Virtual Leopard Server, Uncaged: Virtualized Mac OS X Leopard Server on VMware Fusion 2.0
As many of you may recall, at Macworld in January, we gave you a preview of Mac OS X Leopard Server installing and running as a virtual machine on Mac OS X.
Well, in honor of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, currently in full-swing in San Francisco, the VMware Fusion team is excited to announce that Mac OS X Leopard Server will be our 61st supported virtualized operating system, and will be available in VMware Fusion 2.0’s next beta (get the current beta here).
By way of background, all of this is a result of changes Mac OS X Leopard Server’s license agreement, which now allows users to run multiple copies of Mac OS X Server on a single Apple computer.
Virtual Leopard Server is a huge leap forward for Mac server administrators, developers, and more, and we’re truly excited to bring this to the Mac community, in VMware Fusion 2.0, which will be a free upgrade for all VMware Fusion 1.x customers.
And as has lately become our tradition, we’ve put together a short highlight video to get you started, along with more details below.
Big Cats and Big Iron: Mac Server Administrator's Delight
Do your Mac Pros or Xserves ache to run flat out?
VMware Fusion 2.0 will let you to run as many copies of Mac OS X Server on your powerful Mac hardware as you have RAM to support them. Or mix it up with multiple server operating systems running together, like Windows Server 2003, Linux and Mac OS X servers, simultaneously on one machine.
VMware Fusion brings the full power of the VMware’s proven, reliable virtualization technology to Mac OS X Server virtualization with big iron features like dual-core virtual machines, support for 64-bit operating systems, and large memory support—up to 8 gigs per VM.
Mac Development Made Easier...Virtually!
Mac developers will now be able to enjoy what Windows and Linux engineers have had since VMware Workstation shipped in 1998: the flexibility and agility of multiple virtual machines to develop on and test against.
Virtual Mac OS X Leopard Server on VMware Fusion 2.0 kicks Mac software testing and bug fixing into overdrive. Instead of fussing with configurations and settings of an operating system and hardware to reproduce a QA tester’s system, just copy the tester’s virtual machine and reliably and quickly repro the bug, write a fix, roll back to a snapshot, and test again.
And let’s not forget all the cross-platform developers out there. VMware Fusion 2.0 will be the ultimate Mac developer tool for cross-platform and mobile development. Developers can run Xcode and Visual Studio on the same machine, compile, and then test the software in multiple virtual operating systems, whether Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS X Server and Linux, running as virtual machines. The same goes for iPhone SDK developers running their J2ME, Symbian, and Windows Mobile development tools!
Let the Cat Out of the Cage: Beta Participation!
VMware Fusion 2.0’s support for Mac OS X Leopard Server will enable hard core Mac technology gurus—from Xserve farmers to Cocoa junkies—to do more with their powerful Mac hardware.
Stay tuned to this blog, or follow our Twitter stream to grab the next beta, complete with virtual Leopard Server support, when it hits the streets.
And in the mean time, come grab VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1, already chock full of great features!
Will your product allow you to virtualize OSX Server inside of VMWare running on OSX client?
Posted by: Jeff | June 12, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Apple's licesning allows Mac OS X Leopard Server to run in a virtual machine, as long as it's on Apple hardware.
This means that you will be able to run VMware Fusion 2.0 on Mac OS X Client (in addition to Server) with Leopard Server virtual machines.
Posted by: Peter Kazanjy | June 12, 2008 at 10:44 AM
1st off thanks for a killer product. 2nd will it run as a background process or will you have to have a logged in user on your host server at all times? It would be great if Fusion for server migrated toward an ESX-likeness.
Posted by: Bill | June 12, 2008 at 11:41 AM
I am wondering that also. Can VMWare Fusion 2 run in the background?
For example when no one is logged into the OS?
I am comparing it to Parallels Server for Mac right now.
Posted by: Lon Baker | June 12, 2008 at 02:29 PM
You state that Apple “allows Mac OS X Leopard Server to run in a virtual machine, as long as it's on Apple hardware”. So may I run Mac OS X Leopard Server inside a VM with Linux as host that is installed on an Apple Computer? Is this also allowed by Apple? Does VMWare support this?
Posted by: Oliver Schneider | June 13, 2008 at 06:03 AM
Maybe I missed this somewhere in the fine print, but does this also mean that I can run multiple instances of Mac OS X client (not server) as virtual machines?
Posted by: Paul Brown | June 13, 2008 at 12:59 PM
Bill & Lon,
VMware Fusion has had the ability to run any VM in background mode for a long time. Two ways to do it:
1) Start the VM directly in background mode: vmware-vmx foo.vmx
2) Use the UI to start the VM, then force quit the UI (right click on dock icon, press option, click force quit)
Posted by: HPReg | June 13, 2008 at 10:27 PM
Oliver: VMware currently only supports running Mac OS X Leopard Server on Apple Hardware that is running Mac OS X or Mac OS X Server.
Paul: Apple does not permit Mac OS X client as virtual machines, only Mac OS X Leopard Server as virtual machines. Only Leopard Server is support in virtual machines to match Apple's policy.
Posted by: Pat Lee | June 14, 2008 at 07:24 AM
Can you explain a little further in running vmware in the background?
1) Start the VM directly in background mode: vmware-vmx foo.vmx
if you do that and log out the vmware stays running? How do you quit then?
2) Use the UI to start the VM, then force quit the UI (right click on dock icon, press option, click force quit)
I cant find options when right clicking the dock icon.
Lastly, is there no easier to do this? Is this a hack or an actual feature?
Posted by: Yalag | June 15, 2008 at 07:19 PM
@yalag: he means hold down the 'option' key while right-clicking the dock icon...
Posted by: dj2mn | June 17, 2008 at 05:33 PM
Really looking forward to virtualized Leopard server. I'm writing code that needs to run and integrate with server, and it's going to be so nice not having to dual-boot or have multiple machines. Come out with the beta already!
Is there a way to have fusion boot off a pre-existing partition instead of having to create a new vmdk?
Posted by: Zack Angelo | June 18, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Are there supported more than two virtual processors?
Posted by: Joaquín Reyes | June 24, 2008 at 04:00 AM
I've been through the licence that came with my client version of Leopard and I can't find anything forbidding use in a VM. Which clause does it violate?
Posted by: Chris Mahoney | June 26, 2008 at 03:11 PM
So, how can using vmwave to run mac os vitualized on that, ex my pc run xp sp2, and set up VMwave Fusion then how can set up mac on vnwave?
Posted by: ducpd | July 29, 2008 at 12:04 AM
Hello..!
anyone can tell me.
how can i run MAC OS leopard on my VISTA home premium with the use of VMWARE..??
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