macosubuntuvirtual-machineparallels

How do I run Ubuntu Server headless using Parallels Desktop?

Running VMs "headless" (without windows for each VM being visible on the host) is a great feature of VirtualBox. How do I do it using Parallels Desktop on Mac OS X?

Solution

  • Make sure Parallels Desktop is not running. If it is running, the commands below will still create a console window.

    From Terminal.app, use the Parallels command line: prlctl

    # List available VMs
prlctl list --all

# Start a VM using its name
prlctl start UbuntuServer

# Stop the VM
prlctl stop UbuntuServer

# Pause and Resume
prlctl pause UbuntuServer
prlctl resume UbuntuServer

# Reset and Restart
prlctl reset UbuntuServer
prlctl restart UbuntuServer