VMware

The OS X 10.10 documentation covers information on how to install the operating system in a virtual machine.

The OS X 10.10 documentation includes the following topics:

Installation Instructions for VMware ESXi 6.0

You install OS X 10.8 in a virtual machine using the installation media, then upgrade the virtual machine to OS X 10.10.

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, OS X 10.9, or OS X 10.10 in a virtual machine.
  • Ensure you physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2GB of RAM.

Installation Steps

  1. Create a new virtual machine and select the Apple Mac OS X 10.10 (64-bit) option.
  2. Use the virtual machine CD/DVD drive for installation.
  3. Connect the CD/DVD drive to a datastore image file, complete the following steps:
    1. Add Install OS X Mountain Lion.app to a datastore that the virtual machine can access.
    2. Set the CD/DVD drive to connect to the Install OS X Mountain Lion.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg image file.
  4. Power on the virtual machine.
  5. Select your language and click the right arrow.
  6. Select Disk Utility and click Continue.
  7. In the left hand pane, select the hard disk at the top of the list.
  8. Select the Erase tab.
  9. Click the Erase... button and click the confirming Erase button. Wait for the process to complete.
  10. Quit the Disk Utility application.
  11. Select Reinstall OS X and click Continue.
  12. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
  13. Download OS X Yosemite.app in the virtual machine using the Mac App Store, or download it onto another Mac using the Mac App Store, and copy Install OS X Yosemite.app to the virtual machine.
  14. Execute Install OS X Yosemite.app in the virtual machine to update the operating system to OS X 10.10.
  15. Install VMware Tools.

Installation Instructions for VMware Fusion 7 and Later

You install OS X 10.10 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 Yosemite.app from the Mac App Store.
  • Ensure your physical system is an Apple-labeled computer. This is required to install or run OS X 10.10 in a virtual machine.
  • Ensure you physical system can support an additional virtual machine with at least 2GB of RAM.

Installation Steps

  1. Start VMware Fusion.
  2. Select File > New.
  3. Drag Install OS X Yosemite.app and drop it into the Create a Virtual Machine window.
  4. Click Continue.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
  6. Install VMware Tools.

VMware Tools in an OS X 10.10 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 10.10

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.


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