conversion: folder -> package?

[thorby]

I'm applying V4 to my 3 VMs and something odd is happening. Each VM (that is, each .pvs) file was located in its own folder, along with some related files. When Parallels "converts" the VM that was within a folder, it also converts the entire folder into a package.

For example, I had a folder Ubuntu, which contained Ubuntu.pvs, Ubuntu.hdd and also some downloads related to this VM such as an Ubuntu install .iso, and the Aspell distribution tar files.

After "conversion" of the file Ubuntu/Ubuntu.pvs, there now exists only a package named Ubuntu-8.pvm.

Yes, I can right-click on it and select "Show Package Contents" and there are the files I had in the old folder (plus some more). But why does Parallels muck up my folder structure?

Also, why does it rename it (from "Ubuntu" to "Ubuntu-8")?

Thanks for any insights...

 

[Anna Pichueva]

Hello thorby,

Parallels upgrading does not change your data structure, it just summs up the virtual machine files to one. Actually the main virtual machine file is .hdd. If you have this file it will be possible to recreate the whole machine in both PD3 and PD4 formats.

How can this little reconfiguration cause any inconvenience?

Thank you for using Parallels.

 

[thorby]

Well to repeat, what I used to have:

MacOSHD
> Folder "Ubuntu"
> > Aspell-05.05.tar
> > kubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386
> > ubuntu-8.04.1-desktop-i386.iso
> > ubuntu.pvs
> > ubuntu.hdd

What I have after opening and converting MacOSHD/Ubuntu/ubuntu.pvs

MacOSHD/Ubuntu-8.pvm

That's all! Where are my related files (Aspell.tar, ubuntu...iso, and others not mentioned)?

Well, they are there but in order to access them, I have to control-click on the .pvm file, and from the Finder pop-up select "Show Package Contents" -- and it then opens in a new window.

So one (admittedly minor) inconvenience is, where I used to be able with one click on the triangle icon, to display the contents of this folder in the normal way, now it is not a folder, and I have to open it in different way.

Or actually, I have to open it once, construct a new folder, move the files I care about to that, so I can access them when and how I want.

It's a basic Mac principle that you shouldn't fool around with the user's file structure. I have no problem with Version 4 packaging the VM in a different way -- just don't suck up my other, non-Parallels-related, files with it!

What SHOULD have happened when I converted MacOSHD/Ubuntu/ubuntu.* would be to replace just those files with a new MacOSHD/Ubuntu/ubuntu.pvm package. No other changes.