Introduction

This section provides an overview of the documentation.

An important part of using a M1(+) Mac in many of the classes is the ability to run Windows and Linux when needed. This will be helpful in classes like CSCN-345, CSCN-326, and others (to come later). This guide will walk you through the process of installing Windows and Linux on your Mac.

UTM

UTM is a virtual machine manager for MacOS. It allows you to run virtual machines on your Mac. It is free and open source at https://getutm.app/. It is available on the Mac App Store, but the App Store version costs money. We recommend using the free version from GitHub.

Windows Installation

Windows is a little finicky to try and get. We recommend downloading the Windows 11 ARM version, as it works the fastest on MacOS. To do this, you will need to download CrystalFetch. This app will allow you to download the Windows 11 ARM ISO.

Once you have the ISO, you can start by:

  • Open UTM and click the + button to open the VM creation wizard
  • Select Virtualize
  • Select Windows
  • Ensure Import VHDX Image is unchecked and Install Windows 10 or higher is checked.
  • Ensure Install drivers and SPICE tools is checked.
  • Click Browse and select the Windows 11 ARM ISO you downloaded earlier.
  • Select the amount of RAM and CPU cores you want to allocate to the VM. We recommend at least 6GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores.
  • Select the amount of Storage you want to allocate to the VM. We recommend at least 32GB.
  • Click Next until you get to the final screen, then click Save.
  • Follow the instructions on the screen to install Windows.

Linux Installation

Linux is a little easier to install. You can download the ISO from the Linux distribution's website. We recommend using Ubuntu, as it is the most beginner-friendly. You can download the ISO from https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop. Linux is a little easier to install. You can download the ISO from the Linux distribution's website. We recommend using Ubuntu, as it is the most beginner-friendly. You can download the ISO from https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop.

We also recommend you get the ARM version of Ubuntu, as it will run the fastest on your Mac.

Ubuntu ARM

Once you have the ISO, you can start by:

  • Open UTM and click the + button to open the VM creation wizard
  • Select Virtualize
  • Select Linux
  • Click Browse and select the Ubuntu ARM ISO you downloaded earlier.
  • Select the amount of RAM and CPU cores you want to allocate to the VM. We recommend at least 4GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores.
  • Select the amount of Storage you want to allocate to the VM.
  • Click Next until you get to the final screen, then click Save.
  • Follow the instructions on the screen to install Ubuntu.