If the goal is hosting Windows (or Linux) on a Mac using a Type 2 hypervisor, Fusion8 is the tool for you. There’s a Standard version for end users and a Pro version for developers, as VMware wants to capture as many developers as it can and corral them into its ecosystem of products.
Both editions carry enhanced graphics capabilities, as well as excellent integration of the host Mac OS X GUI with the guest operating system. Fusion 8 provides a near transparent UI with Windows 7+ operating system functionalities, including Windows 10.
The Pro Edition developer features partially depend on the future arrival of connecting bits, and the movement of VMware ecosystem pieces from beta to production.
VMware does not follow the subscription model, like competitor Parallel’s For Mac 11, and the total cost of a Window on Mac deployment via Fusion 8 edition is creeping up.
A few years ago, the price of guesting an operating system was: the Mac, plus perhaps an updated version of Mac OSX. One could alternately boot Windows via a free app supplied by Apple, called Boot Camp, which today doesn’t support Windows 7x.
Mac OS X version upgrades are now free, just like most Windows updates. Then you need the Type 2 Hypervisor app—Fusion, which costs $79.99 for the standard version and $199 for the Pro version. Then add in the cost of Windows 10, or a cost-with-support version of Linux.
Tale of two versions
Fusion 8 places emphasis on graphics-intensive virtualization, although overall processing is slightly less than we’d expected in its default state. We found we needed to bump up Windows 10 share of the CPUs in our test beds.
Whichever base state of CPU allocation, graphics were great, and gamers and those in graphics-intensive positions will likely be satisfied, compared to previous versions of Fusion. Fusion8 supports DirectX 10 and OpenGL 3.3, and is therefore pretty up to date in terms of hosted VM graphics call capabilities.
Choosing the standard edition provides good heterogenous Type 2 hypervisor support for a wide variety of guests, and offers near transparent integration with Windows 10. For most civilian use cases, the Standard edition suffices.
In either edition, VMware wants to tout the fact that its integration with Windows 10 doesn’t place a VMware logo upon launch icons, as Parallels does. We actually found the Parallels icons handy, but application launch/use of Windows or Mac apps is perhaps more transparent this way.
The Pro Version is really about developers, and here, the contrast with recently released Parallels 11 for Mac becomes apparent, as VMware both documents its Fusion features, and offers more—although the features are somewhat poised in the direction of VMware-focused platforms and products.
Installation/Integration
Installation is simple to summarize: fetch a cup of caffeinated beverage after clicking purchase from VMware’s online store. Gossip a little bit. Voila!
Upgrading is not quite as simple, because guests will need new versions of VMware’s tools before previously installed guest VMs are fully usable, but our two un-upgraded ones worked fine without them, initially, in our small sample test.
If you’re upgrading a remote host and expect things to work, know that VNC can be wiggy until new tools are installed, and this includes Apple’s Remote Data Connection software, which responds to VNC remote screens, as well. On our notebook/desktop Mac locally, remote connections of all kinds (VNC, RDP, and RDC) worked well.
Fusion 8, however, will not upgrade on 2006 Core-Duo Macs. The hardware/firmware simply isn’t there, so one cannot use Fusion 8 to run an advanced copy of OS X, like Mavericks, where Apple would refuse to run it otherwise. So, check first to ensure compatibility, which should equal compatibility with Mac OS X Yosemite and El Capitan.
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During our review, 8.0.1 arrived, and took about 10 minutes over premium Xfinity broadband to download; it wasn’t just a few bits here and there. We’re hoping they don’t drag this much code regularly without some warning.
