I am new to virtualization so my questions may seem basic but I still need to ask. I want to to run a Mac Os on my EsSXI 5.5 server. It does have support for Mac OS but it is not a Mac Server. So my questions are: Do i still need to use the unlocker? Can I use my OSX 10.6 Install DVD with the internal DVD or do I need to create an install DVD?
If I need to create an install DVD how do I do that and should it be an ISO? Do I need to make any changes in the bios What would the steps be that I would need to follow to set up the Mac OSX on my non Mac environment? This will be used as a test environment only. Thank you very much for you help as I enter the world of virtualization. I am new to virtualization so my questions may seem basic but I still need to ask.
We have now a cool new image of Mavericks ready to be booted on our VMware ESXi 5.1 system. Transfer it on the system using, for example, scp. On ESXi 5.1, create a new Virtual Machine (typical is fine) and give it a name. Select the storage destination. Choose the guest system, type to be Apple Mac OS X 10.7.(64-Bit). For clarity, you can do the above on any version of OS X from 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) onwards, so you can use an old image to get hold of a new image for example, if you have access to a different OS version than Mavericks.
I want to to run a Mac Os on my EsSXI 5.5 server. It does have support for Mac OS but it is not a Mac Server. So my questions are: Do i still need to use the unlocker? Can I use my OSX 10.6 Install DVD with the internal DVD or do I need to create an install DVD?
If I need to create an install DVD how do I do that and should it be an ISO? Do I need to make any changes in the bios What would the steps be that I would need to follow to set up the Mac OSX on my non Mac environment? This will be used as a test environment only. Thank you very much for you help as I enter the world of virtualization. Zimboy, Welcome to InsanelyMac, definately the right place to be for help running OS X under ESXi. OS X 10.6 to 10.9 all run well on ESXi 5.5, so to answer your questions: 1. Yes, you still need the unlocker if you are not running ESXi on Apple hardware, ESXi checks for Apple hardware (SMC) and disables OS X if it is not Apple hardware, the unlocker removes this check.
Yes, but only if your OS X 10.6 Install DVD is a retail copy, not one supplied with Apple Mac hardware. Alternatively if you have a running Mac download Mavericks (10.9) 'free' from the App Store, you can create a DMG file from the download which can be used to install Mavericks under ESXi 5.5, see link at the bottom of this post. ESXi supports installing OS X from Retail DVD, ISO or DMG. In terms of the ESXi host it must have an Intel processor, and have VT-x enabled in BIOS. Below find a couple of links which will help you getting OS X up and running in ESXi: Link to Donk's Unlocker thread: Link to MSoK's How to thread, not written specifically for ESXi but still plenty of helpful information, including creating a bootable OS X 10.9 DMG image: Link to MSoK's Nested OS X under ESXi thread, if you ignore the bit about installing ESXi under Workstation, the rest should be helpful: Link to Zenith432's Enhanced Graphics thread: Link to Zenith432's Graphics files: Special thanks to Donk and Zenith432 for all the effort in getting OS X running in VMware.
MSoK This is what I have tried so far and here is where I am at. I installed the unlocker by using SSH and going to the directory where the files where located and using./install.sh. The install appears to have completed. Now when I try to install the MAC OS I get the gray VMWare screen then I get a gray screen with the apple logo then it flashes back to the VMWare screen again and it just keeps looping. Before attempting to do the install from the ISO I created a new virtual machine with a new virtual disk. I then set the virtual machine to boot from the ISO and set the virtual CD ROM to connect when the VM was powered up.
When it startes the boot process is when it loops between VMware and the apple logo screens. Should I not have created the virtual disk or did I miss something else? Also my connection to the ESXI server seems to be much slower now as I am getting time out errors now but I am not sure if this has anything to do with the MAC OS or if it is a different issue all together. I will go back and read through the threads that you link to but could sure use some help.
