The OS X 10.8 documentation covers information on how to install the operating system in a virtual machine.
The OS X 10.8 documentation includes the following topics:
- Installation Instructions for VMware ESXi 5.1 and Later
- Installation Instructions for VMware Fusion 5.x or Later
- VMware Tools in an OS X 10.8 Guest
- Knowledge Base Articles for OS X 10.8
- VMware Compatibility Guide
Installation Instructions for VMware ESXi 5.1 and Later
You install OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine using the installation media.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, verify that the following tasks are complete:
- Read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products.
- You already have Install OS X Mountain Lion.app for any version of OS X 10.8.
- Ensure your physical system is an Apple-labeled computer. This is required to install or run OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine.
- Ensure you physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2GB of RAM.
Installation Steps
- Create a new virtual machine and select the Apple Mac OS X 10.8 (64-bit) option.
- Use the virtual machine CD/DVD drive for installation.
-
Connect the CD/DVD drive to a datastore image file, complete the following steps:
- Add Install OS X Mountain Lion.app to a datastore that the virtual machine can access.
- Set the CD/DVD drive to connect to the Install OS X Mountain Lion.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg image file.
- Power on the virtual machine.
- Select your language and click the right arrow.
- Select Disk Utility and click Continue.
- In the left hand pane, select the hard disk at the top of the list.
- Select the Erase tab.
- Click the Erase... button and click the confirming Erase button. Wait for the process to complete.
- Quit the Disk Utility application.
- Select Reinstall OS X and click Continue.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- Install VMware Tools.
Installation Instructions for VMware Fusion 5.x or later
You install OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine using the installation media.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, verify that the following tasks are complete:
- Read General Installation Instructions for All VMware Products.
- Download Install OS X Mountain Lion.app from the Mac App Store.
- Ensure your physical system is an Apple-labeled computer. This is required to install or run OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine.
- Ensure you physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2GB of RAM.
Installation Steps
- Start VMware Fusion 5.x or later.
- Select File > New.
- Drag Install OS X Mountain Lion.app and drop it into the New Virtual Machine Assistant window.
- Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
- Install VMware Tools.
VMware Tools in an OS X 10.8 Guest
For information on VMware Tools, see Knowledge base article 1014294, General VMware Tools installation instructions, at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1014294.
Knowledge Base Articles for OS X 10.8
The following link refers to knowledge base articles on operating system specific issues. See VMware Knowledge Base for a list of known issues about the operating system.
VMware Compatibility Guide
The VMware Compatibility Guide Web site lists supported guest and host operating systems and provides related support information.