macOS 11 Big Sur on Unsupported Macs Thread

[ASentientBot]

In light of the weird new non-sucatalog update system (gdmf.apple.com), I reverse-engineered `mobileassetd` and wrote a tool to ask the server for "assets" links without needing a supported Mac.

We still haven't figured out how to install them, but some folks on the Discord server are working on it. One idea is "grafting" the ZIP into an older install assistant app, since the structure is similar.

Anyways, here's my code, if anyone is interested! And here's the direct link to the ZIP file: http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2.../8a8cc73e85fc261faccb5446d0c0b3e66ebdb9c4.zip

Interesting times...

 

[thatsmeonlyme]

What did you do to fix this ?

sorry, deleted

 

[thatsmeonlyme]

I'm on this one too. I have the mbp9,2 and a mini 5,2 (selling it) and I'm waiting for the Apple Silicon and from here to there, I plan to use this... but as I read somewhere, a good point it's buy one of the last intel machine the could work pretty well for 10 years more?

Anyway... due to work since it's my main machine, I've read ALL this threat since beta 1 but haven't try yet... I can go without machine...

Get a project in lockdown it's a miracle and noooo way.

non virtualization of Microsoft OS means NO GO for me as main machine --> no ARM
possibly MacBook. In business with this. the last Intels get minimum support until 2025. that's the better deal.

 

[justperry]

In light of the weird new non-sucatalog update system (gdmf.apple.com), I reverse-engineered `mobileassetd` and wrote a tool to ask the server for "assets" links without needing a supported Mac.

We still haven't figured out how to install them, but some folks on the Discord server are working on it. One idea is "grafting" the ZIP into an older install assistant app, since the structure is similar.

Anyways, here's my code, if anyone is interested! And here's the direct link to the ZIP file: http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2.../8a8cc73e85fc261faccb5446d0c0b3e66ebdb9c4.zip

Interesting times...

Maybe a good idea is how to explain how to use it, there are two files in the folder, I am pretty familiar with terminal but how do we use these, like, first use the one and then the other...?

I myself already downloaded the files and put them in Updates, but I knew it's no easy feat to run the Updater.

 

[akki_nd]

I tried using downloadassets switch while creating DB6 instmedia, after copying the original pkg it downloaded another 3.5 GB, (around same size of DB7 update) but it stopped right at 99% and finished creating the media with just pkg file. Even if we have the update file, it’s not that easy to update the plist and mount points to make it work through older citations. There are so many checks and validations.

 

[justperry]

I tried using downloadassets switch while creating DB6 instmedia, after copying the original pkg it downloaded another 3.5 GB, (around same size of DB7 update) but it stopped right at 99% and finished creating the media with just pkg file. Even if we have the update file, it’s not that easy to update the plist and mount points to make it work through older citations. There are so many checks and validations.

If we could invoke the Updater normally it should install the right way, including post and preflight.

 

[justperry]

This is interesting, for instance the name of the Ramdisk, I mounted the Ramdisk, see below in screenshots.

 

[sinbad21]

I've a problem when I try to spoof a supported machines with OpenCore, to get the B7. I can download the B7 update in the software update panel, but it fails to install, and it begins to download the full version of the beta, but not the beta 7, the beta 6 !

 

[justperry]

I've a problem when I try to spoof a supported machines with OpenCore, to get the B7. I can download the B7 update in the software update panel, but it fails to install, and it begins to download the full version of the beta, but not the beta 7, the beta 6 !

Just wait a week...or 2, much easier than trying to figure out how to install this delta on unsupported Macs.

 

[Alex-Microsmeta]

Just wait a week...or 2, much easier than trying to figure out how to install this delta on unsupported Macs.

Yes, I'll only install final release on iMac 2013 (B3 is fully compatible WITHOUT PATCHES excluding Hax3) . Maybe I'll try B7 on Mac mini 2010 with 0.20 micropatcher when availables.

 

[haralds]

Just did an internal install on my Mac Pro 5,1 from a big-sur-micropatcher modified installer Big Sur beta 6. I can run it unpatched with my RX-580 and updated BLE/WiFi. Watch unlocking does not work without patching, not sure it is worth the trouble. I had issues with an external drive updated to beta 7, so I will skip that.

