Audio output not working Fuxion 8.5 OS X 10.6 server

[TonyLima]

Well, I've put in the required five hours trying to find an answer and have had no luck so I'm back here to bother the experts again.  I've installed OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard server in vm 8.5.  Everything is working pretty well with one exception.  I can't get any audio output.  OS X system preferences report no output devices found and no input devices found.  I've fiddled with the vmWare settings and done a bit of editing of the .vmx file.

The setup is complicated by a headset connected to the audio out port via what looks like a standard RCA jack.  However, unplugging the headset doesn't seem to make any difference.

Thanks for any and all pointers,

Tony Lima

[wila]

Hi,

I don't think that VMware added sound support for Snow Leopard Server at the time.

From what I've understood, you can get sound support by using the driver here:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/vmsvga2/files/Audio/EnsoniqAudioPCI_v1.0.3_Common_Installer.pkg/dow...

and following the steps in the following post:

Sound for Snow Leopard Server guest in Fusion 7 in Yosemite?

FWIW, I advise against using the hackintosh drivers that are supplied in that thread as an alternative.

edit: Actually disregard the "FWIW" as I have removed that part of the thread as besides the author including binaries of questionable origin, it also included steps on how-to break apple's EULA on how-to run Snow Leopard Client as Server which is against the forum's Community Terms of Use

--

Wil

[EMR]

I suppose you have the right to do so, but it's a shame you crippled  an absolutely perfect solution to provide sound (via Lion kexts, no  less) to a defective sound implementation of Snow Leopard Server by  VMware. In the hope that you won't use your censorship rights, here's  what anyone interested in providing sound to their Snow Leopard Server  Virtual Machine should do:

1. Disregard the very bad advice of using the Ensoniq driver.

2. Add a virtual sound card to your Snow Leopard Server virtual machine.

3.  Look for the following Lion kexts: AppleAVBAudio.kext,  AppleFWAudio.kext, AppleHDA.kext, AppleUSBAudio.kext, AudioAUUC.kext,  AudioIPCDriver.kext, IOAudio2Family.kext and IOAudioFamily.kext and copy  them to your Snow Leopard Server desktop.

4. Find a copy of KextBeast and run it in Snow Leopard Server. It will install the relevant kexts.

5. Upon reboot, you'll have sound. Delete the kexts and KextBeast from your desktop.

[TonyLima]

First of all, it's virtually impossible for me to take offense about anything as technical as vmWare Fusion.  I readily admit my marginal (at best) competence.

But I've been around long enough to make backups.  The .vmx file has been restored to its original pristine state.  If necessary I can reinstall 10.6 server.

And, having said all that, thank you very much for your prompt, detailed suggestion.  I have a relatively busy week coming up but will try to implement your suggestions over the next few days.

Many thanks,

Tony

[TonyLima]

But I could use a few details about step 2:

2. Add a virtual sound card to your Snow Leopard Server virtual machine.

Thanks again,

T

[TonyLima]

One more thing.  I'm pretty cautious about third-party add-ons.  The Sourceforge site for vmsvga2 advises against using their product starting a few years ago.  I followed their advice.

Best,

T

[EMR]

Since, presumably, your Snow Leopard Server virtual machine doesn't have the virtual hardware to support sound, just add that element. In the Fusion menu, go to Virtual Machine/Settings. If, as likely, you don't have a "Sound Card" in the Removable Devices section, press the button "Add Device..." and you should see the sound card there. Add it.

Naturally, it won't work just with that. You still need to install the Lion kexts (made by Apple; they aren't Hackintosh-derived at all) I mentioned.

[wila]

Hi EMR,

You still need to install the Lion kexts (made by Apple; they aren't Hackintosh-derived at all) I mentioned.

My mistake, the author on that topic talked about Hackintosh and I had made the wrong assumption that the kexts came from the hackintosh community.

Thanks for correcting me.

However the binaries are still copyrighted by apple, so even while the author was just trying to be helpful he cannot use the forums here to redistribute binaries that have copyrights by apple and are normally only available from apple directly.

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Wil

[wila]

OK, however Snow Leopard is also from a few years ago.

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Wil