Alternate Install macOS UTM

macOS with UTM (Docker)

Caution

This installation method is not supported or maintained by the ARM Developers. For full support and continued maintenance, we recommend installing ARM via the supported Docker Container. This installation method was developed for macOS users who cannot run Docker natively with USB passthrough.

Use at your own risk

This guide covers installing ARM using Docker inside an Ubuntu Server VM running on macOS via UTM. This approach is necessary because ARM requires Linux and direct USB device access, which macOS cannot provide natively.

Important: You must use UTM's QEMU backend (Emulate), not Apple Virtualization (Virtualize). Apple Virtualization does not support USB passthrough.

Prerequisites

• Mac (Apple Silicon or Intel)
• External USB DVD/Blu-ray drive
• Ubuntu Server 24.04 ISO (ARM64 for Apple Silicon, AMD64 for Intel)
• At least 4GB RAM and 64GB storage available for the VM

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Part 1: Install UTM

1. Download UTM from https://mac.getutm.app
2. Open the downloaded DMG file
3. Drag UTM to your Applications folder
4. Launch UTM from Applications

Tip: If macOS blocks the app, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

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Part 2: Create the Ubuntu VM

Step 1: Start a New VM

1. Open UTM and click Create a New Virtual Machine
2. Select Emulate (NOT Virtualize - critical for USB passthrough)
3. Select Linux

Step 2: Configure the VM

Boot ISO:

• Click Browse and select your Ubuntu Server ISO

Hardware Settings (Apple Silicon):

• Architecture: ARM64 (aarch64)
• System: QEMU 8.2 ARM Virtual Machine
• RAM: 4096 MB (minimum)
• CPU Cores: 4

Hardware Settings (Intel Mac):

• Architecture: x86_64
• System: Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009)
• RAM: 4096 MB (minimum)
• CPU Cores: 4

Storage:

• Size: 64 GB (minimum recommended)

Network:

• Select Bridged (Advanced) and choose your network interface (usually en0)

Step 3: Name and Create

• Name: ARM or Ubuntu-ARM
• Click Save

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Part 3: Install Ubuntu Server

1. Start the VM and select Try or Install Ubuntu Server
2. Follow the installation wizard:
   • Installation type: Ubuntu Server (full, not minimized)
   • Enable OpenSSH server
   • Skip featured snaps
3. After installation, remove the ISO from the virtual CD drive in UTM settings
4. Get the VM's IP address:

ip addr show

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Part 4: Connect USB DVD Drive

Attach the Drive in UTM

1. With the VM running, plug in your USB DVD drive
2. In the UTM window toolbar, click the USB icon
3. Select your DVD drive to connect it to the VM

Verify the Drive

SSH into your VM:

ssh username@<VM_IP_ADDRESS>

Check if the drive is detected:

ls -la /dev/sr0

Expected output:

brw-rw----+ 1 root cdrom 11, 0 Jan 29 05:28 /dev/sr0

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Part 5: Install Docker

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and back in for group changes to take effect, then verify:

docker --version

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Part 6: Install ARM

Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p ~/arm/{config,logs,music,movies,completed}
cd ~/arm

Create Docker Compose File

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
services:
  arm:
    image: automaticrippingmachine/automatic-ripping-machine:latest
    container_name: arm
    restart: unless-stopped
    privileged: true
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=America/New_York
      - ARM_UID=1000
      - ARM_GID=1000
    volumes:
      - ./config:/etc/arm/config
      - ./logs:/home/arm/logs
      - ./music:/home/arm/music
      - ./movies:/home/arm/media/movies
      - ./completed:/home/arm/media/completed
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    devices:
      - /dev/sr0:/dev/sr0
EOF

Note: Adjust TZ to your timezone (e.g., America/Los_Angeles, Europe/London)

Start ARM

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Verify ARM is Running

docker logs arm --tail 20

Look for:

INFO ARM: DriveUtils.drives_search Optical drive detected: /dev/sr0

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Part 7: Access ARM

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://<VM_IP_ADDRESS>:8080

Default credentials:

• Username: admin
• Password: password

Change the default password immediately in Settings.

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Optional: Shared Media Library

To save ripped media directly to a macOS folder, configure a VirtFS shared directory in UTM:

1. Shut down the VM
2. In UTM, edit the VM settings
3. Under Sharing, add a directory path (e.g., /Volumes/Media Library)
4. Start the VM and mount the share:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media-library
sudo mount -t 9p -o trans=virtio share0 /mnt/media-library -oversion=9p2000.L

5. Update your docker-compose.yml volumes to use /mnt/media-library

For persistent mounting, add to /etc/fstab:

share0 /mnt/media-library 9p trans=virtio,version=9p2000.L,rw,_netdev 0 0

Note: VirtFS permissions require chmod 777 on the shared directory due to UID mismatches between macOS and Linux.

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Troubleshooting

USB Drive Not Detected

1. Verify you selected Emulate (QEMU), not Virtualize when creating the VM
2. Check UTM's USB menu to ensure the drive is connected
3. Run ls -la /dev/sr* in the VM

ARM Shows "No drives found"

1. Verify /dev/sr0 exists: ls -la /dev/sr0
2. Check docker-compose.yml device path
3. Restart the container: docker compose restart

Cannot Access Web UI

1. Verify container is running: docker ps
2. Check if VM IP changed: ip addr show
3. Confirm port 8080 is exposed: docker port arm

Performance

QEMU emulation is slower than native virtualization. This is the tradeoff for USB passthrough support. Ripping works but takes longer than on native hardware.

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Maintenance Commands

# View logs
docker logs arm -f

# Restart ARM
cd ~/arm && docker compose restart

# Update ARM
cd ~/arm && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

# Stop ARM
cd ~/arm && docker compose down

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Summary

Component	Value
VM Software	UTM with QEMU backend
Guest OS	Ubuntu Server 24.04
Container	automaticrippingmachine/automatic-ripping-machine
Web Interface	http://VM_IP:8080
Default Login	admin / password
DVD Device	/dev/sr0