Zimboy, Welcome to InsanelyMac, definately the right place to be for help running OS X under ESXi. OS X 10.6 to 10.9 all run well on ESXi 5.5, so to answer your questions: 1. Yes, you still need the unlocker if you are not running ESXi on Apple hardware, ESXi checks for Apple hardware (SMC) and disables OS X if it is not Apple hardware, the unlocker removes this check. Yes, but only if your OS X 10.6 Install DVD is a retail copy, not one supplied with Apple Mac hardware. Alternatively if you have a running Mac download Mavericks (10.9) 'free' from the App Store, you can create a DMG file from the download which can be used to install Mavericks under ESXi 5.5, see link at the bottom of this post.
ESXi supports installing OS X from Retail DVD, ISO or DMG. In terms of the ESXi host it must have an Intel processor, and have VT-x enabled in BIOS. Below find a couple of links which will help you getting OS X up and running in ESXi: Link to Donk's Unlocker thread: Link to MSoK's How to thread, not written specifically for ESXi but still plenty of helpful information, including creating a bootable OS X 10.9 DMG image: Link to MSoK's Nested OS X under ESXi thread, if you ignore the bit about installing ESXi under Workstation, the rest should be helpful: Link to Zenith432's Enhanced Graphics thread: Link to Zenith432's Graphics files: Special thanks to Donk and Zenith432 for all the effort in getting OS X running in VMware. Hey MSoK, I have been pulling my hair out trying to install OSX 10.6 on an ESXi 5.5 machine. I first tested the installation process on my personal desktop with I7 processor using ESXi 5.5 installed in Workstation 10. I had no problems with this. Now I have been trying on a bare-metal ESXi 5.5 machine and I continue to get a boot loop.
I noticed that you said in #4 ' ESXi host it must have an Intel processor, and have VT-x enabled in BIOS' This machine I have been working on has a AMD 8 core processor. Could this be my issue?
Thanks for any advice, SUB. Yes- you will need to find an AMD kernel for OS X. Apple do not support non-Intel CPUs, and so a recomplied machkernel is needed to boot on AMD. MSoK and myself do not have any AMD equipment but look in the developers sub-fourm here and you may find some help. Hey there Donk, Thank you for the quick reply.
You pointed me in the right direction. This is a great forum.
Full of great info. I ended up finding a working solution the installation of OSX 10.6 on a bare-metal ESXi 5.5 AMD machine. This is what I did: (for those pulling their hair out too). Donk, I have been away from my computer.
I will be home later tonight and will post the log file then. Sorry for the delay. This should work on any AMD system. It did not appear that anything was system specific. I had posted exactly what I did (documented as I did it) in order. SUB That would be great.
Also with the same log from wingshigh.g could help us come up with some guidelines for AMD CPUs without needing modified kernels. I personally do not have access to AMD based system, so am reliant on others to help out here. That would be great. Also with the same log from wingshigh.g could help us come up with some guidelines for AMD CPUs without needing modified kernels.
I personally do not have access to AMD based system, so am reliant on others to help out here. Hey there Donk, The vmware.log file is attached to this post as vmware.log.txt. I have also edited some of the IP and file paths, just for my own comfort sake.
Should not impact what you are looking for though. I had some difficulty installing the vmware tools (which I believe explains all the excess stuff in last half of log) but later figured out how to do it with the darwinsnow.iso file. Hopefully wingshigh.g also posts his log file so that we can compare.
I hope that it helps. Please post anything of note. Donk, attached is my vmware.log. I created a new VM, put in all the code suggested by Subcan, took one of my Lion virtual disk attached to the VM which I know it worked on Intel CPU ESXi. Powered on the machine, it could gave kernel panic if I chose Guest system being Mac OS X; it will go into reboot loop if I chose FreeBSD 64bit.
Let me know if you need more information. Hey there wingshigh.g, I just went through your log file next to mine. There are a few differences.
The big one I saw was on line 280 (your log): This is supposed to be set to FALSE. From google search on smc: smc - The System Management Controller ( SMC ) is an internal subsystem introduced by Apple Inc.
With the introduction of their new Intel processor based machines in 2006. It takes over the functions of the SMU. Apple has released updates for this system in order to address power or sleep issues in several recent models. I don't know how I missed that on my directions posting. (must have been tired when I typed it out) Your log shows failure just after line 880.
On my log this is line 890. My log; line 892: shows that the SMC is being ignored. Can you give this a try again but change that the 'smc.present' to FALSE?
