Home / server / Questions / 4046
Accepted
Scott
Asked: 2009-05-05 06:45:45 +0800 CST

Virtualizing OS X

  • 772

I would like to tinker with OS X in a VM. It doesn't have to be VMware, but I do want it to run under Windows.

I tried the instructions at: http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Vmware_how_to but couldn't get the OS X install disc mounted.

What's the best way to get OS X to run in a VM?

virtualization windows mac-osx

8 Answers

  1. Apple has opened up the ability to virtualize Mac OSX server as long as it is ran on Apple hardware. Previously they did not allow this at all, but times have changed and they now allow it to a certain level. Please see the following posts for more information:

    Apple to Allow Virtualization of Leopard

    Virtual Leopard Server, Uncaged: Virtualized Mac OS X Leopard Server on VMware Fusion 2.0

    • 7
  2. Best Answer

    This question has been asked and answered before:

    In short: it's illegal. Please don't discuss the subject here.

    EDIT Jan 24th 2011: in light of some other questions, there seems to be a gray area regarding OS X Virtualization and the above may no longer be fact.

    • 4

  3. Doing this might be illegal,no responsible here, but I found this simple instructions.

    • 3

  4. Legally you can't .... technically it may be possible but as nice as it would be to do you shouldn't

    • 2

  5. To be honest, OS X is a sweet desktop environment. With all the usual UNIX-y tools available without resorting to things like CygWin. As a headless O/S, it's kind of crap. There's a grey area where as a developer one might want to have a stack of virtualized OS X systems to test different versions. Beyond that it's not really a good virtualizable platform. Apple allows it sufficiently for developers and test purpose, but there's no ESX-like virtual data center setup... And I can't figure out why anyone would want to.

    • 2

  6. While running OS X on anything other than Apple Hardware is a violation of the license agreement, and therefore you will be out of support, and could have legal action taken (IANAL, but the agreements strike as 'binding'), you could look at the opensource Darwin project, depending on what you want to "tinker" with.

    • 1

  7. Since the only way to legally obtain a license for OSX is to buy an Apple manufactured machine it is illegal to virtualise OSX, even if you purchase a "boxed" version, which in itself only contains upgrade media. For the benefit of forbes, the law is broken when breaching an EULA because the agreement is a contract. The contract is broken when a licensor attempts to install OSX inside a virtual machine or on non Apple manufactured hardware. This constitutes a breach of contract under civil law, irrespective of whether original install media is used, which is illegal. The sale of the boxed version is done in good faith and in itself for upgrade only. This is implicit because the media can only be installed on pre-licensed Apple manufactured machines. "Please don't use terminolgy [sic] regarding legalities if you are unfamilliar [sic] with them."

    • 1

  8. There is a HUGE difference between breaking an agreement by installing legally owned software on something Apple says you can't (civil tort) and doing something illegal like pirating software for financial gain (criminal offense). Please don't use terminolgy regarding legalities if you are unfamilliar with them.

    • 0