How can you access files on a NAS connected directly to an Apple silicon Mac, or those saved to external storage using Ext4 or similar?
Linux
From Hypervisor APIs in OS X 10.10 Yosemite in 2014, through early VirtIO kernel extensions in Mojave in 2018, and Arm hypervisor support in Big Sur.
Fixes two bugs, including the saving and use of display resolution and other settings, has revised menus, and a full 13-page Help book.
Adds bridged networking, VM settings files, prevents inadvertent window closure when a VM is running, and more. Tested with 6 distros.
Before Apple had even released its Developer Transition Kit, virtualisation was already one of the 3 pillars of software support on Apple silicon Macs.
Once the virtualisation app has configured a VM to be run, it starts it, and stands back as the macOS Virtual Machine Service does all the hard work.
Now feature-complete with support for shared folders with the host Mac, and everything is in place for Rosetta 2 translation of x86_64 binaries within the VM.
Running Linux on an Apple silicon Mac may now be straightforward, but it presents challenges for installation and management.
Differences between the creation and installation of macOS and Linux VMs explained. A new beta-release of Liviable to create and run GUI Linux on Ventura.
Which to use to virtualise Monterey on an Apple silicon Mac: Parallels Desktop, UTM or VirtualBuddy? A survey of their strengths and problems.
The Eclectic Light Company 