FreeBSD 10.1 Release on Parallels 9

[TimothyLegg]

Hello,

One annoyance I've had with Parallels 8 and also 9 is that it doesn't seem to support FreeBSD.

I've downloaded the ISO images, for both the AMD64 and i386, and when I drop them into the box where I am to drag the image file, it says that it is unable to detect the operating system.

I can take this same image file and open it with qemu perfectly fine, so the image seems to be intact. The MD5 checksum tells me that too.

(I'm also confused how a software tool that I paid for can't boot an image that a free open-source tool can open perfectly fine. It makes me wonder exactly what am I paying for with Parallels.)

Timothy D. Legg

 

[Parallels User]

Just select the operating system type from the menu.

 

[TimothyLegg]

I don't know what you are talking about. Which menu? Is this the menu that you are given when you select "File", "New"? The choices there aren't types of operating systems, it's a very narrow list of operating systems that are provided to you (MacOS, Android, Chrome OS, Ubuntu) There is also a choice of installing another OS via a DVD or image file. That's the choice I selected. And Parallels claims that the Official FreeBSD 10.1 Release ISO is not valid.

 

[TimothyLegg]

I should clarify, I am running:
Build 9.0.24251 (Revision 1052177; Thursday, August 28, 2014)
MacOS 10.10.1 (Yosemite)

 

[Parallels User]

After Parallels not recognizing the OS automatically in the image you have the possibility to manually set the OS to FreeBSD. Just click Continue at the bottom right and you are then presented with a menu to select the OS, Other > FreeBSD.

Disclaimer: I ran this procedure myself with FreeBSD 10.1 amd64 ISO on Parallels Desktop 10.1.1 running on OS X 10.1, but should be the same with PDM 9.

 

[Parallels User]

Also relevant: http://forum.parallels.com/threads/freebsd-boot-issue-with-parallels-10-1-1-28614.326744/

 

[TimothyLegg]

Thank you Specimen, you technique worked and I have FreeBSD 10.1 running on my machine.

I'm partying like it's 1999 at the Un*x command line. Might install X11R6+fvwm and pretend I'm at MIT in the 80's.

 

[vikingboy]

I'd appreciate any guidance you guys have towards getting Xorg up and running under FreeBSD....which drivers did you use for mouse / display etc.
FreeBSD seems poorly neglected under Parallels currently...

 

[Parallels User]

I have FreeBSD 10.1 install with Xorg/Xfce/KDE/GNOME under Parallels Desktop 10. There is no special driver to select. I used packages and everything works well in the VM. Just follow the instructions in Chapter 6 of the FreeBSD Handbook starting here: https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/x-install.html.