I had few spurious error messages during the initial installer dialogs, but then installing and migrating worked smoothly. Big Sur is sharing a container with a Mojave install and a Shared data volume on a 2TB SSD.

My main Catalina install on an M2 drive will stay untouched for now. It is working flawlessly.

Thanks barykn and other contributors.

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

After all I got the same message
Kmutil failed
Patch-kexts.sh cannot continue

I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but I have one suggestion to try which just might work: Do not reboot from the Big Sur installer USB, but instead boot into Big Sur, open Terminal, and (with the USB inserted) run /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur\ Beta/patch-kexts.sh --2011, without anything after --2011. (Edit: You can open Terminal, go back to Finder, go to the installer USB, drag-and-drop patch-kexts.sh into Terminal, then type "--2011". That's probably easier than typing the whole thing.)

If that doesn't work, provide another photo of the error (even if it looks like the same error as before), and please let me know whether you erased the hard drive (or SSD) before installing Big Sur, or if you were trying to upgrade from Catalina to Big Sur.

 

[jackluke]

I've a problem when I try to spoof a supported machines with OpenCore, to get the B7. I can download the B7 update in the software update panel, but it fails to install, and it begins to download the full version of the beta, but not the beta 7, the beta 6 !

As far I am aware, the update phases on BigSur are:

- downloading of distribution files to the /Library/Updates/numbers/ and "MobileAsset" zip archive to an hidden temp folder
- auto extracting of "MobileAsset" packages to /APFS Data Volume/macOS Install Data/ and some to Preboot com.apple.installer
- auto mounting of snapshot system to /APFS Update/mnt1/YourBigSurSystem/ so system files can be overwritten

after an opencore spoofing, to download and install a BigSur OTA update is required a separated BigSur APFS container with a snapshot booting (maybe also a sealed volume but not sure of this), otherwise if you have a working "sudo mount -uw /" you can't complete any OTA update, because the Update Volume requires a snapshot booting (maybe also sealed) otherwise it delivers a full installer currently only available for beta 6 .

If instead the update fails to install after rebooting to the staged installer, you could hold alt-option key and select opencore to continue the "macOS Installer", or without opencore could apply the "OTA update fix" that should whitelist the Mac ID to continue the unpackaged "macOS Install Data" temporary volume booting.

But as others already wrote better wait for a full installer that I guess they should release on beta 8.

 

[Armere Caruso]

You can delete it; it is not needed for Big Sur to run.

Note that the InstallAssistant.pkg installed the "Install MacOS Big Sur Beta.app" in your Applications folder. Also recall that you used the "createinstallmedia" resource located within the InstallMacOS app to create the USB install stick which you subsequently patched with BarryKN's micropatcher.

So, you can safely delete both the "Install MacOS Big Sur Beta.app" and the "InstallAssistant.pkg" -- I would suggest making a backup of the InstallAssistant.pkg for each of the betas you use just to save time re-downloading it (them). I'd also recommend keeping your patched USB installer stick handy.

so just make a back up of the pkg and I didn't use a usb installer stick I have two internal ssd samsung emo 860s both 1 tb and a WD 4TB hdd on the side and why every time I restart my Mac I get a doing screen to login every single time but to be sure I CAN delete both install Big Sur beta and the install assistant pkg?

