Can I install a Mac OS guest in a boot camp partition without windows? Or in another partition?

[neophyte104]

Title asks it all.

[daphnissov]

As I asked you here in your double-post, what does this have to do with VMware technology?

[neophyte104]

I posted this on the VMware Fusion discussion board. Perhaps my post was too obtuse. My question relates to my desire to install Fusion 6 into Mac OS 10.9.5, but on a different partition than the Mac OS 10.9.5 partition. The Fusion 6 VM Guest will be MacOS 10.6.8.  Please tell me what other info you need?

[daphnissov]

I'm not entirely clear. Your host is MacOS 10.9.5. Ok there. Your VM (it's just a single VM?) is MacOS 10.6.8. Are you asking, because of size considerations, to place the files that comprise the VM on a separate partition than your main boot partition on your host?

[neophyte104]

Yes a single VM. Yes, many applications will be installed into the VM, so it will become very large. I would like it on a separate partition from the host OS. VMware's install instructions say that a boot camp partition containing a Win OS can be used for Fusion 6, but I will not install a Win OS. So I would like to know if a) I can create a boot camp partition (without installing a Win OS) that Fusion 6 will see and install a VM into (perhaps better answered by someone better versed in Boot Camp itself), or b) can I somehow create a partition that Fusion 6 will recognize and install a VM into?

[daphnissov]

Where Fusion is installed is irrelevant to where you can run/store your VMs. There's no Bootcamp needed, just a regular partition within MacOS. For that, you can use one of numerous tools to either create a partition on your existing disk, or use a separate disk to host your VM(s). This isn't a Fusion-specific operation here.

[neophyte104]

I ask because during my install of Fusion 6 and subsequent VM install, I never saw an option on where to install the VM, even though I had a partition already created just for the VM. Perhaps there is a VM tool that allows one to select a partition for the VM install? And this knowledge base document:

VMware Knowledge Base where it states: Note: VMware Fusion does not support partitions created by any program other than Boot Camp Assistant."

[daphnissov]

Bootcamp is for installing Windows. You're just looking for additional capacity to host files that comprise a VM. Fusion 6 was so long ago that I don't remember, but you should be able to browse anywhere in your MacOS and launch a VM. As long as whatever separate storage area you have is presented and mounted, it should work.

[bluefirestorm]

Look at this KB https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2097401 on how to create a raw disk VMDK for a Fusion VM.

Most likely Bootcamp partition VMs are created using this same method.

I have used the method specified in the KB to create VMs with Linux, Windows and macOS High Sierra guests in Fusion 8. In all cases, the raw disk was on an external USB SSD. For the Linux scenario, the Linux OS was installed/created on a non-Apple laptop and I was able to run the Linux raw disk as a VM within Fusion 8 (in effect a P2V without going through a lengthy P2V conversion process). For the Windows 10, the raw disk was created and then Windows 10 was installed onto it. For the macOS High Sierra guest, the SSD was from another MacBook Pro that already had High Sierra. There were some quirky steps required for the High Sierra raw disk to get Fusion 8 to run it though; these quirks were not needed for the Linux and Windows 10 VM raw disks. For one thing, High Sierra guests are officially supported only on Fusion 10 and later.

Your host OS X and Fusion versions are quite old as is your intended VM (10.6.8 Snow Leopard). But the raw disk VMDK method in the KB is probably your best path forward to achieve what you want. Whether you use an existing partition of the Apple Mac hardware you have or an external disk, I will leave it to you to decide.

[ColoradoMarmot]

Launching OSX from an installed partition has never been supported.

OP: Boot camp is irrelevant to the conversation, as it's for windows use only.  If you have dual partitions, and install OS versions and fusion inside the partition, you can do whatever you want as a standalone VM.

I note in passing that any version of OSX prior to Sierra, should not be exposed to the Internet.  10.6.8 is ancient and absolutely should be kept offline.