I also assigned 4GB of ram for the install. Some post somewhere suggested that, but I really don't think that that could cause an issue. I just have lots of ram so I didn't care. I hope that this helps. Sorry for the mistake in my direction list. SUB To All, I edited my original instructions to fix the mistake of smc.present='TRUE' to smc.present='FALSE' Sorry for the typo. This is going to sound stupid but I got this to work installing OS X 10.6 on my AMD host using ESXi 5.5 Build 1474528 by setting smc.present='TRUE'.
I had tried this last Wednesday (using the original 'flawed' instructions) not knowing it shouldn't work on a USB key boot. Strangely enough it kinda worked - OS X installed fine but for the non-OS X VMs the console in vSphere Client remained blank. I put in a small hard drive today to replace the USB key as the boot device for ESXi so I can run the patch on it.
I also installed another drive to act as the datastore for this VM. Instead of copying the VM from it's original datastore I figured it was easier to simply create a new VM and possibly avoid any weirdness due to the incomplete nature of the previous patch. When I tried to install OS X 10.6 it got stuck on the loading screen (grey, coloured wheel spinning). Tried repatching, uninstalling and reinstalling the patch, using an ISO instead of a DMG, recheck the edits very very carefully, nothing. Did some Googling, found nothing other than unlocker should work with this build.
Finally I decided to re-read this entire thread in case someone experienced something similar when I came across the smc.present edit - since that was.TODAY. it meant that I had put it to 'TRUE' on my semi-successful attempt but 'FALSE' today. Put it to 'TRUE' in the VMX file and it works!
My ESXi host hardware is an AMD FX8350 @stock clock, GA-990FXA-UD5 Rev. 3 motherboard w/latest BIOS, 32GB RAM. Just a note for anyone trying this.
I did.NOT. get a kernel panic with either setting. Actually you need it on, as my unlocker fixes it up so that there is an SMC present. Thanks for the other details I ill take a look at the CPUID details as that is where the 'secret suace' will be. Wingshigh.g & subcan - I haven't forgotten you but have been looking at what can be achieved and possibly have something I would like you to try for me.
It has taken me time but I have found some new undocumented VMX file settings, plus had to get CPUID dumps from a few older real Macs. (Thanks Binky!) It is possible to mask all the CPUID leaves in VMware with some additional settings.
The only one not to touch is 80000008 as probably won't start the VM. Can you remove all CPUID settings from your VMX file and add this into it please and see if it boots? (Make sure you keep a copy of the original VMX first.). Donk - I've been banging my head against this for two or three days now - no luck. My brand-new AMD ESXi 5.5 machine refuses to boot OSX. The patch applies perfectly (or so it seems) and I've tried various options including adding your CPU masks and other settings as above, verbatim. Before the addition of the CPU masks, I'd get MacOS getting to the first moments of the boot (Apple logo splash) but then MacOS would lock up the CPU.
After the CPU masks added, now I get 'Transport (VMDB) error -14: Pipe connection has been broken.' On boot attempt. I'd be happy to give you the full.vmx files, error logs, and even let you access the VMWare host remotely - I wiped a machine just for this test, so it has nothing else on it System: ProLiant SL 165z G7 2 CPUs, 16 cores x 2Ghz (AMD Opteron 6128). Donk - I've been banging my head against this for two or three days now - no luck. My brand-new AMD ESXi 5.5 machine refuses to boot OSX.
The patch applies perfectly (or so it seems) and I've tried various options including adding your CPU masks and other settings as above, verbatim. Before the addition of the CPU masks, I'd get MacOS getting to the first moments of the boot (Apple logo splash) but then MacOS would lock up the CPU. After the CPU masks added, now I get 'Transport (VMDB) error -14: Pipe connection has been broken.' On boot attempt. I'd be happy to give you the full.vmx files, error logs, and even let you access the VMWare host remotely - I wiped a machine just for this test, so it has nothing else on it System: ProLiant SL 165z G7 2 CPUs, 16 cores x 2Ghz (AMD Opteron 6128) You cannot boot on AMD unless you use an AMD kernel inside the OS X. This is outside my area of expertise but there are others who may help out.