Cannot get Migration Assistant to import external OSX 10.7 to Guest OSX 10.7 in Fusion 13

[Tony030942]

I have OSX lion set up and running in MVware Fusion 13 on a 2019 Intel iMac.

Can anyone explain how I use Migration Assistant and to import settings, files and apps from 2007 iMac into the Guest VMware Lion

When I open Migration assistant from within MVware Guest Account Lion, Migration Assistant is not able to find any servers/drives/files.

I have external drives visible on Host desktop but Fusion 13 window identifies the external drive 'Lion (ASMedia ASM1156-PM)' offering me the option of importing to Host or Guest then states "unable to connect to its ideal host controller.” I am warned connection may make MVware unstable. I go ahead and click import and that is the end of the process. No external drive icon on Guest Lion desktop. Finder has external disk ticked in preferences for visibility along with HDD and iMacs etc.

I assume Migration assistant wants a Mac attached. So I connected 2007 iMac to 2019 iMac via ethernet and open file sharing on both computers. I also open Migration Assistant on 2007 iMac, set "To another Mac".  I run Migration Assistant from Guest Lion but Migration Assistant can find nothing. (I have detached all external drives for this exercise). Search spiral rotates ad infinitum.

Technogeezer asked me to check VMware USB settings which I found at 2.0. Decided to refit the garden shed while I waited for USB 2.0 to operate but not such luck, it is still spinning! Garden shed is completed.

Is this a limitation caused by the free, basic application? Any idea’s will be appreciated.

[ColoradoMarmot]

Migration assistant is intended - especially in that era - to be used during the initial setup.  The best option is to make a full clone of your real system (carbon copy cloner) to a USB drive, and plug that USB drive into your new host, then during the initial OS install (before you create a user), plug the drive in and attach to the guest.  Then migrate from other computer will work.

Ethernet, USB to USB and thunderbolt will not work with a guest.

[dempson]

An initial comment: I agree with ColoradoMarmot that you should be doing the migration while Setup Assistant is running during initial setup of Lion after it was installed, as that produces a better outcome with older macOS versions (newer versions are better at replacing accounts but you can still end up with user iD number mismatches if you aren't careful).

That is probably not the reason you are having trouble with this.

I'm curious why you want to go to the trouble of running Lion in a VM. Do you have applications which are incompatible with a somewhat newer macOS version such as El Capitan? That would probably be easier due to supporting USB 3.0, and it can migrate from a source which was running Lion.

One point you need to be aware of: even if you manage to migrate your Lion system to a VM (running any macOS version), you may find that some of your applications don't work properly in a VM due to the lack of 3D graphics support for macOS guests. There was experimental 3D support in later macOS versions but it doesn't work for older macOS versions which you may need for legacy applications.

There are some surprising cases, e.g. Apple's iWork '09 suite (or earlier) uses 3D graphics to render all documents, so when run in a VM its document windows are blank (apart from the controls around the edges).

@Tony030942 wrote:

I have external drives visible on Host desktop but Fusion 13 window identifies the external drive 'Lion (ASMedia ASM1156-PM)' offering me the option of importing to Host or Guest then states "unable to connect to its ideal host controller.” I am warned connection may make MVware unstable. I go ahead and click import and that is the end of the process. No external drive icon on Guest Lion desktop. Finder has external disk ticked in preferences for visibility along with HDD and iMacs etc.

You should be choosing the Guest option at that point.

As noted in the earlier thread and you mentioned having already done this: you need to have set VMware Fusion to use USB 2.0 mode for a Lion guest, because Lion doesn't support USB 3.0.

USB 2.0 support in Fusion can be problematic with peripherals that also support USB 3.0, due to the way that USB controllers are logically separated in the host Mac. If the host Mac and drive both support USB 3.0, the drive will connect to the Mac using USB 3.0 and will not be visible to the USB 2.0 controller. VMware Fusion is trying to map the drive to the guest from the USB 2.0 controller, but it isn't there so nothing appears in the guest.

