MP 1,1-5,1 Manually Configured OpenCore on the Mac Pro

[donvito4ever]

Updated from Mojave to BigSurf and.... awesome!!!! All perfect!!! Working at 100%.

 

[johnwillsey]

Hello again. It's all right . I did the clean install via Mojave on a second HD that I have. In the first tests I did here, Metal's performance dropped a lot. At least on Geekbench. I will do real tests of use.
Single core performance is poor on both systems. Is yours also that low ?? It's smaller than an i3 :-(

Very interesting.. I'm seeing the same poor graphics benchmark.. Just tested with fresh installs of both OSs...

MacPro 5,1
Dual Xeon X5690 3.5 GHz
96 GB Ram
RX 580
OC 0.63

10.15.7 GB5 First Pass:
Single Core = 629
Multi Core = 6783
CL = 45357
Metal = 49440

11.0.1 GB5 First Pass:
Single Core = 629
Multi Core = 6816
CL = 31201
Metal = 32163

H.264 and HEVC HW accelerator are working

 

[paulogilmour]

More tests here: DRM content not working :-(.
In Mojave, Amazon Prime and Netflix are ok.

 

[dieter12]

Many thanks for the your help. Running my MacPro (Mid 2012) with Big Sur.
What to Do:
- update Graphic Card to a RX580 or Vega 56 (have both cards)
- Replace dump NVME Adapter with an LyCom DT-130 (ordered)
- Replacing 8x 8 GB Ram with 6x 16GB Ram
- Fine tuning OpenCore

Dieter

 

[fastlanephil]

I see for the installation of Open Core it’s recommended that the Mojave drive be in bay 1 and the Catalina drive in Bay 2. So is this just for the installation of Open Core and the upgrade to Catalina or should I always keep the Mojave drive in Bay 1 for a fall back?

Right now my Mojave SSD boot drive is sharing a Sonnet Tempo PCIe card with my VI Samples SSD.

So I have the two SSD drives plus four HDD drives occupying the four bays & an extra utility HDD in one of the optical bays.

 

[Enricote]

Waiting for the update of the wiki post #1 with a comprehensive guide for Big Sur installing in OC. I have tried to do a fresh installation FROM MOJAVE (disk B), erasing my Catalina (disk A), which worked perfectly. I have just read here some other posts.

I have failed several times after: I have finally succeeded after:

1./ Completely erasing my disk A (APFS container) twice. First time in no APFS format, second time in APFS

2./ Installing OpenCore 0.6.3 following the wiki post #1 in my EFI (disk0s1) in disk A

3./ My changes to the config.plist has been:

a./ VMM flag is off ON
b./ Hybriditation: activated adding to SMBIOS key, following post #4399 in Page 176

<dict>
<key>BoardProduct</key>
<string>Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94</string>
<key>FirmwareFeatures</key>
<data>A1QM4A==</data>
<key>FirmwareFeaturesMask</key>
<data>P/8f/w==</data>
</dict>​

c./ No Lilu, No WhateverGreen no AppleMCEReoprterDisbaler added to the /OC/Kexts folder.
Not sure if it is correct….. ( it failed with them installed too )

d./ UpdateSMBIOS false


4./ Big Sur full Installer downloaded from Apple Servers

Install process starts normally. I can choose my disk A to install….. I can see BS installer in my BootPicker...after first restart no progress

What am I doing wrong_?

Thanks everybody here!

 

[startergo]

TL;DR

I had Big Sur up and running on my "5.1" but after some cross pollination of .kext editing instructions (and admittedly some complacency on my side) the MacPro now reboots to a crossed over circle with directions to Apple Support: meaning "MacOS found, but it's not compatible with your Mac Pro, please reinstall".

I'm guessing the issue is some removed keys from the config.plist that resides in EFI-->OC....

I have a copy of the "original" .plist that was working previously in my Home folder. Is there a clean way to get that file into the EFI-->OC folder via the Recovery option I get on boot, or is there a better way to "reset" Open Core?

You can always boot BS natively with:

sudo nvram boot-args="-v no_compat_check"

From recovery you can omit sudo

 

[TECK]

Waiting for the update of the wiki post #1 with a comprehensive guide for Big Sur installing in OC

The following changes to existing guide will allow you to upgrade from Catalina to Big Sur (from Catalina only):

Big Sur update by fmunteanu · Pull Request #25 · axivo/opencore

github.com

That is:

• VMM off
• Apply @cdf settings from post #4,399

Performing a Big Sur clean install from Mojave will fail, we need OC 0.6.4 for that. I performed first the Big Sur clean install on a formatted disk, from Mojave and it failed, due to missing BlacklistAppleUpdate to show in 0.6.4. Then, I reinstalled Catalina, changed the config.plist as listed above and I was able to upgrade without issues from inside Catalina disk. You can perform a clean install, my installer was corrupted.

 

[mangombia]

Another huge step in getting BCM4322 to work in Catalina and Big Sur

GitHub - khronokernel/IO80211-Patches: Repo for patched IO80211Family Kexts

Repo for patched IO80211Family Kexts. Contribute to khronokernel/IO80211-Patches development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Stock IO80211Family kext from Mojave already works in Catalina, but there were kernel panics when entering recovery because of collission with Catalina's version. Big Sur did not even boot as Big Sur's version is already preloaded in prelinked kernel and trying to inject Mojave version results in kernel panic too.

