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This page provides compatibility information for Orka clusters, including supported VM operating systems, host requirements, and feature availability. Use this guide to ensure your Orka configuration meets the necessary requirements. Note: Recommended versions of Orka include the latest features and bug fixes.

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Apple Silicon Compatibility

VM OS VersionRecommended Orka Cluster VersionRequired Orka Cluster VersionRequired Host Version
macOS 26 Tahoe3.53.5+MacOS 15.5+
macOS 15 Sequoia3.53.0+MacOS 15+
macOS 14 Sonoma3.53.0+MacOS 14+
macOS 13 Ventura3.52.4+MacOS 13+
macOS 12 MontereyNot supportedNot supportedNot supported

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M4 Compatibility Requirements

  • Recommended Host OS Update: MacStadium recommends upgrading Host OSes with M4 to at least macOS 15.2. This resolves compatibility problems with older VM OSes.
  • Known Issue: If the Host OS is earlier than macOS 15.2, VM OSes older than macOS 13.4 will not start.
  • Alternative Solution: If upgrading the Host OS to 15.2 is not possible, use namespaces or tags to differentiate hosts with M4 from those using M2 or M1. Then, route workloads requiring VM OSes older than macOS 13.4 to compatible hosts.

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OCI Image Overview

The Open Container Initiative (OCI) is an open standard for container formats and runtimes. MacStadium provides OCI-formatted images for Apple Silicon-compatible virtual machines, which are available on OrkaHub. Users can deploy VMs using compatible images from public or private registries and store your own images in any OCI-compliant registry. For more information on OCI Images, see OCI Images

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Intel Compatibility (Legacy)

VM OS VersionRecommended Orka Cluster VersionRequired Orka Cluster Version
macOS 15 (Sequoia)3.5+3.2+
macOS 14 (Sonoma)3.5+3.0+
macOS 13 (Ventura)3.5+2.4+
macOS 12 (Monterey)3.2+2.4+
macOS 11 (Big Sur)3.2+2.4+
macOS 10.15 (Catalina)3.2+2.4+
macOS 10.14 (Mojave)3.2+2.4+
  • Note: macOS 26 (Tahoe) will not be supported on Intel.

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Intel Image Format (Legacy)

Intel images are available through a remote network storage mount within MacStadium’s infrastructure. These images are designed for Intel-based virtual machines, and can be accessed directly from the mounted storage.
macOS versionI/O boostNetwork boostGPU passthrough
macOS 14 (Sonoma)✅*✅Available ***
macOS 13 (Ventura)✅✅Available ***
macOS 12 (Monterey)✅✅Available ***
macOS 11 (Big Sur)✅✅Available ***
macOS 10.15 (Catalina)✅Not supportedAvailable ***
macOS 10.14 (Mojave)✅ (10.14.5+)Not supportedAvailable ***
  • I/O boost is supported on macOS 10.14.5 and later.
** Network boost is not supported on macOS 10.14 and 10.15 for Intel-based VMs. Always disable this feature for these versions. *** By default, GPU passthrough is disabled for VM configurations and VMs. When you enable GPU passthrough for an Intel VM, this automatically disables VNC for the VM. Make sure that you will be able to access the VM by SSH or Apple Screen Sharing before enabling GPU passthrough.