Try this: plug the drive into a hub which only supports USB 2.0 and not USB 3.0. That forces the drive to be in USB 2.0 mode, and forces the Mac to connect it to the USB 2.0 controller, where VMware Fusion should be able to map it to the guest.

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I assume Migration assistant wants a Mac attached.

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Every version of Migration or Setup Assistant supports an external drive as the source (e.g. a clone of the source Mac, or a Time Machine backup of the source Mac).

When two real Macs are involved, the source Mac can also be in "Target Disk Mode" (originally Firewire, later Thunderbolt, a few Macs can do this via USB) but this probably won't work if you are trying to migrate to a VM guest: Firewire or Thunderbolt remapping is not possible, USB will run into the same problem with USB 3.0 vs 2.0 if it is even supported by your source Mac.

The network-based method (with the source Mac running Migration Assistant in "To another Mac" mode) was added as a feature of Migration/Setup assistant somewhere around Snow Leopard. This could potentially work with a Fusion guest as the destination, but in order to do so, the VM guest and the other Mac must be on the same local network so that they can see each other via Bonjour. With older versions of VMware Fusion running on older versions of macOS, this was possible by having the guest network in bridged mode, but recent versions (Fusion 12.2 and later running on macOS Big Sur or later) use the Apple Hypervisor which limits some networking options. If your guest network is going through a NAT layer then your Lion guest won't be able to see the source Mac.

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Is this a limitation caused by the free, basic application?

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Certainly not for the USB connection method, and probably not for the network method.

Fusion Professional (not just paying for Fusion Player) adds some extra networking features, but can't get around limitations imposed by Apple's hypervisor on macOS Big Sur and later.

Due to these sorts of limitations with Apple's hypervisor, I'm still using Fusion 12.1.x on macOS Catalina. As I only need to run my VMs occasionally, my 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro is set up with two startup volumes: it normally starts up into a reasonably current macOS version, and I reboot onto the Catalina volume if I need to run Fusion. This is not my primary Mac so rebooting is not an inconvenience.

My use of old macOS VMs is mostly for comparison or historic curiosity, plus a small selection of occasionally needed applications which I've confirmed work OK in a VM. I installed them fresh, never bothered migrating anything to a VM.

For applications which don't work in a VM (or don't make sense due to hardware requirements) I'm keeping a few working old Macs with older macOS versions. Mac Minis are good for this due to size, with a shared monitor/keyboard/mouse (or accessing only via a network and some kind of screen sharing).

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[Tony030942]

Quite agree Colarado Marmot.

I was able to download and install Lion in Guest VM but after OS install, when Migration Assistant choice was offered and activated it could not ‘see’ the connected external drive carrying a bootable clone of the original Lion OX. So I ticked ‘later’, continued the installation figuring once the OS was working I had Migration Assistant plus network or CCC install options. It is probable I was connected by USB 3.0 so I shall trash current Guest and reinstall Lion via OSX and USB 2.0. and try again.

[Tony030942]

Thank you for your considered reply dempson.

1. I use Adobe CS5 suite for graphic design and have been running an 2007 iMac for decades in order to do so. I have a considerable library of design components which I wish to preserve and have access to. After Lion, CS5 apps, Illustrator and Photoshop, get the odd glitches in later systems. I am trying an upgrade to a 2011 iMac but that has GPU issues which make the future uncertain.

I have a 2019 iMac for general use and have adopted Affinity Design suite for current graphic work. Affinity imports all Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator files so this appears the most sensible option.

2. The VMware Fusion idea is an experiment to see if I could circumscribe iMac 2011 hardware weakness with a faster/better option. I recognise the potential for incompatibilities running software in VM. Only way to find out is to test.

3. Your advice matches that of Colarado Marmot and I shall try that out and report back. I appreciate all your background comments. In the past, between iMacs, I have used Ethernet to get more speed than USB2.0 or Firewire offer and that has worked for importing cloned systems, but Migration Assistant as you know, is more selective.