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

root@Barrys-MacBook-Pro ~ # softwareupdate -da
Software Update Tool

Finding available software
Downloading macOS Big Sur Beta 7
Downloading: 100.00%
Failed to download & prepare update: Error Domain=SUMacControllerError Code=7740 "[SUMacControllerErrorPrepareFailed=7740] Failed to perform Prepare operation: [MobileSoftwareUpdateErrorDomain(MSU):MSU_ERR_FILESYSTEM_DOESNT_VERIFY(3)_1_MobileSoftwareUpdateBOMErrorDomain:1|FullReplacementRequired|]" UserInfo={SUMacControllerErrorIndicationsSummary=|FullReplacementRequired|, SUMacControllerErrorIndicationsMask=2, SUMacControllerErrorIndicationsDescription=-> Full replacement is required [as opposed to incremental patch]., NSUnderlyingError=0x7f8b48e0f5b0 {Error Domain=MobileSoftwareUpdateErrorDomain Code=3 "'./System/Library/KernelCollections/BootKernelExtensions.kc' did not verify and is not on the exception list." UserInfo={target_update=20A5374g, NSLocalizedDescription='./System/Library/KernelCollections/BootKernelExtensions.kc' did not verify and is not on the exception list., NSUnderlyingError=0x7f8b48e09250 {Error Domain=MobileSoftwareUpdateBOMErrorDomain Code=1 "contents of '/System/Volumes/Update/mnt1/System/Library/KernelCollections/BootKernelExtensions.kc' don't match bom (e1802470 vs c67b2690)" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=contents of '/System/Volumes/Update/mnt1/System/Library/KernelCollections/BootKernelExtensions.kc' don't match bom (e1802470 vs c67b2690)}}, MSUFullReplacementRecommened=true}}, NSDebugDescription=[SUMacControllerErrorPrepareFailed=7740] Failed to perform Prepare operation: [MobileSoftwareUpdateErrorDomain(MSU):MSU_ERR_FILESYSTEM_DOESNT_VERIFY(3)_1_MobileSoftwareUpdateBOMErrorDomain:1|FullReplacementRequired|], NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to prepare the software update. Please try again.}
root@Barrys-MacBook-Pro ~ #

So my current implementation of unpatch-kexts.sh is insufficient because it doesn't leave BootKernelExtensions.kc byte-for-byte identical to the original (that is, as it was before patch-kexts.sh ran in the first place). Earlier tonight I kind of got a feeling that this might happen, but at least now I know for sure.

Oh well, maybe I can just somehow revert to the original system volume snapshot...

root@Barrys-MacBook-Pro ~ # diskutil apfs listSnapshots /
Snapshots for disk1s5s1 (2 found)
|
+-- F71E18F3-CB83-4FB1-A329-65AB7A584F64
|   Name:        com.apple.bless.52778C9A-8100-4142-BE3C-EC2822DA45AC
|   XID:         6104
|   Purgeable:   Yes
|
+-- 89C744E3-E318-4E74-86ED-4CBCB441F973
    Name:        com.apple.bless.F8897C9C-D357-4029-8831-161CF276235A
    XID:         9223372036854782720
    Purgeable:   Yes
    NOTE:        This snapshot limits the minimum size of APFS Container disk1
root@Barrys-MacBook-Pro ~ #

Oh. Somehow or other, the original APFS snapshot, from before I first ran patch-kexts.sh, is long gone. Darn. (On the bright side, I'm glad that Apple fixed the problem with infinite accumulation of system volume snapshots that the earlier Big Sur betas had.)

I might see if I can change patch-kexts.sh/unpatch-kexts.sh so that the result of unpatch-kexts.sh will pass Apple's verification. However, I'll probably first try to finish (or at least make progress on) the other changes I have planned for v0.2.0.

 

[buckrock]

so just make a back up of the pkg and I didn't use a usb installer stick I have two internal ssd samsung emo 860s both 1 tb and a WD 4TB hdd on the side and why every time I restart my Mac I get a doing screen to login every single time but to be sure I CAN delete both install Big Sur beta and the install assistant pkg?

Again, you can delete both and it won't affect your use of the beta MacOS you have already installed.

However, I think it would be wise to keep a copy of the InstallAssistant.pkg and the micropatcher since you can use these to recreate a new patched installer and reinstall the beta OS if you ever have problems. I, in fact, had to do just that when something happened to my MacOS Big Sur beta 5 installation after several days of using it with no problems. I simply reinstalled Big Sur beta 5 right on top of the existing BS beta 5.

As an aside, you can see why it is crucial to have a standalone installer, not just the delta or combo installer that seems to be all Apple is offering for Big Sur beta 7. I am sure Apple will finally, someday, make a Big Sur installer pkg available.

 

[Pinarek]

Hi @Barry K. Nathan ... you are really an excellent developer and you have really patience
to get to the bottom of the problem solving. Really excellent work from you so far. Praise !!!

 

[Barry K. Nathan]

As an aside, you can see why it is crucial to have a standalone installer, not just the delta or combo installer that seems to be all Apple is offering for Big Sur beta 7. I am sure Apple will finally, someday, make a Big Sur installer pkg available.

On the other hand, Apple did make a ton of changes to their update code, and they do need to test those changes as thoroughly as they can before they release Big Sur and Apple Silicon Macs.

