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Is it possible to purchase OS X Lion Server and install on a VMware ESXi 5 Intel Server environment

Is it possible to purchase OS X Lion Server and install on a VMware ESXi 5 Intel Server environment

Server-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Mar 28, 2012 2:20 AM

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16 replies

Mar 28, 2012 7:07 AM in response to grantpasley

So we can't purchase the software to load onto a VM?


You can run it virtualized on Mac hardware. On other hardware, no, not legally. If you're thinking of ignoring the license restrictions, keep in mind that Apple is a member of the BSA, and you've announced your intentions on an Apple-hosted website using your Apple ID.


Apple - Legal - Piracy Policy

Mar 28, 2012 7:54 AM in response to grantpasley

Direct from the Lion license:


(iii) to install, use and run up to two (2) additional copies or instances of the Apple Software within virtual operating system environments on each Mac Computer you own or control that is already running the Apple Software.

The grant set forth in Section 2B(iii) above does not permit you to use the virtualized copies or instances of the Apple Software in connection with service bureau, time-sharing, terminal sharing or other similar types of services.


Read the entire license here:

http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/macosx1072.pdf

Oct 26, 2012 9:03 PM in response to grantpasley

Old thread, I know. But just in case anyone else was wondering.


The answer is yes, provided you mind your licensing... which means it must run on Apple hardware.


We have successfully installed ESXi 5.1 on an Xserve (early 2009) and have mountain lion server running flawlessly. We're using our Equallogic san to give it large volumes for video storage. Still experimenting with vmdk vs RDM though.


I dont have a 2nd xserve to test vMotion, et al... but thats the next phase of our project.


As far as I understand the Apple SLA, you can run 2 OS X guests. If you ran VMware Fusion, then you could run a total of 3 (one as host, 2 as guests).


(iii) to install, use and run up to two (2) additional copies or instances of the Apple Software within virtual operating system environments on each Mac Computer you own or control that is already running the Apple Software.


I'm not sure if that only applies to Lion and newer since older SLAs may not mention virtualization (I didnt check). But we're mostly interested in Mtn Lion anyway. Though since it says "you can run" I dont see why you couldnt "have" other older guests for development as long as only 2 are running concurrently per system (legal opinion anyone?)


And, of course, you can any run other guests, hardware permitting. Windows, linux, etc... as long as they are also licensed.

Mar 7, 2013 10:06 PM in response to grantpasley

Yes, in no uncertain terms, VMWare ESXi Hypervisor can be installed on certain configurations of "Bare Metal" Apple Hardware.


Then you can install fully virtualized "Mountain Lion" OSX Server and Workstation software.


And you can also load up the combination of Apple Servers and every other server on the VMware OS virtual machine compatibility list, on the same or similar scale as the VMware posted consolidation ratios for physical to virtual conversions, as stated in their engineering white papers.


Just to make something very clear, we discovered quite by accident is that VMare ESXi installed "bare metal" on Apple Hardware additionally supports operation of fully virtualized MS Windows Servers from version 2000 and up, Novell Netware + SUSE Linux, and essentailly the list of supported OS software on the VMware site.


So on our very first installation (Proof of Concept) we had four host machines consistently runnng 60 - 75, with "bursting" into the high 80's- low 90's, of fully loaded fully virtualized production test servers, including four fully configured Windows Active Directory Servers built on WIndows Server 2012 along with 4 WIndows Multi-Point (terminal servers), multiple OSX servers and workstations,along with a raft of Novell Netware, Novell SUSE, and just about every other software item on the VMware OS Compatility list.


Generally not for graphics intensive personal workstation use, though we are now testing running VMware VDI on Apple Hardware.


A few caveats.


We are a speciality systems engineering / integration firm dating back to 1994 and our cleint paid us a significant sum for the engineering and intergration work of multiple engineers.


Such an installtion is not yet a "pop in the CD-ROM and go take a break while it all installs."


We are not yet an Apple Business Partner ( we will submit our applciation next week) but we are a VMware Partner going back to the "dawn" of VMware in early 2003.


Scale.......We are not talking about doing a single MacBook Pro or a Mac Mini or a Mac Pro.


We did the Apple Hardware in a series of data center configurations in blocks of multiples of 24 machines in each "pod."


We did get all the functionality of key VMware technolgies to run on certain combinations and configurations of Apple hardware including Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), vMotion, and High Availability (HA), the Cisco 1000v virtualized switch and of course vCenter and related orchestration technologies up though vCloud Director, and the VSD technology to aggregate the extra drives on multiple hosts into one storage space.


Though in production, the Apple hardware was connected to a traditional data center storage area network.


We generally do not post on any consumer sites, but one of our techs has been following this thread and others like it, and convinced us that it was important to clear the air.


To put it simply, if you are an enterprise scale client,and it is important for your need to integrate the Apple Operating System in the form of Mountain Lion within your existing production centered data center scale VMware virtualization / cloud infrastructure, it can be done.


But be prepared to reach for your checkbook.

Apr 8, 2013 1:11 PM in response to AlexK77

AlexK77


I don't know who you are, after looking at your profile, and how to reply and I notice that you just joined three days ago.


Any ideas as to how to communicate beyond this positng?


I don't frequent "Communites" very much as I have a busienss, with employees and contracts to run.


So if there is a way to send you a private channel email, on this platform let me know.

Is it possible to purchase OS X Lion Server and install on a VMware ESXi 5 Intel Server environment

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