A Mac Expert‘s Guide to Virtual Machines in 2023

As a longtime Mac user and software engineer, I‘ve had a front-row seat to watch the virtualization revolution unfold on Apple platforms. From the early days of Virtual PC to today‘s mature, performant hypervisors, Mac users have never had more powerful options for running alternate operating systems and sandboxed environments on their machines. In this article, I‘ll dive deep into the world of virtual machines on macOS, sharing expert tips and insights to help you make the most of these versatile tools.

The Rise of Mac Virtualization

The history of consumer PC virtualization is deeply entwined with the Mac. Back in the late 90s, at a time when Apple‘s future was uncertain, a company called Connectix launched a groundbreaking product called Virtual PC. It allowed Mac users to run Windows and other x86 operating systems in a virtual machine, right on their PowerPC Macs. Microsoft was so impressed that they acquired Connectix in 2003 and folded the product into their Mac Business Unit. 1

Fast forward to 2023, and virtualization is now a mainstream feature of macOS with a thriving ecosystem. Apple‘s transition from PowerPC to Intel processors in 2006 was a major turning point, as Intel‘s built-in hardware virtualization features dramatically improved the performance of VMs on Mac hardware.

More recently, the switch to Apple silicon has brought another sea change. Apple‘s M-series chips include a virtualization layer that provides near-native speed for running alternate operating systems. 2 Combined with technologies like the Virtualization framework introduced in macOS 11, these advances have made it easier than ever for developers to create efficient, performant virtualization apps for Mac users.

Why Use VMs on a Mac?

So what are the key reasons a Mac user might want to leverage virtual machines? Based on my experience, there are a few common scenarios:

  1. Cross-platform development and testing. macOS has long been a favorite of programmers, especially for open source and cloud-native development. But with the growing popularity of cross-platform frameworks like Electron and Flutter, many Mac-based coders need to test their apps on Windows and Linux as well. VMs make it easy to run those OSes right on your Mac, no separate hardware needed.

  2. Business app compatibility. While the Mac has made major inroads in the enterprise, there are still some business-critical apps that only run on Windows. Rather than switching back and forth between computers, many professionals choose to run Windows in a VM on their Mac when they need it.

  3. Sandboxed environments. VMs are an ideal way to create isolated, disposable environments for testing new software or exploring unfamiliar systems. Security researchers love using VMs as a safe place to detonate malware samples and study their behavior. IT teams use VMs to evaluate new tools and configurations before deploying to production.

Just how common are these use cases? According to a 2021 survey by Parallels, 33% of Mac users use VMs to run Windows. The top reason cited was to access apps not available on macOS. 3

Choosing a Virtualization Platform

For Mac users ready to start exploring virtual machines, the first major decision is picking a hypervisor platform. As of 2023, there are three main options to choose from:

Hypervisor Developer Guest OS Support Price
Parallels Desktop Parallels Windows, Linux, macOS $79.99/year
VMware Fusion VMware Windows, Linux, macOS $149 perpetual
VirtualBox Oracle Windows, Linux, macOS Free and open source

Source: vendor websites as of February 2023

Having used all three extensively, I can confidently say they are all solid, mature platforms with good performance and stability. Parallels Desktop is generally regarded as the most polished and Mac-like, with deep integrations like Coherence mode which allows Windows apps to run side-by-side with Mac apps. It‘s a popular choice for business users who rely on a few key Windows productivity apps.

VMware Fusion is a bit more oriented towards developers and IT pros, with robust networking options and support for vSphere remote management. It‘s a top pick for DevOps workflows and testing complex multi-machine deployments.

VirtualBox is the only free and open source option. It doesn‘t have quite as many bells and whistles as the commercial offerings, but it supports a very wide range of guest operating systems and is a great choice for casual use or academic projects.

Whichever platform you choose, make sure your Mac is equipped to run VMs well. Plan to dedicate at least 2 CPU cores and 4GB of RAM to each running VM for good performance, more for resource-intensive workloads. If you‘ll be running VMs off the main internal drive, aim for a minimum of 256GB SSD. External drives can work, but avoid running VMs off of USB or Thunderbolt spinning disks if at all possible, as the slow I/O will severely bottleneck performance.

Managing VMs at Scale

For enterprise Mac admins tasked with managing fleets of Macs with virtualized workloads, choosing the right tools and implementing robust governance is critical. Leading MDM platforms like Jamf Pro and Workspace ONE now offer built-in support for deploying and securing VMs on managed Macs.

Features to look for include:

  • VM provisioning from a central image repository
  • Configuration management for virtual hardware settings
  • Encryption enforcement for VM disks
  • vTPM device and guest integrity attestation
  • Sandboxing and privilege separation for VM processes
  • Inventory reporting and auditing for running VMs

Sample Deployment Workflow:

  1. Create a master VM image configured with required OS and apps
  2. Package VM image and upload to MDM for distribution
  3. Define VM provisioning workflow in MDM for specified Macs
  4. Configure baseline security policy for VM (encrypt disks, restrict network interfaces, etc.)
  5. Push VM image to Macs and execute provisioning workflow
  6. Manage and monitor provisioned VMs using MDM tools

Source: derived from vendor documentation and firsthand experience

With careful planning and the right tools, deploying secure, compliant VMs to a Mac fleet can be a largely automated process. The efficiencies gained by using VMs to deliver key workloads across a Mac estate can be transformative for businesses.

Virtualization and the Future of macOS

Looking ahead, I believe the use of virtual machines on Macs will only accelerate and expand. Apple has shown a deep commitment to the technology with the investments they‘ve made in the virtualization stack on Apple silicon.

At WWDC 2022, Apple introduced a new Virtualization framework allowing users to create and manage VMs directly using APIs built into macOS Ventura. These VMs run on top of the same lightweight hypervisor Apple uses for things like the Rosetta translation layer. Access to this technology opens up exciting possibilities for new types of VM-based apps and utilities.

The continued growth of cloud-based SAAS and PAAS will also drive more virtualization on the desktop. Many enterprises are pursuing "thin client" strategies where traditional macOS workloads are shifted into VMs running in on-premises clouds or public hyperscalers and accessed from Mac endpoints. This approach allows for greater centralization, simplified management and improved security.

As for emerging use cases, I‘m keeping a close eye on VMs as a foundation for personal privacy and security. The idea of disposable VMs for high risk activities like browsing, banking and crypto wallet access is very intriguing. I could envision a future where your Mac ships with a library of pre-configured, hardened VM images for different security levels that can be spun up on demand. Risky activity would be contained in an isolated VM that gets destroyed after each use, ensuring no persistent compromise to your main environment.

Conclusion

Over the past few decades, virtual machines have gone from a niche technology to an indispensable tool for Mac users of all stripes. Whether you‘re a software developer testing code on multiple platforms, a business user dependent on a critical Windows app, or an admin delivering secure workloads across a Mac fleet, VMs have the power to make your computing life easier and more productive.

With an influx of new Apple silicon Macs and continued investments in the underlying virtualization stack in macOS, it‘s never been a better time to incorporate VMs into your workflow. By understanding the key concepts, choosing the right platform and allocating sufficient hardware resources, Mac users can unlock incredible versatility and flexibility.

As an expert who has seen the virtualization landscape evolve from the early days of Virtual PC to today‘s mature ecosystem, I‘m excited to see what the next chapter will bring. One thing is for sure – virtual machines will continue to play a vital role in the future of enterprise macOS computing.

References

  1. Squidoo, The History of Connectix Virtual PC
  2. TechCrunch, How and why you should run Windows on your Mac
  3. Parallels, The State of Mac Business Report 2021

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