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Apple Virtualization Framework

developer.apple.com

21–30 of 127 posts

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#22
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps I am reading what you wrote wrong but are you saying it can use Rosetta within an ARM Linux VM to run x86 applications in the VM?

Yes. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/run...

Well damn that is pretty cool. I’ve not used UTM or the Apple Virt Framework but gonna have to look into that now! Thank you for the link.

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is being done because the Mach microkernel was designed to run multiple OS's at the same time. I think Apple finally has enough developers to start pushing into new areas such as a framework to advantage Mach.

Virtualization is, of course, based on a very standard KVM-like API. There's not much Mach in its design at all.

Mach is down below. This is what Mach is for the BSD that was originally part of the DARPA deliverable was just to prove that Mach could run on OS.

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#24
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At first I thought this was being done to pump us up for new Mac Pro hardware that might be on the horizon, but then I wasn't sure, but now I'm also still not sure it isn't .. ;) But, regardless, the subject of using a Mac to host a plethora of different platforms (in my case, for build-server duties) is indeed a fascinating subject. If I can get my target/builds set up on the next Mac Pro, whatever that is going to…

I think this is being done because the Mach microkernel was designed to run multiple OS's at the same time. I think Apple finally has enough developers to start pushing into new areas such as a framework to advantage Mach.

"Being done", I'm not sure anything is happening here other than a happy user pointing out that Apple have some advances in this area, but .. your point is that this has been there all along.

Alas, if only there were the hardware at scale which supported Apples' Mach implementation, at favourable economies.

One way this is favourable to this dev is if Apple finally give me a machine which I can use to Build All the Things™, including iOS and MacOS and Windows and Linux and Android, oh my!, virtually and/or with x86/ARM cores onboard, oh yeah!, without having to resort to the typically draconian bollocks on other platforms, or rent someone elses hardware, or whatever.

A new Mac Pro that can be loaded to the gills and host several competing OS's at once, for the purpose of software development? Sign me up, because I'm tired of build-box'ing rigs and fighting that darn license ..

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#26

I suppose this is something else than the Hypervisor framework ( https://developer.apple.com/documentation/hypervisor ) - its successor or a convenient complement? Does anyone know if there's a convenient command line utility for wrangling VMs built on this framework?

This is higher-level than the Hypervisor framework; this Virtualization framework providers an entire VM with virtio peripherals including a display.

https://github.com/lima-vm/lima can use Virtualization framework for creating VMs, there is also https://github.com/gyf304/vmcli as a very simple CLI utility for running VMs, though it's not very actively maintained.

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#27
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is being done because the Mach microkernel was designed to run multiple OS's at the same time. I think Apple finally has enough developers to start pushing into new areas such as a framework to advantage Mach.

"Being done", I'm not sure anything is happening here other than a happy user pointing out that Apple have some advances in this area, but .. your point is that this has been there all along. Alas, if only there were the hardware at scale which supported Apples' Mach implementation, at favourable economies. One way this is favourable to this dev is if Apple finally give me a machine which I can use to Build All the T…

When Mach was defined it was considered a centralized campus computer that could run all the needed operating systems on top of centralized memory and processing using IPC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_%28kernel%29

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#28
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/run...

Well damn that is pretty cool. I’ve not used UTM or the Apple Virt Framework but gonna have to look into that now! Thank you for the link.

downside is that there is no JIT-cache so it's much slower than Rosetta on Mac as it always does the translation on demand

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#29
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. https://developer.apple.com/documentation/virtualization/run...

Well damn that is pretty cool. I’ve not used UTM or the Apple Virt Framework but gonna have to look into that now! Thank you for the link.

UTM also have their own docs on it:

https://docs.getutm.app/advanced/rosetta/

And FYI, this is also available in Docker Desktop for macOS, which allows better performance when running x86_64 containers compared to the older solution where Docker was using qemu.

Re: Apple Virtualization Framework

#30
Please God let them use this to virtualize macOS inside iPadOS. Not as a daily driver but for the occasional use of a full desktop OS (when plugged into a keyboard/mouse). Then I could stop traveling with two devices once and for all.
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