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Forked from Kutkovsky/Catalina_ISO.sh
Created November 8, 2021 22:28
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The steps allowing to create macOS 10.15 Catalina VM on vSphere or ESXi
#!/bin/bash
# Steps to create the macOS Catalina (10.15) VM:
# login to developer.apple.com or beta.apple.com to download a tester's profile for your OS. Install it.
# Go to System Preferences > Software Update and start the update process
# When the Catalina Installer (few MBytes) is started, it downloads the remain part of installation.
# After all `Install Catalina Beta.app` should lay in the /Applications folder with approx. 6.5g size
# Proceed with the following script.
set -eux
mkdir -p out
sudo hdiutil create -o out/Catalina.cdr -size 7g -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J
sudo hdiutil attach out/Catalina.cdr.dmg -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina\ Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/install_build --nointeraction
hdiutil detach /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Catalina\ Beta
hdiutil convert out/Catalina.cdr.dmg -format UDTO -o out/Catalina.iso
mv out/Catalina.iso.cdr out/Catalina.iso
rm out/Catalina.cdr.dmg
# Now there should be an ISO called Catalina.iso in the `out` folder
# Upload the resulted ISO to vSphere datastore (upload to an ESXi host)
# Create a new VM as Guest OS set to `Other:Apple macOS 10.14 64-bit`. Don't start a VM
# Then compatibility should set to `ESXi 6.7 update 2 and later` and Guest OS to `Windows 10 64-bit`
# Start the VM, make sure that CDROM with datastore ISO (Catalina.iso) is connected
# Disable the Network boot option in vSphere BIOS menu. Restart VM
# Installer should start. You should choose Disk Utility, and initialize the VMware Virtual SATA Hard Drive Media
# (since keyboard ain't work - using existing `Untitled` name)
# Wait util installer completes. VM will not boot. Shutdown VM, change Guest OS profile back to `Other:Apple macOS 10.14 64-bit`
# Once Catalina is installed, download the latest VMware tools and install it.
# It took two reboots for me to completion (will require to unblock security extension)
# Credits to Intel008 and Bogdam from https://communities.vmware.com/thread/611961
# Credits to mkuzmin https://github.com/jetbrains-infra/packer-builder-vsphere/blob/master/examples/macos/setup/iso-macos.sh
# Credits to pat-s https://gist.github.com/agentsim/00cc38c693e7d0e1b36a2080870d955b
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