Using Virtual Machines Within and For OSX

[One Still Sheep]

I have a question about installing a virtual machine on a Mac which I have never found answered fully, and I'm wondering if anyone here can clear up the matter for me.

Let's say that you have an iMac, running Mountain Lion, and you wish to load a virtual machine running Lion (or Lion server, or whichever is legal to run in a Virtual Machine, as this is apparently an issue for some reason). Is it necessary to buy a disc version of this older OS in order to install it in a virtual machine?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

It is not necessary, but for legal reasons you need to buy a license of the OS you want to install. No Mac coming with Mac OS X 10.7 Lion or OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has physical restore media included and no physical media is sold for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Mac OS X 10.7 Lion could be purchased on a USB flash memory thumb drive for 69 USD, but Apple does not offer that anymore.

 

[One Still Sheep]

Given that Apple has discontinued physical media for their OS, what would be the most practical way to go about buying a license for such software (for the purpose of installing within a VM)?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Given that Apple has discontinued physical media for their OS, what would be the most practical way to go about buying a license for such software (for the purpose of installing within a VM)?

That I do not know. Apple does not even sell Mac OS X 10.7 Lion through the Mac App Store (MAS) anymore, even though there might be people, who are interested in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and not OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or cannot run OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

 

[One Still Sheep]

That I do not know. Apple does not even sell Mac OS X 10.7 Lion through the Mac App Store (MAS) anymore, even though there might be people, who are interested in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and not OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or cannot run OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

That's what I suspected; I checked the App Store and couldn't find Lion. Brilliant, Apple.

Sometimes I wonder whether software companies have ever given thought to the fact that they actually encourage illegal activity by discontinuing the use of physical media. Using this case as just one simple example: it might be possible to find an old installation disc (or USB drive) for previous versions of OSX second-hand, but what about subsequent revisions (Mountain Lion onward)? If they do not offer previous versions for download, and have never offered any physical media, then once the newest version of something comes out, all previous iterations simply vanish, as though it never existed. In software, this approach could leave many users in the lurch; in media, it is far more insidious.

 

[Weaselboy]

Given that Apple has discontinued physical media for their OS, what would be the most practical way to go about buying a license for such software (for the purpose of installing within a VM)?

Call 1-800-My-Apple and order it over the phone. Apple will email you a code you use on the App store to download it.