Attempting to run Snow Leopard under ESXi 4.1

[hippoth]

I´m still trying to make a new fresh install of Mac OS X but I don´t have luck. I still get the error "still waiting for root device". I tried it with a IDE and SCSI harddrive.

 

I´am using this darwin.iso (http://www.filedropper.com/vmware-darwin310-macosx1064) and my Mac OS X 10.6.0 ISO (which worked with ESXi 4.0 U1).

 

What´s wrong there?

Mac_OS_X.vmx.txt

[mjung]

I am running ESXi 4.1 on an Mac Pro 4,1 and was able to start a Snow Leopard Server VM I created using VMware Fusion with just a few .vmx configuration changes (see attachment). Everything except the GUI works fine, so I can ssh into the server and use services of it. Any hints on this?

Sorry, but why would you run ESXi on a Mac Pro to then run SL, you have Fusion which is fully supported and fully functional, or just run SL Server directly on your Mac Pro. Sorry if I am missing the point.

Running just one instance of Snow Leopard (Server) on today's hardware feels like late 90's as you miss all the fun stuff like service consolidation, application separation, snapshots, HA, etc. Unfortunately Apple's EULA restricts the virtualisation of Snow Leopard _Server_ to Apple hardware.

 

VMware Fusion is in my opinion not an option, as you have to run a full Snow Leopard which consumes already up to 1GB memory. Unfortunately ESXi does not boot on XServes due to the missing bios emulation in the EFI. Hence you have to use a Mac Pro to run ESXi as your virtualisation solution.

 

HTH,

mjung

[hippoth]

Sorry, but why would you run ESXi on a Mac Pro to then run SL, you have Fusion which is fully supported and fully functional, or just run SL Server directly on your Mac Pro. Sorry if I am missing the point.

 

Running just one instance of Snow Leopard (Server) on today's hardware feels like late 90's as you miss all the fun stuff like service consolidation, application separation, snapshots, HA, etc. Unfortunately Apple's EULA restricts the virtualisation of Snow Leopard _Server_ to Apple hardware.

 

VMware Fusion is in my opinion not an option, as you have to run a full Snow Leopard which consumes already up to 1GB memory. Unfortunately ESXi does not boot on XServes due to the missing bios emulation in the EFI. Hence you have to use a Mac Pro to run ESXi as your virtualisation solution.

 

HTH,

mjung

So what? Install SL Server on your native hardware and feel fine!? Why you want to virtualize on Apple hardware a Snow Leopard Server with ESXi?

[mjung]

So what? Install SL Server on your native hardware and feel fine!? Why you want to virtualize on Apple hardware a Snow Leopard Server with ESXi?

 

As I said: application separation, HA, Snapshots, etc. Or do you really want to run 20 XServes if you can do it with 5?

 

mjung

[hippoth]

As I said: application separation, HA, Snapshots, etc. Or do you really want to run 20 XServes if you can do it with 5?

 

mjung

 

But for example, HA is useless if you run two servers on the same hardware. If you need 5 SL Server installations I think we talk about a professional environment and you should afford the apple hardware - sorry this is only my opinion.

[mjung]

Hi,

 

apparently you have not used the enterprise virtualisation products I am using.

 

But for example, HA is useless if you run two servers on the same hardware.

 

VMware HA automatically restarts all virtual machines of a failed server on different hosts.

 

If you need 5 SL Server installations I think we talk about a professional environment and you should afford the apple hardware - sorry this is only my opinion.

 

I spoke about reducing high numbers of physical machines to a lower number of ESXi hosts no only to reduce hardware costs, energy consumption but also to gain a lot of features you won't have on bare metal like snapshots or live migration of a running OS to another host.

 

mjung

[hippoth]

Hi,

 

apparently you have not used the enterprise virtualisation products I am using.

Are you shure? I don´t think that you have an conception about my work.

 

VMware HA automatically restarts all virtual machines of a failed server on different hosts.

You spoke from one ESXi host with different SL server installations?

 

 

I spoke about reducing high numbers of physical machines to a lower number of ESXi hosts no only to reduce hardware costs, energy consumption but also to gain a lot of features you won't have on bare metal like snapshots or live migration of a running OS to another host.

