vmware
Latest
Welcome to Bizarro World: Parallels and VMware running Mac OS X on XP?
OK, the Parallels-dar was apparently down for refurbishment this weekend, since everyone else has this story already: CNN/Money has posted a column by David Fitzpatrick of Fortune that reveals some fascinating tidbits about virtualization in, and virtualization of, Mac OS X.Fitzpatrick announced, apparently for the first time in public, that Parallels is the corporate child of server-side virtualization company SWsoft, makers of VM tool Virtuozzo and server management console Plesk. It's SWsoft's deep pockets that have been keeping the lights on during the cold Moscow winters (most of the Parallels dev team is located in Russia). Even more fascinating, Fitzpatrick quotes the chiefs of both SWsoft and VMware on another topic (emphasis mine):VMware's CEO Diane Greene told me last week that her company's existing x86 desktop product is already being used by some to run Mac OS on computers from Dell, HP and others, though this is not intentional on VMware's part. SWsoft's Beloussov says that this spring, Parallels will upgrade its software further, in a way that by coincidence will make it easier to run Mac OS on a non-Apple computer. He also insists that is not deliberate, but just a consequence of the nature of the technology, especially now that Intel builds virtualization technology into its chips. Really truly? If this is happening, it's a very big deal. With the back-office expertise of both VMware and SWsoft, when Mac OS X (or, more likely, Mac OS X Server) becomes a virtualized player on server-class systems, it's going to shake things up quite a bit for Mac server admins. If any of you out there are already running Mac OS X under VMware on Windows... don't hide your light under a bushel, let us know about it.Update 8 am ET: Several loyal night-shift readers have noted that a hacked version of OS X has been runnable under VMware for some time. I'm aware of this, but -- and no disrespect to the dedicated folks at insanelymac.com that are working to optimize the experience -- this situation is parallel (pun intended) to the XPonMac.com boot loader vs. Boot Camp. When a boxed copy of OS X runs under a standard install of VMware or Parallels, you've entered what I shudder to call the Hack-Free Zone; that's a place where the non-enthusiast community may take advantage of the capability, as happened with Boot Camp. Not to forget, OS X does not require serial number activation... so a Parallels image of OS X would be infinitely portable. That's not gonna last.Thanks David![via Download Squad/Engadget]
Parallels to turn it around, help Mac OS onto generic PC boxen
With the popularity of software like Apple's Boot Camp and SWsoft's Parallels, it's no secret that people want to run Windows and Mac OS on the same box, but who says that it has to be an Apple box? Well, Apple does, and the company has staunchly defended itself from the porting of OS X into the mad world of PC generics (not with total success, of course). But with mounting pressure from users and increasing software support from VMware and SWsoft, Steve Jobs might have to let go of his tight grasp on his shiny blue OS -- or at least turn the other way as OS X makes its way onto those vile, inferior, and cheaper x86 machines without his blessing. On that front, there's good news on the horizon: it turns out an upcoming version of Parallels just so happens to "make it easier to run Mac OS on a non-Apple computer," by some unknown but welcome means. VMware's own upcoming virtualization software for the Mac has been hamstrung by the trouble VMware has gone through trying to get Apple's blessing, and SWsoft's Parallels has been "crippled" in particular ways to make it more difficult to get Mac OS onto a non-Apple machine, but it seems like it's only going to get harder for Apple to have it both ways, and Intel's inclusion of virtualization in its own chips just compounds the "problem." Michael Dell has also reconfirmed his desire to pre-load Mac OS onto his own boring boxes "if customers wanted it and Apple would license it on reasonable terms," but that tantalizing offer doesn't seem to have swayed Apple yet.[Via Techmeme]
Macworld 2007 Show Floor Showoff: VMware
Virtualization is the new black in the Mac market these days. I got a chance to talk with Pat who is the product manager of VMware for the Mac (aka Fusion). VMware is the granddaddy of virtualization, and a 'big deal' in that space. Pat gives us an overview of what VMware is trying to do with Fusion and a glimpse at their software philosophy.If you would rather view this view in QuickTime an iPod video formated version can be found here.
Beta Beat: Parallels Desktop for Mac Update Beta3 (Build 3106)
The coding elves at Parallels must not sleep. They have released just another beta of Parallels Desktop for Mac (this is Beta 3 for those keeping score at home). In case you haven't used the previous Beta, there is a new UI for Parallels, which I am not too crazy about, and a number of bug fixes as well as support for USB 2.0.New in this beta is the inclusion of Transporter Beta3. What does Transporter do? It allows you to migrate an existing Windows install on a PC to a Parallels install over a network. It will also convert VMWare and Virtual PC disk images to Parallel Disk images.
VMware Fusion public beta available
After months of waiting, the public beta of VMware Fusion is finally available. What is Fusion? It is VMware's OS X virtualization client. Most of you are probably familiar with Parallels for the Mac, which allows you to run Windows, and other OSes, on your Mac. Fusion is VMware's answer to Parallels. VMware is the market leader in the virtualization space, and so having a VMware app for OS X is a big deal.The beta works with all Intel Macs and allows you to virtualize a number of different operating systems. You can assign multiple processors to your virtual machines, and Fusion supports USB 2.0 out of the box. One of the largest selling points of Fusion, besides VMware's track record, is that you can download and run a number of Virtual Appliances which run the gamut from a complete Oracle 10g environment to a lightweight Knoppix install. As with any betas, there are bugs so make sure to read this page detailing them all.Read on for some pictures of the beta in action.Thanks, Jamie.
