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Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

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Re: Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

#51

Post by frabonacci »

JayDustheadz wrote: post #49

I'll ask again, since I didn't receive an answer up till now: is it capable of running macOS Big Sur on an ( Apple Silicon{M1 or later} + macOS Monterey{or higher} ) host? If so, would I be able to install apps via App Store on this Big Sur?

Yes, Lume supports running macOS Big Sur as a guest on Apple Silicon (M1 or later) hosts running Monterey or newer, as long as you’re using an ARM64 build of Big Sur.

However, App Store sign-in is currently not supported inside macOS VMs due to how Apple handles hardware entitlements and secure boot in virtualized environments.

That said, with macOS Sequoia, Apple has relaxed some constraints — you can now sign into iCloud inside a VM, which enables direct downloads of stable or beta Xcode installers without needing the App Store. More details here:

https://eclecticlight.co/2024/07/12/sequoia-virtualisation-a...

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/usi...

https://xcodereleases.com/

Re: Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

#52

Post by nottorp »

frabonacci wrote: post #28
mbreese wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I think you’re not addressing is the question about the Linux VM that Docker requires on a Mac. I don’t think there is a question about the benefits of Docker from a management point of view. The question is — is it worth keeping around a running Linux VM just to get those management benefits. Since you’re not actually using Docker (the daemon) to run Macs in a container, how much of that micro Linux VM is neces…

Great question, and totally fair. You're right that Docker on macOS runs inside a lightweight Linux VM (via Docker Desktop or Colima). We’re not using that VM to run the macOS guests - those run directly on the host via Apple’s Vz — but we do use Docker as a packaging and management layer (e.g. bundling noVNC, CLI tools, and configs). So is it strictly necessary? Not really. But for teams already using Docker in CI/C…

> inside a lightweight Linux VM

Docker VMM, the latest virtualization option for Apple Silicon Macs, requires a minimum of 4GB of memory to be allocated to the Docker Linux VM.

Or so says an "AI", I'm not installing Docker on this laptop to check, I have limited RAM :)

Re: Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

#53

Post by JayDustheadz »

frabonacci wrote: post #51
JayDustheadz wrote: post #49

I'll ask again, since I didn't receive an answer up till now: is it capable of running macOS Big Sur on an ( Apple Silicon{M1 or later} + macOS Monterey{or higher} ) host? If so, would I be able to install apps via App Store on this Big Sur?

Yes, Lume supports running macOS Big Sur as a guest on Apple Silicon (M1 or later) hosts running Monterey or newer, as long as you’re using an ARM64 build of Big Sur. However, App Store sign-in is currently not supported inside macOS VMs due to how Apple handles hardware entitlements and secure boot in virtualized environments. That said, with macOS Sequoia, Apple has relaxed some constraints — you can now sign into…

Thanks, but the issue is I don't need XCode. It's a weird use case, I know - I need to be able to access App Store to download old versions of Apple's Motion/Final Cut Pro, ones that are only available for Big Sur. If this is somehow possible, then I would really appreciate any tips, thanks!

Re: Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

#56

Post by frabonacci »

roundup wrote: post #54

Would Lumier allow me to virtualize macOS with system integrity protection (SIP) disabled?

Yes, it should be possible: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/709453

Lumier does not expose the capability but the underlying Lume CLI does.

lume run --recovery-mode true: https://github.com/trycua/cua/tree/main/libs/lume#usage

Re: Show HN: Lumier – Run macOS VMs in a Docker

#58

Post by keepamovin »

frabonacci wrote: post #57
keepamovin wrote: post #55

FWIF i prefer the name Laminar Think Laminar flow, because this is like super smooth macOS VM running in macOS

I like it - but there seems to be already another YC company with the name: https://lmnr.ai

Never stopped anyone before!
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