AppleMacGeniusVille

VMWare Fusion 2.0 beta2 supports virtualizing Mac OS X Server as a guest OS. If you try to install a Leopard or Snow Leopard Client guest, you get an error. The guest operating system is not Mac OS X Server. I have taken a few bits and pieces from different websites I have searched and put together the following. I take no credit for this as it’s a joint venture produced from a lot of other hard work done by numerous people.

If you create an ISO/CDR image from your Leopard install DVD, mount it then do

touch “/Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD/System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist”

then unmount it, you can now use that image to install Leopard Client into VMWare with no complaints. After you install, reboot VMWare from the install DVD ISO again, run Terminal and

touch “/Volumes/Macintosh HD/System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist”

then reboot from the HD.

**This violates Apple’s license agreement so don’t do it, I certainly wouldn’t.**

You can automate the deletion and creation of the ServerVersion.plist file using a LaunchDaemon. Put the following xml in a new file:

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.rectalogic.vmware.plist

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>

<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC “-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN”

“http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd“>

<plist version=”1.0″>

<dict>

<key>Label</key>

<string>com.rectalogic.vmware</string>

<key>ProgramArguments</key>

<array>

<string>/bin/bash</string>

<string>-c</string>

<string>/bin/rm -f /System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist; trap “/usr/bin/touch /System/Library/CoreServices/ServerVersion.plist; exit” SIGINT SIGTERM SIGHUP; sleep 999999 &amp; wait $!</string>

</array>

<key>KeepAlive</key>

<true/>

<key>RunAtLoad</key>

<true/>

</dict>

</plist>

Then run

sudo launchctl load /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.rectalogic.vmware.plist

Now when you login ServerVersion.plist will be deleted, when you shutdown it will be recreated ready for the next reboot.

One alternative approach that seems to make the most sense and works very well and is discussed in the comments is to hack VMWare to disable the check for server. Open Terminal and paste the following in to it:

sudo bash

cd “/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion/isoimages”

mkdir original

mv darwin.iso tools-key.pub *.sig original

perl -n -p -e ‘s/ServerVersion.plist/SystemVersion.plist/g’ < original/darwin.iso > darwin.iso

openssl genrsa -out tools-priv.pem 2048

openssl rsa -in tools-priv.pem -pubout -out tools-key.pub

openssl dgst -sha1 -sign tools-priv.pem < darwin.iso > darwin.iso.sig

for A in *.iso ; do openssl dgst -sha1 -sign tools-priv.pem < $A > $A.sig ; done

exit

written by AppleMacGenius \\ tags: Apple, Mac OS X, virtualize, VMware, vmware fusion

So you want an iPhone?  You go down to your local Apple Store and purchase one.  Then the Apple employee runs you through a step-by-step activation process.  Sounds harmless, but when you get to the question, “Will you be using your phone to access Corporate eMail?” what do you say?  If your answer is YES then your bill will be $45.00 a month.  But what does that get you?

I asked Apple, and their answer is “Well it’s so you can access your Exchange Server.”  AT&T says the same thing.  But here is the thing, I have an iPhone 3G[S], before I had a iPhone 3G and before that I had the original iPhone with 2.x on it and I have never been on the $45.00 Enterprise Data Plan.  I also connect to my Corporate Exchange.  So I ask AT&T and Apple, Are you scamming people out of their money?!?! Do you really need to say you are connecting to a Corporate Exchange server when you can answer with a simple “no” to that question and then still select in the “Mail.app” on the iPhone to connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server.

Just because I could I had a 25 min discussion with a AT&T representative over the phone and I asked him, What am I getting if I go with the Enterprise plan for $45.00?  His answer was, “You get the ability to connect to your Corporate Exchange account…“, then I said, well I already can do that and I have the Regular Data Plan for iPhone.  He said “…oh, well you get other tools on your phone.” so I asked what tools do I get?  He said “…well you get Exchange on your iPhone.” of course I challenged his answer again, I already can get my Exchange email on my iPhone, and I am on the regular iPhone Data Plan for $30.00.  He basically said he really didn’t know and I would have to switch if I kept doing that.  Of course I have been doing this for the last two and a half years.

So when it comes down to it, the “Enterprise Data plan for iPhone” is a scam.  It is a way for AT&T to charge unknowing customers for a services already built in to the iPhone with no extra “tools” needed.  Don’t be scammed out of money, if you are on the $45.00 plan, get off your wasting you money away!!  Below are the description you get when you click on the plans on your AT&T Account Features page:

Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone

written by AppleMacGenius \\ tags: AT&T, Enterprise Data Plans, iPhone, iPhone 3.0, iPhone 3GS