VMWare Fusion beta round up
Virtualization on the Mac is heating up, and Parallels isn't the only company with some stakes in the game. VMWare, the Juggernaut of the virtualization world, has been running a private beta of their Mac client, Fusion, for awhile now. They point to a few bloggers' thoughts on the product in a recent post to the company's blog. Some people aren't too thrilled with the simplifed 'wizard' setup that Fusion exposes to the user. They want to be able to tweak more settings, though I imagine the typical OS X user will just want to get Windows (or another OS) running as soon as possible.It seems to be quick, versatile, and fairly solid in beta. I'm hoping to get my hands on the client myself and put it through its paces, but there is no denying that this is an exciting time to be a Mac user.
Use VMWare virtual appliances with Parallels
We know that VMWare's Mac client, Fusion, is in private beta at the moment but if you want to use one of the coolest things about VMWare now, you can. Virtualization Daily shows us how to use a VMWare virtual appliance (basically a virtualized machine meant for one specific use) with Parallels.This isn't for the faint of heart, but if you're comfortable with the Terminal and are itching to stretch the boundaries of virtualization on the Mac this is for you.
Beta Beat: VM2Go Utility for Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels user Mark (aka) Clalron has whipped up a nifty little utility called VM2Go and he just released it as beta in the Parallels forums. The app provides a list of all the virtual machines on your Mac, shows their actual disk space usage, allows VMs to be transferred to iPods or external drives, allows you to backup your VM to CD or DVD and restore it from CD or DVD as well. Although I haven't had a chance to try it yet since I won't be on a Mac that has Parallels on it until later today, but it sounds like it will be quite useful! If any of you get a chance to try it out, please let us know your thoughts - and be sure to also send feedback and bug reports to the developer also so he can improve upon future releases.The user guide and mac.com download link location are temporary, as is the icon - which is a good thing because the icon currently looks like the Transmit icon with a bad case of food poisoning.More info and the download link can be found in the Parallels support forums.
VMWare's Fusion begins private beta
Some beta testers that we won't name for their own protection have let us know that VMWare is now ready to take Parallels to task in the desktop virtualization market with Fusion.What is Fusion? According to the private beta site... "Fusion is the codename for a new VMware desktop product for Mac that will enable Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. It is built on VMware's robust and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today."Fusion boasts the following features and benefits: Ability to create and run a wide variety of x86 operating systems on OS X without rebooting. You can easily create virtual machines and run multiple operating systems simultaneously on Mac OS X. In addition, you can download and run any of the 300 virtual appliances available on VMware's Technology Network. Easily share files between OS X and guest operating system. You can simply drag and drop files between OS X and virtual machines to easily share files between the two environments. Access physical devices from the virtual machine. You can access physical devices such as CD ROM drives, video cameras, iPods, printers and high-speed disks from the virtual machine. Leverage Virtual SMP capabilities to gain additional performance improvement. You can assign more than a single CPU (on supported hardware with Intel Core Duo CPU) to gain additional performance for CPU-intensive workloads. Consolidate onto your Mac: If you need a PC to run specific applications that are not supported on your Mac, you can consolidate onto your Mac by running the PC environment in a virtual machine. In addition to space savings, consolidating onto your Mac reduces hardware, power and cooling costs. Safely evaluate software in isolated virtual machines: You can evaluate non-OS X applications safely on your Mac by running them in an isolated virtual machine. If the application crashes or corrupts the system, your Mac is not affected. Run over 300 virtual appliances: You can download any of the over 300 virtual appliances - preinstalled and preconfigured applications packaged with an operating system in a virtual machine - available from VMware's Technology Network. Setting up a wiki or blog server has never been easier. Fusion supports all Intel Mac hardware, including the new 64-bit Mac Pro and iMac. Your virtual machines can have multiple virtual processors, taking advantage of the Intel Core Duo chips in today's newest Intel Macs. Fusion supports high-speed USB 2.0 for a huge range of devices. Even devices that do not have drivers for Mac OS X will work in a virtual machine. Simply drag and drop files and folders in and out of your virtual machines to transfer your data. We'll keep you posted with more on how Fusion measures up as the beta progresses. Looks like a winner so far, though!
VMware announces Mac client
We knew this was coming, but it is nice to see official confirmation. VMware has just posted pre-registration for their VMware client for Intel Macs. What does this mean? Parallels will have some competition in the Mac virtualization space (remember that virtualization is the technology that allows you to run 'virtual' copies of other OSes on your Mac), amongst other things.This is a big deal because VMware is a heavy hitter in the Enterprise space, and it is always good to see those kinds of companies come to the Mac. Not to mention this might mean that OS X virtual machines running on non-Apple hardware might soon be possible.
Found Footage: OS switching on a MacBook
This video is a little longer than it needs to be to make its point, but it is a good illustration of how the MacBook can handle emulating 2 OSes whilst running OS X (thanks to Parallels).
Parallels Desktop for Mac release candidate
Do the people at Parallels ever sleep? It seems like only yesterday I had never heard of them and now they are THE VMWare solution for the Intel Macs, and their product isn't even out yet!Well, that is all about to change (at least the bit about the product not being out). Parallels today announced the availability of the release candidate for the newly rechristened Parallels Desktop for Mac (they thought workstation was too Windowsy).What's new in this release you ask? Here are some highlights: A new look and feel Better sound support Faster An uninstaller Looks good to me.Thanks, Cooly.
