOT. I'll be posting a more in-depth overview tomorrow, but until then, here are some of the highlights: Unity 2.0 - The newest version of Fusion is really focused on better Windows-Mac integration. You can now launch Windows programs from the dock or access Mac programs from within your virtual machine. You can also link folders like Documents, Pictures and Music on your virtual machine with those folders on your Mac. Multiple Snapshots VMWare has worked really hard to bring a Time Machine-like ease to backing up and protecting your virtual machine. You can now designate how often you want to take full system snapshots of your VM, whether once an hour, once a day or once a week, and how many copies you want to keep. Better Video and Graphics Graphics and shading support has been improved for Macs that have higher-end graphics cards, and even integrated Macs can now play 1080p HD video in virtual machines with considerably less CPU overhead. Support for more client OSs, including Leopard Server You can now run Leopard Server as a VM in OS X 10.4 and 10.5, even on client machines (virtualizing Mac OS X client is blocked by Apple's license terms). Support for the latest version of Ubuntu (Hardy Heron) is also available right out of the box with Unity integration. Power users can now designate up to four virtual CPUs per virtual machine, which is great for anyone wanting to take an XServe or Mac Pro to the next level. VMWare Fusion 2.0 beta 2 is available for Intel Macs running OS X 10.4 or OS X 10.5. New users can try the beta for free and the upgrade path (including future betas and the full version of Fusion 2.0) is free for all existing Fusion 1.0 customers.
Next VMware Fusion beta to offer Leopard Server virtualization
It's the Holy Grail of Mac virtualization: a Mac inside another computer, running happily on a virtual machine and subject to your every whim. Up until last fall, there was no framework in Apple's licensing to allow for Mac OS X virtualization; then the ground shifted and the heavens shook, and there was a way forward. Mac OS X Server is now eligible for virtualization on Apple hardware, so naturally both big Mac virtual machine players are eagerly pushing forward on this front.Parallels is offering OS X Server virtualization as part of its Parallels Server high-end product, which is currently approaching the end of its beta; the gang at VMware, however, are going the route of integrating OS X Server virtualization into the consumer level Fusion product. VMware has announced that the next beta of Fusion 2 (and the eventual release) will include the option to virtualize Mac OS X Server. This is awesome news for anyone using Fusion now, as the upgrade to 2.0 is free for existing customers.Of course, virtualizing Mac OS X Server is not an inexpensive proposition, as even a 10-user license of Server clocks in at a cool $499. For developers and corporate folk, however (many who would have access to volume or seeding licenses of Server), it's a great help. Video demo of VMware's new feature announcement after the jump.Thanks Peter.
WWDC '08: VMWare Fusion
Pat Lee from VMWare sat down with me to share the latest news on the VMWare Fusion 2.0 beta. Among the big new features: the ability to run 10.5 Server as a virtual machine. Check out the interview after the jump, and check out the VMWare blog for some 10-screen virtualization fun. There's a feature demo available on YouTube, and if -- after you've taken all of that in -- you're dying to get in on the beta, head to the public beta release page for more information.
VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1
VMware has just announced VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1, the first beta of the second iteration of their very successful virtualization product for the Mac. As you'll recall Fusion allows you to run a host of OSes on your Intel Mac including, but not limited to, many flavors of Windows.The above video gives you a tour of Fusion 2.0 Beta 1's top new features, including: Multiple monitor support (up to 10 displays!) Improved networking and printing Support for DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 2 (this is experimental, and it might not work on your Mac) A refined UI for settings and VM management And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The beta is available now, and best of all the upgrade to version 2.0, when it comes out of beta, will be free to all Fusion users. You can register for the beta program and download the hefty 300 MB installer here.
VMware Fusion 1.1.2 adds Time Machine support
Over on the blog for VMware Fusion, they've announced the release of version 1.1.2 which adds support for Time Machine backups of your virtual machines. Apparently 10.5.2 fixed some problem that prevented virtual machines from being backed up properly and they have now enabled it. They warn, however, that since Time Machine backs up anything that changes, and virtual machines tend to be rather large, you may want to exclude certain virtual machines to avoid losing too much space on your backup drive. The new version also adds support for the MacBook Air (fixing a problem with the virtual drive), Windows XP SP3 Boot Camp partitions, and simplified Chinese, as well as quashing various bugs.VMware Fusion 1.1.2 is a free update for registered users and $79.99 otherwise.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
VMware Fusion video contest offers a MacBook Air
There are so many ways to get your hands on a MacBook Air (and apparently several ways to lose your grip on one, as well). You could visit the Apple Store, or Best Buy, or shop online. You could take up a collection with friends and family, or prevail upon your spouse to get one for you.Here's another idea: make a video about how VMware Fusion has helped you switch to the Mac is now your virtualization tool of choice, and you could win an Air. Submit your video by May 15 (every entry gets a Fusion t-shirt, so there are no losers) for your chance to walk, or trip, away with the laptop.Despite a couple of high-profile callouts on the Fusion 'switched' minisite, I'm afraid that Mat and Chris aren't entering the contest. Too bad, guys! Update:The VMware team has clarified that the video contest is about users who have switched to VMware Fusion from another way of running Windows on the Mac (Boot Camp, Parallels, Virtual PC, the power of the mind). Adjust your artistic vision appropriately.
