Parallels Tools for Linux?

P

Paul Linden

Member
Now that I've got past my initial fascination with running Win XP on my Mac, I'm settling down to doing serious stuff, which doesn't involve Windows at all.

I have a couple of Linux distro VMs that I'm using extensively (excellent suspend and wake times, incidentally), working at close to native speeds. I develop code for Linux, and although I can do a lot on my Mac, the last 5-10%, e.g. creating rpms, needs to be done in Linux.

I have had absolutely no issues with Linux VMs - there must be something about Windows that caused a couple of kernel panics with Beta2 and Beta5.

But what's annoying is no Parallels Tools for Linux. Ctrl-Alt to get into Mac OS isn't really that much of a problem, but being able to move the mouse out of the VM window is something I miss. VMWare has this. Is there any roadmap to release a version of the tools for Linux?
 
From a previous post here, I believe a linux version of parallel tools is in the works, although I don't recall what their release target was (possibly 3.0?). I would be interested in trying to implement some tools features if the functionality were exposed.
 
One nice work-around (if you can call it that) is to launch the Apple X Server, and then from your VM, launch your favorite terminal program using that display. e.g.:

linux-vm# DISPLAY=osxmachine:0.0 konsole &

Any other windowed apps you launch from that terminal will inherit the DISPLAY variable, and be sitting nicely on your Mac desktop.

(I haven't tried this yet, but do this sort of thing all the time with various linux boxes and windows machines running the Cygwin X server)

I guess you will have to run "xhost +" too from a mac terminal.
 
Just tested my above theory. Before you run the X Server, you will have run this command (from OS X) to turn on TCP listening:

# defaults com.apple.x11 nolisten_tcp -boolean false

I think is a one-time configuration.

Once the X Server is running, you have enable remote access using the "xhost" command.
 
a simpler method is to use SSH X11 forwarding

Open X11.app
type 'ssh -X user@host' in the X11 terminal
open your applications from that terminal
 
I know this has been posted on a few other threads... but since this has it in the title.... BUMP!

We sure could use some tools for Linux..... hint hint hint !

= )
 
You can also get the entire linux desktop running in a OSX/X11 window, with proper mousing, using the "xnest" command. See this post

Its a bit slow for graphics/eyecandy heavy apps.
 
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