Net results
| Company | Product/price | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| VMware | Fusion for Mac 8 Standard: $79.99 (upgrades from prior editions may be available). Fusion for Mac 8 Pro: $199 | Excellent Type 2 hypervisor; very good documentation; great for VMware fans | Pro Edition highly VMware ecosystem focused |
| Scorecard | |||
| Installation/Documentation | 5 | ||
| Features | 4.5 | ||
| Administration & Control | 4.5 | ||
| Performance | 4 | ||
| Total | 4.5 |
VM Generation and Use
Fusion 8, both versions, passed our sample of test VMs. One can install from Boot Camp partitions, or generate VMs from a wide variety of host sources, but not virtual hard disks/.VHD formats. If you’re a developer, it’s best to check your source payloads and their format prior to installing. This said, things went swimmingly, and no strange reactions from our weird Ubuntu payload, unlike the troubles found with competitor Parallels.
Windows XPSP3 through Windows 10 from MSDN sources (excepting the aforementioned VHD) went very well. One can also install from a Boot Camp partition containing Windows OS versions.
Installation was fast for our test VM sources, be they ISO in disk-resident or removable media-resident formats. There are express default settings for some operating systems that will allow decent defaults for most OS guests. The caveat here is that while a number of CPU slices is good (up to 16 of what VMware terms vCPUs can be allocated), we did find ourselves bumping up the number of vCPUs to give what we perceived to be some spark to the sluggish default allocation. It’s not tough to either kick up or slow down the default, although the guest OS must be at rest to do so.
With Windows VM selections, installers are admonished to install an anti-virus/firewall product, and a free trial is offered. IPv6, including network address translation from IPv6 to IPv4 is supported. IPv6 guest use then became transparent for us, as well.
Fusion 8 supports guests ranging from Apple’s OS X 10.6 (including server versions)+, Windows Vista +, 2003 Server + and we tested Windows XP Pro SP3—which kicked on the fans, as it’s power hungry. We tested an Ubuntu-12.04 SkyWaveLinux ISO (worked the first time), and a handful of FreeBSD and other Linux distros we have in our library. Nothing faltered.
VMware also includes compatibility with their Project Photon, which was in beta at the time of our testing, so we did not review it. We are noting that its inclusion is a step toward container hosting capabilities, and additionally the ability to pilot Project Photon container payloads, prior to perhaps hosting them on VMware’s vCloud Air ESXi-As-A-Service platform. We also hosted OS X 10.10 and 10.11 on OS X 10, then as OS X 10.11 El Capitan arrived, we tested both on El Capitan.
We found the decisions made about default settings were good, but also wanted to test whether non-standard, even weird USB devices might work. We used an RTL software designed radio unit, plugged into the Skywave Linux host, and also Windows 7 to see if the device worked, and at speed. It did. USB 3 works well, too, as do Thunderbolt adapters, like a Thunderbolt to HDMI adapter. All worked without a yawn.
The Pro Edition allows you to build and deploy VMs on ESXi internal servers. We connected through our VPN to one of our VMware hosts, linked Fusion 8 to the ESXi 5.5 host, then picked an Ubuntu 14.10 x64 ISO file from our SAN. We then configured and launched it onto the host in our NOC at Expedient, 70 miles away. Total time, about five minutes. Subsequently, we could run, change configuration, and manage the VM remotely, as if using VMware’s vCenter Appliance. For some, this fact alone has tremendous value—especially DevOps and the Agile Dev types that spin up, use, and crater guest OSs on an hourly basis.
Startup and termination/suspension of guest OSes was also fast, and faster than previous Fusion editions, with no discernible difference between Standard and Pro Editions.
Support and Documentation
There is a large online Fusion 8 Learning Center that covers most use cases and settings options, a strong improvement over what we experienced with Parallels for Mac 11. It’s very heavily Windows-focused, we found, but still useful for other guest OS-types. VMware also offers a management control plane for Macs and guest VMs as a separate product, and as it wasn’t a part of the kit (optional), we didn’t test it.
Summary
Fusion 8 For Mac is a world-class Type 2 hypervisor, and easy to use for civilians desiring Windows, especially Windows 10 integration on their Mac. The Pro Edition, is very good, and many of its features are poised towards use with, but not exclusively, VMware ESXi products, where we found it worked well and calmly. Both editions suit a fairly wide denominator audience, at a comparatively high, non-subscription price, available from the VMware Store—indeed the only place it can be purchased from.