If I remember correctly, years ago Apple used to do a full installer maybe once every 3 betas or so. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple wants to try that again for a little bit, if they have enough time before Golden Master. So that would mean beta 8 will also be update-only but that beta 9 will have a full installer again, and whenever GM happens (if it's not beta 9), that will also have a full installer. (If I remember correctly, in the past the first GM seed was typically after beta 9 or 10 or 11 or so, but who knows how it will turn out this year with Apple's schedule changes.)

(My predictions could be completely incorrect, but I just want to warn everyone that Apple has certainly skipped full installers for two betas in a row in the past, and they could do it again.)

 

[sinbad21]

Finally I could install beta 7 on my MBP 9,1. Not easy :

- Reinstall beta 6 from usb stick to unpatch everything.
- plug ethernet cable
- booting with OpenCore, spoofing MacPro6,1
- Software update panel > update to beta 7
- During the update, the system reboots to finish the installation, normal reboot (no Open Core at this step)
- In about your Mac, always beta6! Waste of time, very disappointed.
- I reboot on the usb stick of installation to patch again the Wifi
- I reboot on Big Sur, surprise, again the panel of configuration of The Mac (do you want Siri, etc.)
- In about you Mac, beta 7!

 

[Pinarek]

@sinbad21 sounds pretty complicated, I don't know if this is possible with an iMac 12.1 mid 2011-27 inch.

 

[PixelmonGalaxy]

I managed to get dev beta 7 to install (although after having reinstalled beta 6 because i screwed up the first time) but the second time it only downloaded a 3.5GB~ update file and went through about 5 reboots with the spoofed OpenCore by @jackluke then I had to boot Mojave and after a few reboots it let me set the nvram again (nvram wouldn't set in installers for whatever reason after using OpenCore) but either way a success

 

[sinbad21]

@sinbad21 sounds pretty complicated, I don't know if this is possible with an iMac 12.1 mid 2011-27 inch.

Yes, very complicated. Also, I forgot to say that with spoofing of the MacPro6,1, the keyboard and the trackpad of the MBP don't work, you need to plug an usb Mouse (no bluetooth) and an external keyboard, or to use the keyboard viewer of macOS.

For the iMac, I don't know, first you have to know which supported machine to emulate.

 

[jackluke]

Yes, very complicated. Also, I forgot to say that with spoofing of the MacPro6,1, the keyboard and the trackpad of the MBP don't work, you need to plug an usb Mouse (no bluetooth) and an external keyboard, or to use the keyboard viewer of macOS.

For the iMac, I don't know, first you have to know which supported machine to emulate.

MacPro6,1 is a default opencore spoofing with a basic configuration, but with that any IOUSB won't work for Ivy Bridge Mac, that's why instead I used in my USBopencore customized setup an iMac15,1 that should work for many unsupported machines with responsive usb input devices.

I guess the OTA update worked with spoofing after reinstalling beta 6 because apple makes this snapshot for BigSur that allowed the staged installer: com.apple.os.update-MSUPrepareUpdate

 

[eminemmm]

I'm not sure what's causing your problem, but I have one suggestion to try which just might work: Do not reboot from the Big Sur installer USB, but instead boot into Big Sur, open Terminal, and (with the USB inserted) run /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur\ Beta/patch-kexts.sh --2011, without anything after --2011. (Edit: You can open Terminal, go back to Finder, go to the installer USB, drag-and-drop patch-kexts.sh into Terminal, then type "--2011". That's probably easier than typing the whole thing.)

If that doesn't work, provide another photo of the error (even if it looks like the same error as before), and please let me know whether you erased the hard drive (or SSD) before installing Big Sur, or if you were trying to upgrade from Catalina to Big Sur.

I did as you advised me , but ended up with these message.
and for your information. I did upgrade in the same drive of Catalina (SSD) , I haven’t erased the drive.

 

[sinbad21]

MacPro6,1 is a default opencore spoofing with a basic configuration, but with that any IOUSB won't work for Ivy Bridge Mac, that's why instead I used in my USBopencore customized setup an iMac15,1 that should work for many unsupported machines with responsive usb input devices.

I guess the OTA update worked with spoofing after reinstalling beta 6 because apple makes this snapshot for BigSur that allowed the staged installer: com.apple.os.update-MSUPrepareUpdate

I tried USBopencoreAPFSloader4S, but I can't boot with it on my MBP9,1. I have this no parking sign.