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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

install error (SLS .dmg)

I have read here that certain OS 10.6 server .dmgs can not be installed into a Fusion VM. I was also unable to do so and wonder if there is any "fool" (me) proof way of doing so?

Jeff

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

Yes, you'll need a retail (purchased) copy, not one that came with a machine.  The latter are specialized builds and node-locked to that particular kind of hardware.  There's no workaround because the EULA also won't allow virtualization...and you can't work around that :-).

I also believe that you need at least 10.6.2 or 10.6.3 (I could be wrong...it's been a while).

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for your reply. Actually, it is a purchased copy and not one that came with the machine. It has installed fine on other Macs. That's why I'm stumped.

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dariusd
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi Jeff,

What sort of failure do you encounter?  Is there an error message?

Cheers,

--

Darius

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

What version of VMware Fusion?

What version of Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x?  What is "x" in 10.6.x?

Where did the .dmg file come from, did you make it from the optical disc (DVD) and if yes have you tried using the optical disc instead?

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for your reply Woody. Fusion is version 4.1.2.  I believe that SLS is 10.6 and I'm not quite sure of its' original origin (it is a file that I had on my HD).

Jeff

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

I'm not quite sure of its' original origin (it is a file that I had on my HD).

The fact that the image is of unknown origin and therefore possibly its authenticity and integrity may not be able to be validated makes for a technical unknown and therefore I wouldn't waste time working with an unknown source image.  The only suggestion I have is to try using legitimately acquired appropriate optical media and or digital media that can be validated against published checksums.

ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

10.6.0 probably won't install on any modern machine.

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

dlhotka wrote: 10.6.0 probably won't install on any modern machine.

Not sure what you consider a "modern machine" however I have no problem installing Mac OS X Server 10.6.0 in a Virtual Machine under VMware Fusion.

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dariusd
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

FYI, at some point – I don't recall exactly when – we added a compatibility workaround into Fusion which quietly allows all non-hardware-specific versions of Snow Leopard Server to be installed into a VM even when running on modern hardware – even much newer hardware than the source media would normally support when installing the OS directly on the hardware.

There were certainly OS-versus-CPU compatibility issues in the past, but I think they went away (for Snow Leopard at least) somewhere around Fusion 4.1.x, maybe even earlier.  :smileycool:

--

Darius

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for this Darius. How can I employ these work arounds?

Jeff

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

How can I employ these work arounds?

AFAIK The workarounds are built into VMware Fusion, not something the User needs to do or has control of other then selecting the appropriate Guest OS and use legitimately acquired appropriate optical media and or digital media that can be validated against published checksums to ensure the source installation media is not bound to specific hardware and is not modified or corrupted.  In other words if you have a Retail version Optical Disc of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x or a Apple Developer Image of Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server 10.6.x that validates against it published checksum then you should not have a problem installing it.

Other then that Darius previously asked "What sort of failure do you encounter?  Is there an error message?" which you've not replied to.  So if you could provide more information, maybe even some log files, then additional help might be able to be provided.

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

I have not replied Woody because it is the same issue that has been mentioned in many other posts on this forum. No error per se but the OS is unable to be installed. I will try to make a screen recording of the install error.

This is a developer's .dmg that is 100% legit.

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

This is a developer's .dmg

Have you validated it against its published checksum?

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

I have not replied Woody because it is the same issue that has been mentioned in many other posts on this forum. No error per se but the OS is unable to be installed. I will try to make a screen recording of the install error.

All you really said in your OP was "...I was also unable to do so.." and we do not know what other threads you've read so understand that the more information we have the greater the likelihood someone will be able to help you however the less information well, I hope you get the picture! Smiley Wink

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ColoradoMarmot
Champion
Champion

Ahh, didn't know that - cool!

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dariusd
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

Hi drjeff,

WoodyZ is correct: The workaround is enabled automatically as long as you have chosen the correct Guest OS type when you created the VM.

Looking forward to receiving more details of the failure... Unfortunately there are many ways in which the installation might fail, and most of those have been posted here in the forums many times, so there isn't much more to suggest until we know what's happening there.

Cheers,

--

Darius

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

I tried to attach a screen recording of the procedure I use and exactly what happens. Unfortunately "The content type of this attachment is not allowed".

Basically the "error" after installing (and after a few minutes of a spinning cog) is a slash in a circle. That's it.

Thanks.

Jeff

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WoodyZ
Immortal
Immortal

I'll ask again, have you validated the image against its published checksum?

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drjeff
Contributor
Contributor

I'm not evading Woody. I simply don't know how to do so.

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