Thank you for the extensive background considerations. I realise that being a dinosaur with old applications asks for trouble but the Adobe suite does all I need. Unfortunately IT progress demands that once you have achieved a pinnacle experience, another route must be found to the same destination so the economics of obsolescence can generate continued profit for the manufacturer. Happily, I continue draw and paint without fear of redundancy.

Many Thanks.

[ColoradoMarmot]

You just rang a bell.  Try getting a USB 2.0 hub and put it between the device and the computer.  That will force it to USB 2.0 (sometimes the software versions are flaky.).

[Tony030942]

OK. failure!

1. Deleted Guest account in Fusion. Opened up 2007 iMac and connected via USB3.0 cable, (I have no USB2.0). I created a new Lion Guest iso and installed it. Set up process to Migration Assistant; ensured 2007 iMac Migration Assistant was set ‘To another Mac’ then tried to select source which Guest Lion could not find.

2. Noting that Migration Assistant asked for the computer to be connected to same network via Ethernet I ditched USB and connected via Ethernet. No source computer found! I checked Ethernet connection and found the source computer confirmed connection as did the 2019 iMac.

3. Created a new Guest Account running Yosamite 10.10.2. Tried Migration Assistant as above with both USB3.0 and Ethernet cables. Source disks could not be found.

I do not have a USB2.0 dock but with USB2.0 ports on the 2007 iMac directly connected that should be irrelevent? The USB 3.1 cable should work as it is backwards compatible. My old external LaCie drive connectivity is either Firewire 400 and 800, or USB3.0.

Clue: Although Ethernet showing connected on 2007 iMac,  Connection is automatic on Ventura 2019 iMac. Settings on 2019 Ventura merely show Self Assigned IP with Yellow not Green highlight.

In Ventura I cannot find how to manually assign the 2007iMac IP Address. Given Migration Assistant requires Ethernet this is the current problem.

[dempson]

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@Tony030942 wrote:

OK. failure!

1. Deleted Guest account in Fusion. Opened up 2007 iMac and connected via USB3.0 cable, (I have no USB2.0). I created a new Lion Guest iso and installed it. Set up process to Migration Assistant; ensured 2007 iMac Migration Assistant was set ‘To another Mac’ then tried to select source which Guest Lion could not find.

That won't work. "To Another Mac" mode implies "via a network". You cannot run a network over a USB cable from a 2007 iMac.

The Target Disk Mode method I mentioned in my previous message also won't work via USB - the source Mac is the one that needs to be in this mode, and the 2007 iMac does not support USB Target Disk Mode (this feature was introduced for the USB-C ports on the 12-inch MacBook, because those models don't do Thunderbolt).

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2. Noting that Migration Assistant asked for the computer to be connected to same network via Ethernet I ditched USB and connected via Ethernet. No source computer found! I checked Ethernet connection and found the source computer confirmed connection as did the 2019 iMac.

As I explained in my previous message, you won't be able to get migration to a VM working via Ethernet (or Wi-Fi) because of limitations in networking imposed by Apple's hypervisor in macOS Big Sur and later. Your best chance of getting this working would be if the newer Mac was running macOS Catalina and you were doing this in VMware Fusion 12.1.2.

I've just done a partial test of this on my setup:

Source computer is a 2009 Mac Mini running macOS 10.11 El Capitan (I don't have any Macs running Lion to test with). Connected to my LAN by Ethernet. Ran Migration Assistant, put it in "To Another Mac" mode.

Target computer is a macOS El Capitan VM running in VMware Fusion 12.1.2 on my 2019 MacBook Pro booted into macOS 10.15 Catalina. Host Mac also connected via Ethernet to my LAN. VM network is configured for Bridged mode. Ran Migration Assistant, put in "From Another Mac" mode.

The VM can see the Mac Mini as a source, I confirmed the random number ID to allow the network connection, and I was able to get as far as the category/folder selection screen (didn't bother to transfer anything as I don't want to do that).

Repeated the test, this time with the VM network in NAT mode which should be similar to what you get with VMware Fusion 13 on a newer macOS. To ensure nothing was remembered, I also restarted the VM . This time, the VM takes longer to show the Mac Mini as a potential source, but fails to connect to it, therefore as I thought, NAT breaks the ability to connect for a networked migration.