We speak here about Apple server environments, so you can´t complain that an Apple OS is not supported by VMware or that it is not possible due to OS architecture reasons. It´s like about moaning that Windows does not run on a Nintendo Game Boy.

 

I think we should be thankful that people like Donk spend their time to find ways to install Mac OS on non Apple hardware. I think server environments should run on their native hardware, otherwise they lose their appreciation of stability, performance and availability.

 

I will stop now talking about sence or non sence about this.

[MSoK]

Guy's enough, unless VMware are going to bring out a version of ESXi that supports Apple XServer's then we are going to struggle to duplicate the enterprise features VMware can deliver in a Windows environment for OS X Server's. Not least of which you need vCentre Server running for vMotion, HA, etc. to work as well as multiple hosts and a SAN, or some form of shared storage (iSCSI), for your VMDK files.

 

I am fairly sure the only way to talk to OS X under ESXi is to use the vSphere Client pointed directly at the individual host, you cannot talk to the OS X guestOS via vCentre, so all the Advanced, Enterprise or Enterprise Plus features will not work.

 

Since I believe Parallels are working on a bare metal hypervisor for Apple hardware, it may well be something VMware may be considering, I am sure it is something they can already do in their labs! MSoK.

[hippoth]

Back to topic ...

 

Has anybody an idea to my problem? --> http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...t&p=1529866

[MSoK]

Back to topic ...

 

Has anybody an idea to my problem? --> http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php...t&p=1529866

Sorry we all got distracted for a moment, not sure what the problem is but try making the following changes to your VMX file:

 

guestOS = "darwin10-64" now supported in 4.1

numvcpus = "1" worth a try, seen problems with multiple CPU's during installation

monitor.virtual_mmu = "software" as per the manual

 

Hope this helps, MSoK.

[hippoth]

Sorry we all got distracted for a moment, not sure what the problem is but try making the following changes to your VMX file:

 

guestOS = "darwin10-64" now supported in 4.1

numvcpus = "1" worth a try, seen problems with multiple CPU's during installation

monitor.virtual_mmu = "software" as per the manual

 

Hope this helps, MSoK.

Thank you for this fast reply but the problem still exists.

 

I don´t have an Nehalem based CPU so I should use monitor.virtual_mmu = "hardware"- software is just for troubleshooting Nehalem CPUs, isn´t it?

[Donk]

Thank you for this fast reply but the problem still exists.

 

I don´t have an Nehalem based CPU so I should use monitor.virtual_mmu = "hardware"- software is just for troubleshooting Nehalem CPUs, isn´t it?

 

No I would definitely have it as "software", as the testing of Mac OS X on Fusion would almost certainly have been done with "software" setting.

[hippoth]

No I would definitely have it as "software", as the testing of Mac OS X on Fusion would almost certainly have been done with "software" setting.

I don´t know why but it does not work for me. Days before I could boot up to the start of the install process but my mouse did not work for me (I just forgot the USB controller). After adding the USB controller the mouse worked but I did not have an harddrive (I didn´t forget) but I could Mac OS X did not see any harddrive. So I made a complete new Mac OS virtual machine with a new IDE drive and later with a SCSI drive and now the problem with the "still waiting for root device"-problem started.

 

I use the following addition setting in the vmx:

 

monitor.virtual_exec="hardware"

monitor.virtual_mmu="software"

ich7m.present = "TRUE"

keyboard.vusb.enable = "TRUE"

mouse.vusb.enable = "TRUE"

smc.present = "FALSE"

guestOS = "darwin10-64"

numvcpus = "1"

 

I have tried it with IDE and SCSI harddrives. Anybody else an idea what could cause this problem?

[Donk]

I don´t know why but it does not work for me. Days before I could boot up to the start of the install process but my mouse did not work for me (I just forgot the USB controller). After adding the USB controller the mouse worked but I did not have an harddrive (I didn´t forget) but I could Mac OS X did not see any harddrive. So I made a complete new Mac OS virtual machine with a new IDE drive and later with a SCSI drive and now the problem with the "still waiting for root device"-problem started.

