OSX Server 10.6 in vSphere 5.0

[mcnallym]

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/vsphere/vmware-what-is-new-vsphere5.pdf

vSphere 5 supports Apple Xserve servers running OS X Server 10.6 (Snow Leopard) as a guest operating system.

Taken from the Whats New in vSphere 5.0.

Looks like Apple has relented and looks a good way for sorting the users needing OSX Server on Enterprise Hardware. With this being supported in VMWare then why bother selling the raw hardware.

 

[MisterMe]

What are you talking about? This product "supports Apple Xserve servers running OS X Server 10.6...." Apple has allowed the virtualization of OS X Server on Apple hardware for quite a while now. You seem to be under the impression that VMWare's vSphere virtualizes Snow Leopard on non-Apple hardware. If this is the case, then please tell us why you believe this.

 

[wafl iron]

The wording is strange, but he's saying that esx5 supports osx 10.6 server as a virtual machine.

which is true cus i tried it.

 

[MisterMe]

The wording is strange, but he's saying that esx5 supports osx 10.6 server as a virtual machine.

which is true cus i tried it.

There is no misunderstanding about the fact that vSphere supports OS X 10.6 Server on virtual machines at all. At least I don't think there is. My issue is that the OP seems to think that vSphere supports Apple's OS on non-Apple hardware.

 

[wafl iron]

There is no misunderstanding about the fact that vSphere supports OS X 10.6 Server on virtual machines at all. At least I don't think there is. My issue is that the OP seems to think that vSphere supports Apple's OS on non-Apple hardware.

sorry im confused,

are you saying vsphere5 does not support 10.6 Server on non-apple hardware?

 

[wescravn]

This explains it!

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...rtualization_support_for_mac_os_x_server.html
VMware vSphere 5 to add cloud virtualization support for Mac OS X Server

By Daniel Eran Dilger
Published: 02:00 PM EST


Related AppleInsider articles:
Evidence suggests Apple will make Mac OS X...
Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: Apple drops FTP,...
Inside Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Server: remote lock,...
Enterprise buyers frustrated by Apple axing...
Parallels 6 to run 40% faster, launch Windows...

The upcoming release of VMware's vSphere 5 virtualization platform is reported to include guest OS support for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, indicating new options for enterprise use of Apple's server platform without the now discontinued Xserve.

VMware's plans for the next release of vSphere, as discussed in February at the company's Partner Exchnge conference, have been detailed in a posting by Virtualization.info, including mention of support for Mac OS X Server.

The vSphere product allows companies to build a private of public cloud of pooled infrastructure, offering enterprise planners more flexible capacity management than if they were required to allocate dedicated hardware to every server instance.

The product also helps data center managers to automate disaster recovery plans and monitor and manage performance while accurately reporting the costs needed to provide IT services.

By pooling server hardware, VMware says businesses can reduce their requirements of power, cooling and server storage, cutting energy cost by as much as 80 percent.

Formerly named VMware Infrastructure 4, the cloud-enabled vSphere platform is built upon the company's core virtualization hypervisor called ESXi, which runs as a low level microkernel OS on actual server hardware, and facilitates flexible, virtual deployment of guest OS virtual machines on top, moving around virtual images to use available hardware as necessary.

The product currently supports Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Oracle Solaris 10, as well as enterprise versions of Linux from RedHat, SUSE and Ubuntu. By adding support for Mac OS X Server, VMware will give its enterprise customers an option for virtualizing the deployment of Apple's server features without having to dedicate rack space to Mac hardware.

While Apple has backed out of the dedicated server hardware market, first by discontinuing the Xserve RAID and then by terminating its Xserve rack mounted server, it continues to develop its Mac OS X Server product, with the next major version adding the formerly premium server features to the standard edition.

Mac OS X Server includes WebDAV-based calendar and contact management, easy to use wiki services for building group collaboration tools, and under Mac OS X Lion Server 10.7, will incorporate expanded support for iOS mobile devices, including WebDAV file sharing for iPhone and iPads, expanded Push Notifications for messaging services, and a new Profile Manager that provides setup and management features for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac OS Lion computers.

 

[MacsRgr8]

This explains it! >> Does it?

snip

I can't find anywhere where Apple will allow the virtualization of Mac OS X Server (10.5, 10.6 or 10.7) on non-Apple hardware.

I'm pretty sure many enterprise businesses are interested in allowing the virtualization of Mac OS X Server on their existing servers. With the discontinuation of the Xserve many have speculated that Apple might allow the virtualization of Mac OS X Server software, or maybe license a hardware manufacturer to allow a supported install of OS X Server on their server hardware.

The price Apple charged for 10.5 and 10.6 server, both seemed a possibility as Apple could make money off it.

However, with the price of Lion Server... I doubt Apple want their Lion Server to be virtualized on non-Apple hardware. Apple make money off their hardware. The Apple-software is the prime reason to buy the Apple hardware.

 

[deconstruct60]

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...rtualization_support_for_mac_os_x_server.html

The upcoming release of VMware's vSphere 5 virtualization platform is reported to include guest OS support for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, indicating new options for enterprise use of Apple's server platform without the now discontinued Xserve.

No it doesn't. If look through the comments on that write-up what has been done is to make the new ESXi v5 work on XServes and "some other Apple" hardware. On those machines you can run 10.6 servers ..... just like you could now with Parallels Bare Metal . You are still bound to the Apple EULA which hasn't changed. VMWare won't provide support for running on other platforms. In a sense, VMWare is just playing 'catch up' to what Parallels already offers.


What this indicative of is that there is likely new "server like" hardware coming from Apple. It wouldn't be surprising if a new rackable Mac Pro was in the list of supported hardware if Apple releases something like that. Like the mini just reuse 95-99% of the R&D for the product and produce a "server" version. Apple is probably not coming back with a 1U box but that doesn't mean there will be zero boxes. In the meantime, folks can eek out more use for the XServes they already have in place.

Many IT folks with 55 items on their "checklist" of "must haves to be worthy of installation" won't be happy. Smaller shops who may only need 3-4 machines to run the whole company will be. Apple and VMWare will cash the checks of the latter, while the former will rail on about how Apple and VMWare are doomed in the business world because they didn't get their way.

 

[deconstruct60]

The Apple-software is the prime reason to buy the Apple hardware.

Apple sells systems not hardware. There is always some value added software that helps differentiate the underlying hardware. There is no way to just to buy the "hardware" all by itself.

CentOS is free. Nobody is making big money off OS Server software anymore except Microsoft. Support is where the real money is and Apple doesn't really play that game well.

 

[MacsRgr8]

Apple sells systems not hardware. There is always some value added software that helps differentiate the underlying hardware. There is no way to just to buy the "hardware" all by itself.

CentOS is free. Nobody is making big money off OS Server software anymore except Microsoft. Support is where the real money is and Apple doesn't really play that game well.

That's why Apple don't sell the OS (client or server) on non-Apple hardware.

 

[elec999]

When will vsphere be released?

 

[diamond.g]

When will vsphere be released?

As far as I can tell, it is available now. I lie, VMware says 30-60 days. Current support contract holders can upgrade for free!