Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] parallels install

[Michael Dickens]

I regularly do testing on VMWare Fusion and various Linux-es, for  
compiling and debugging scripts.  I wouldn't use Fusion for a  
production application, because of the hit the VM takes relative with  
the native CPU speed, unless the app has no significant CPU  
requirements.  That said, at least on Fusion I've had success running  
the USRP at close to 32 MB/s on an Intel-iMac.  I don't use Parallels,  
so I can't comment on that particular VM application.  Setup is  
identical to what you'd do on a native Linux box, except there is an  
icon to check (or uncheck) that attaches (removes) the USRP onto the  
VM's USB.

The primary pieces of advice I can give are:

* If you're going to use a VM (even for just testing of compiling and  
scripts), make sure your real computer has lots of DRAM.  Mine has 2  
GB, and that just barely does it when running the VM at 512 MB -  
keeping everything in DRAM instead of swapping out (which is very slow).

* VM's do not necessarily work like real hardware; sometimes yes,  
sometimes no.  Just because you can't get whatever you're doing to  
work on the VM doesn't mean that it will or not work on real hardware.

- MLD