# Mac at any scale

- HackerByte page: <https://hackerbyte.net/en/stories/a-discussion-on-new-approaches-or-tools-for-large-scale-projects-on-macos-50352758>
- Original source: <https://namespace.so/blog/mac-at-any-scale>
- Hacker News discussion: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50352758>
- Submitted to Hacker News: 2026-11-03T14:53:42.000Z

A discussion on new approaches or tools for large\-scale projects on macOS.

## AI-generated summary

Namespace Labs details their innovative approach to deploying hundreds of MacBooks in data centers to meet customer demand for iOS app development and testing. Facing supply chain issues with Mac Minis, they opted for MacBooks, overcoming challenges like remote management, power, heat, and specific macOS quirks through custom racks, IP KVM, and optimized virtualization.

## Key points

- Namespace deploys MacBooks in data centers due to supply chain issues with Mac Minis.
- Custom racks with IP KVM, external 10G Ethernet NICs, and careful cable/heat management are used.
- Challenges encountered include unreliable HDMI cables, FileVault decryption timeouts, and USB NIC bugs.
- macOS VMs are virtualized using Apple's Virtualization framework, limited to two VMs per physical Mac.
- A peer\-to\-peer distribution system, inspired by BitTorrent, is used to efficiently deploy large VM images across the fleet.