Ever minimizing the steps to get Catalina Beta running in VMware Fusion

macos_vm_kickstarter.sh

#!/bin/bash

####
#
# Prerequisite steps:
#
# 1 - Download a copy of the Install macOS app
# 2 - Mount the InstallESD.dmg and extract the kernel file with Pacifist from Core.pkg 
# 3 - Create a new macOS 10.14 vm (give it more ram than the standard 2 GB)
#
# Run the script "sudo bash macos_vm_kickstarter.sh [full path to Install app] [full path to kernel file]  [full path to .vmwarevm bundle]"
# Launch the vm and wait for it to boot to recovery then open Terminal in it and type "vmware_guest_install.sh"
#
#####

INSTALLERAPP="$1"
KERNELPATH="$2"
VMWAREVM="$3"
#KERNELPATH="/Users/Shared/Do Not Backup/CatalinaBeta7/kernel"
#INSTALLERAPP="/Volumes/Install macOS Catalina Beta/Install macOS Catalina Beta.app"
#VMWAREVM="/Users/Shared/Virtual Machines/Catalina.vmwarevm"

VMXFILE=$(find "$VMWAREVM" -name \*.vmx -print)

# minimal sanity checking
if [ ! -e "$KERNELPATH" ]; then echo "Kernel not found"; exit 1; fi
if [ ! -d "$INSTALLERAPP" ]; then echo "Installer app not found"; exit 1; fi
if [ ! -e "$VMXFILE" ]; then echo "virtual machine not found"; exit 1; fi



INSTALLMEDIA=""
echo "creating 10 GB install media"
hdiutil create -size 10g -fs jhfs+ -volname Installmedia "VMwareInstallmedia"

INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT="/Volumes/Installmedia"

hdiutil attach VMwareInstallmedia.dmg
echo "Restoring Base System to install media"
asr restore --source "${INSTALLERAPP}/Contents/SharedSupport/BaseSystem.dmg" --target "$INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT" --erase  --noprompt
diskutil renameVolume "/Volumes/macOS Base System" Installmedia

rm -rf "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/Install macOS Catalina Beta.app"
echo "Copying installer app to install media"
cp -pr "${INSTALLERAPP}" "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/Install macOS Catalina Beta.app"
echo "Done"
#mv "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel" "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel_apple"
rm "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel"
echo "Building vmware compatible prelinkedkernel"
kextcache -c "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel" \
  -K "$KERNELPATH" -z -- \
  "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/Extensions" \
  "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/Extensions/IOACPIFamily.kext"
/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Set ':Kernel Flags' string -v" "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist"
bless --folder "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/CoreServices" --file "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi" --verbose

echo "Writing install script to install media"
cat <<EOF > "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/bin/vmware_guest_install.sh"
#!/bin/bash
installer -pkg "/Install macOS Catalina Beta.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallInfo.plist" \
  -target "/Volumes/Macintosh HD" \
  -verbose -dumplog
rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel"
kextcache -c "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel" \
  -K "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/Kernels/kernel" \
  -l -- \
  "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/Extensions" \
  "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/Extensions/IOACPIFamily.kext"

bless --folder "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/CoreServices" \
  --file "/Volumes/Macintosh HD 1/System/Library/CoreServices/boot.efi" \
  --setBoot --verbose

shutdown -r now
EOF

chmod +x "${INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT}/bin/vmware_guest_install.sh"

hdiutil detach "$INSTALLMEDIAMOUNT"

INSTALLMEDIABYTES=$(($(stat -f %z VMwareInstallmedia.dmg)/512))
cat <<EOF > "${VMWAREVM}/VMwareInstallmedia.vmdk"
# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
encoding="UTF-8"
CID=fffffffe
parentCID=ffffffff
isNativeSnapshot="no"
createType="monolithicFlat"

# Extent description
RW $INSTALLMEDIABYTES FLAT "VMwareInstallmedia.dmg" 0

# The Disk Data Base 
#DDB

ddb.adapterType = "lsilogic"
ddb.virtualHWVersion = "6"
EOF

SATADEVICE=$(($(cat "$VMXFILE" | grep -E '^sata0:' | sed -E 's/sata0:([0-9]+)\..+/\1/'|sort -u | tail -n1)+1))
cat <<EOF >> "$VMXFILE"
sata0:${SATADEVICE}.filename = "VMwareInstallmedia.vmdk"
sata0:${SATADEVICE}.present = "TRUE"
EOF

sed -i -E $'s/board-id.*/board-id.reflectHost = "FALSE"\\\nboard-id = "VMWAREGUEST"/' "$VMXFILE"

mv "VMwareInstallmedia.dmg" "$VMWAREVM/"

chown "$(stat -f %u "$VMXFILE")" "${VMWAREVM}/VMwareInstallmedia.vmdk" "${VMWAREVM}/VMwareInstallmedia.dmg"

#open "$VMWAREVM"

Thanks for doing this. Worked great, and much easier than making a USB stick and rebooting my physical Mac.