 

I use the following addition setting in the vmx:

 

monitor.virtual_exec="hardware"

monitor.virtual_mmu="software"

ich7m.present = "TRUE"

keyboard.vusb.enable = "TRUE"

mouse.vusb.enable = "TRUE"

smc.present = "FALSE"

guestOS = "darwin10-64"

numvcpus = "1"

 

I have tried it with IDE and SCSI harddrives. Anybody else an idea what could cause this problem?

 

Post the full VMX and LOG files as attachements please.

[hippoth]

Post the full VMX and LOG files as attachements please.

Here we go ...

vmware.log.txt

Mac_OS_X.vmx.txt

[Donk]

Here we go ...

 

Not sure that SCSI adapter is supported you need:

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"

 

Just to check but when installing you do the following:

 

1. During boot press F8 to get the boot prompt

2. Press F5 to re-read BIOS devices

3. Select DVD from list

[hippoth]

Not sure that SCSI adapter is supported you need:

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"

 

Just to check but when installing you do the following:

 

1. During boot press F8 to get the boot prompt

2. Press F5 to re-read BIOS devices

3. Select DVD from list

 

Yes, this is what I always do. The SCSI adapter was my fault, by trying different options.

I think I will reinstall the ESXi because he shows some strange behavior I can not explain.

 

The most strange is that sometimes changings in the setting will not be reflected in the vmx - I don´t know why!?

 

I will be back after reinstalling the ESXi. It´s a testing machine so it´s aim is to be handled rough.

[hippoth]

After reinstalling the ESXi the new Mac OS X works fine. I could install 10.6.0 without any problems and easily update to 10.6.4.

 

Now I have two running Mac OS X, one with IDE drives and the new one with SCSI. I will try a performance test!

[MSoK]

After reinstalling the ESXi the new Mac OS X works fine. I could install 10.6.0 without any problems and easily update to 10.6.4.

 

Now I have two running Mac OS X, one with IDE drives and the new one with SCSI. I will try a performance test!

Glad you got there in the end, sorry for the protracted troubleshooting, any idea where it was going wrong, or more important what you did different to make it work?

[hippoth]

Glad you got there in the end, sorry for the protracted troubleshooting, any idea where it was going wrong, or more important what you did different to make it work?

I think there was something with the ESXi ... I can´t explain what. It started with the update process from 4.0 U2 to 4.1. I had to run this update process three times, because after the first reboots of the updates my server was still running 4.0 U2 instead of 4.1. After the third try of update the server was on 4.1. Now I have made a clean install of 4.1 and the problems seems to be gone.

 

It sounds strange but the update process was at no time the strengh of VMware.

[Donk]

I think there was something with the ESXi ... I can´t explain what. It started with the update process from 4.0 U2 to 4.1. I had to run this update process three times, because after the first reboots of the updates my server was still running 4.0 U2 instead of 4.1. After the third try of update the server was on 4.1. Now I have made a clean install of 4.1 and the problems seems to be gone.

 

It sounds strange but the update process was at no time the strengh of VMware.

 

I tend never to do that, but do a clean install to the ESXi box. Use datastores on other drives and SAN so don't lose them. ANyway hope it goes better for you now.

[hippoth]

I tend never to do that, but do a clean install to the ESXi box. Use datastores on other drives and SAN so don't lose them. ANyway hope it goes better for you now.

Yes it does.

 

The problem of a clean install is, you need to reconfigure your server. This you don´t need, if you can make an update.

[um09]

i am getting the no entry sign on the apple mac logo (esxi 4.1)

 

i have sas drives in my poweredge 2900 server

 

anyone know how to get them working ?

[Donk]

Yes it does.

 

The problem of a clean install is, you need to reconfigure your server. This you don´t need, if you can make an update.

 

Just a philosophical difference of view. I never upgrade operating systems. I always do a clean install so I know what I am are getting. There are ways with ESXi to do this as well. So don't disagree on the benefits but I just have a worry about the downside.

[hippoth]

Just a philosophical difference of view. I never upgrade operating systems. I always do a clean install so I know what I am are getting. There are ways with ESXi to do this as well.

Can you explain in a few words how to do this?

 

i am getting the no entry sign on the apple mac logo (esxi 4.1)

 

i have sas drives in my poweredge 2900 server

 

anyone know how to get them working ?

Please, can you provide some more informations?