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3. Created a new Guest Account running Yosamite 10.10.2. Tried Migration Assistant as above with both USB3.0 and Ethernet cables. Source disks could not be found.

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Same problems as above. The version of macOS in the guest is not the problem. It is the version of macOS on the host (and as a side effect, limitations imposed on VMware Fusion guest networking).

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I do not have a USB2.0 dock but with USB2.0 ports on the 2007 iMac directly connected that should be irrelevent?

The iMac has USB-A ports. It always acts as a USB host. You need a USB 2.0 peripheral (with USB-B or the mini/micro variant) to be able to connect the source to the VM running Lion.

With your attempt in [3] above, Yosemite is also too old to support USB 3.0 so it would also need to be set to USB 2.0 mode.

If you had a VM with El Capitan or later, that is new enough to support USB 3.1, which should allow a migration with your backup drive as a source (not directly from the iMac), but that will run into the problem that the applications you want to run don't work properly in a system newer than Lion.

The USB 3.1 cable should work as it is backwards compatible. My old external LaCie drive connectivity is either Firewire 400 and 800, or USB3.0.

A USB-A to USB-C (3.1) cable between two Macs won't achieve anything - the old Mac with USB-A can only act as a host and does not support USB-C alternate modes or peer-to-peer, the new Mac will also be trying to act as a USB host, so they cannot even see each other.

The LaCie drive's Firewire won't get you anywhere (Firewire and Thunderbolt cannot be bridged to a VM because they are too low-level), USB 3.0 won't work with a macOS VM running Yosemite or earlier because the VM has to be in USB 2.0 mode and Fusion cannot bridge the different USB versions together (unless you have an intervening USB 2.0 hub).

These options occur to me for ways you could migrate your 2007 iMac (or its backup) to a Lion VM.

(a) Try using a USB 2.0 cable with your LaCie drive. If the drive has a Micro-USB 3.0 connector, then you need a cable with a Micro-USB 2.0 plug (missing the "sidecar"). If the drive has a USB-B 3.0 connector, then you need a cable with a USB-B 2.0 plug (missing the "second layer"). If the drive works at all with that cable, then it will be in USB 2.0 mode when plugged into your Fusion hosting Mac, and Fusion should be able to remap it to the guest, and it can be the source for the migration.

(b) Locate a USB 2.0 hub (must have its own power supply), connect the LaCie drive to that and the hub to the Fusion hosting Mac, map it to the guest.

(c) Locate an old enough hard drive which is USB 2.0, clone your 2007 iMac to that, then plug it directly into the Fusion hosting Mac, map it to the guest.

(d) I haven't tried this (any comments from others?), but if you have plenty of disk space on the host Mac, a disk image might be an option. You would need to clone the LaCie drive to a disk image on the Fusion hosting Mac, then connect that disk image to the VM in way that makes it appear to be an attached drive, then Migration/Setup assistant should let you use it as a source to migrate into the VM.

(e) Use VMware Fusion 12 running on Catalina, so you can use bridged networking and do a migration via Ethernet. Steps:

• Get an licence for Fusion 12 (Player is free for personal use, downgrade from 13 required if you need a paid licence).
• Install macOS Catalina on a second volume on your Mac (you can add a volume in Disk Utility without mucking around with partitioning, and they will share free space).
• Boot into the Catalina volume, set it up as required, install VMware Fusion 12. Must be Fusion 12.1.2 or earlier, not 12.2 or later.
• Create a new Lion VM, ideally on a third volume which is accessible from both Catalina and current macOS systems (this is how my 2019 MacBook Pro is set up).
• Set networking on the Lion VM to bridged mode.
• You should then be able to migrate from the 2007 iMac via Ethernet (with the 2007 iMac in “To another Mac” mode) during initial setup of the Lion VM system.
• Once the migration is complete and you have tested the VM to your satisfaction, you should be able to shut down the VM, boot into your current OS on the host, and run the current VMware Fusion and use the same VM.