Installing Ubuntu under OS X using VMWare Fusion

[paulmarrington]

This recipe is designed to only highlight exceptions. Other screens and choices are either subjective or obvious. One of the biggest problems to overcome is with respect to file sharing. I like keeping my files on the mac with Ubuntu reading and changing them as required.

* Insert DVD including Ubuntu CD Image.
* Run Fusion
* Start a new VM - Linux/Ubuntu of course
* Give it at least a 4Gb drive size. Basic install is just over 3Gb. I used 8Gb.
* When starting, use installation image - and point to the ISO on the DVD with the Ubuntu install.
* After boot double-click on the Install desktop icon.
* When you get to keyboard layout don't forget to set it to Macintosh.
* Don't use a user the same as you pack at this point. I suggest Owner/owner. (I tried Administrator/administrator and could not log in).
* Restart in the newly created system - removing the CD when asked.
* Go to the Virtual Machine menu option in Fusion and ask to install the tools.
* Return to the VM. A cdrom0 browser has opened.
* Double-click on VMwareTools-e.x.p-49528.tar.gz. The rpm says it isn't the correct version.
* Press the extract button and save vmware-tools-distrib to your home directory.
* Change the root password from menu System / Administration / Users and Groups.
* Open a terminal from menu Applications / Accessories.
* Type su and press enter. Enter your password.
* Enter the following commands:
o cd vmware-tools-distrib
o ./vmware-install.pl
* The default answers are all suitable - but the process takes out your network connection.
* The last thing it does is run vmware-config-tools.pl. Ignore it's pleas to change the network configuration manually. This is only when you need to reconfigure after an upgrade.
* Reboot the Ubuntu vm - and the nertwork comes back.
* Go to the Fusion VM machine settings and enable shared folders (also at power on).
* Press the plus (+) and add a new shared folder. Personally I called it Host and pointed it to my home directory. Don't forget to tick the enabled box here also or it can't be seen.
* Return to Ubunto and open the finder (menu Places | Home will do).
* Open a location with ^L or menu Go | Location and type /mnt/hgfs.
* Open a terminal and type:
o cd /mnt/hgfs/Host
o ls -l
* Since this is your home directory there should be files and directories owned by you. Record the user and group IDs. If you are the only user on your Mac they will probably be 501.
* Open System / Administration / Users and Groups.
* Create a new group with the same user name and password as for the Mac and an ID recorded from above (501).
* Create a new user. Set the UID to that of the Mac and the group created above in the Advanced tab.

If you have multiple Mac users, create users with matching names, passwords and UID/GUID on Ubuntu. That way they can share files with their home directory.

[MacJunkie]

Nice write-up. I've been running it under Parallels for some time now and enjoy it a lot.

[jbennet]

Why not just use NFS or Samba?

[paulmarrington]

Why not just use NFS or Samba?

You can. I use Samba for my XP VM since I can't get the Shared Folders to work. It requires that I have Windows Sharing enabled on the Mac - a security hole I would rather have plugged. It has also disconnected once or twice. Since I keep my accounts files on the Mac being accessed by the XP VM, I find this a little concerning.

My Mac is a notebook. It floats between networks. I run my machines NATted so that they can get out but are isolated from the networks. Shared Folders appeared to be a nice private solution - and simpler to set up than Samba or NFS. I tried Samba but had difficulties.

[jbennet]

Yeah. I dont have a mac myself though, i was just recommending that from experience.

I myself use Virtual PC to run XP from within Vista (compatibility reasons) and the Sharing Fodlers never work so I just use SMB.

And you dont need to use SMB to share between linux/osx . I thaught the mac has NFS?

[paulmarrington]

And you dont need to use SMB to share between linux/osx . I thaught the mac has NFS?

It does - 'cept for 2 things. Firstly I was too lazy to find out how it is set up for the Mac. Secondly I use the same VM (on a USB drive) on both Mac and Windows machines.

[H8 New Accounts]

"Don't use a user the same as you pack at this point."

What does that mean?

[H8 New Accounts]

Here's a link that goes over the process of ironing out folder sharing issues between OS X and Linux with a Fusion setup.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1031090&page=3

[kidsoo]

did you try bootcamp ?
i do not try it,but i think it may works

[John A]

>did you try bootcamp ?
Boot Camp is only intended to aid a native installation of Windows on Mac hardware. It has nothing to do with emulating WIndows on a Mac.

[jbennet]

Also, this post was from 2007 so its quite possible it was an old PowerPC mac (which doesnt support bootcamp)