Patched IO80211Family kext above does not collide with system versions so original Broadcom card now works in Catalina's recovery and even in Big Sur without any system partition modifications!

            <dict>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string></string>
                <key>PlistPath</key>
                <string>Contents/Info.plist</string>
                <key>Enabled</key>
                <true/>
                <key>MaxKernel</key>
                <string>20.99.99</string>
                <key>MinKernel</key>
                <string>19.0.0</string>
                <key>ExecutablePath</key>
                <string>Contents/MacOS/IO80211Mojave</string>
                <key>Arch</key>
                <string>Any</string>
                <key>BundlePath</key>
                <string>IO80211Mojave.kext</string>
            </dict>
            <dict>
                <key>Comment</key>
                <string></string>
                <key>PlistPath</key>
                <string>Contents/Info.plist</string>
                <key>Enabled</key>
                <true/>
                <key>MaxKernel</key>
                <string>20.99.99</string>
                <key>MinKernel</key>
                <string>19.0.0</string>
                <key>ExecutablePath</key>
                <string>Contents/MacOS/AirPortBrcm4331</string>
                <key>Arch</key>
                <string>Any</string>
                <key>BundlePath</key>
                <string>IO80211Mojave.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AirPortBrcm4331.kext</string>
            </dict>

@cdf It might be a good idea to add this into the wiki post after more testing is done

So adding the patched Mojave kext and these entries in OpenCore 0.6.3 will allow the WiFi & Bluetooth in the 2012 Mac mini to operate in Big Sur?

 

[Enricote]

Waiting for the update of the wiki post #1 with a comprehensive guide for Big Sur installing in OC. I have tried to do a fresh installation erasing my Catalina, which worked perfectly. I have just read here some other posts.

I have failed several times after:

1./ Completely erasing my disk A (APFS container) twice. First time in no APFS format, second time in APFS

2./ Installing OpenCore 0.6.3 following the wiki post #1 in my EFI (disk0s1) in disk A

3./ My changes to the config.plist has been:

a./ VMM flag is off
b./ Hybriditation: activated adding to SMBIOS key, following post #4399 in Page 176

<dict>
<key>BoardProduct</key>
<string>Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94</string>
<key>FirmwareFeatures</key>
<data>A1QM4A==</data>
<key>FirmwareFeaturesMask</key>
<data>P/8f/w==</data>
</dict>​

c./ No Lilu, No WhateverGreen no AppleMCEReoprterDisbaler added to the /OC/Kexts folder.
Not sure if it is correct….. ( it failed with them installed too )

d./ UpdateSMBIOS false


4./ Big Sur full Installer downloaded from Apple Servers

Install process starts normally. I can choose my disk A to install….. I can see BS installer in my BootPicker...after first restart no progress

What am I doing wrong_?

Thanks everybody here!

I have finally succeeded. Clean Install from Mojave (disk B) to Disk A reformatted in APFS, installing Opencore 0.6.3 (following Wiki post #1 Page1 ).

What did I change form my previous post in my .plst?:

VMM flag ON
post #4399 in Page 176 (firmware bit change adding SMBIOS key)
UpdateSMBIOS: false

I hope it can be useful

 

[Paolo-Sp]

Hello
Night Shift Enabling not work with Big Sur!
Into Catalina all ok but Big Sur no

Plese help me
Thank you very much

 

[EddieK420]

Hello
Night Shift Enabling not work with Big Sur!
Into Catalina all ok but Big Sur no

Plese help me
Thank you very much

I believe Nightshift and DRM are not working currently with Big Sur on the Mac Pro 5,1. I will only update to BigSur once Nightshift and DRM are confirmed to be working.

 

[johnwillsey]

More tests here: DRM content not working :-(.
In Mojave, Amazon Prime and Netflix are ok.

Chrome Plays both fine. I suspect it may be a Safari specific issue.

 

[startergo]

Chrome Plays both fine. I suspect it may be a Safari specific issue.

It is an artificial restriction from Apple on the digital rights management in Safari. With DRM working you can watch higher resolution videos.

 

[TECK]

Clean Install from Mojave (disk B) to Disk A reformatted in APFS, installing Opencore 0.6.3

You did a Big Sur clean install from Mojave disk? That is not possible with 0.6.3, it will be with 0.6.4. My installer was corrupted.

 

[mangombia]

So adding the patched Mojave kext and these entries in OpenCore 0.6.3 will allow the WiFi & Bluetooth in the 2012 Mac mini to operate in Big Sur?

I can confirm that adding the Mojave modified kext with the recommended code in the config.plist will enable legacy WiFi, at least on the 2012 Mac mini and that the utility I use as a keyboard/mouse to remotely control this machine, which is based on a WiFi connection to it, also works without issue. Who would've guessed 6mo. ago these machines would be running this OS?

I've got 1 other Mini to apply OpenCore and update it to Big Sur, and my 5,1 Media Server (but I'm waiting on SoftRAID to update their driver before I make that switch). So far I've done my supported MacBook Pro, my 5,1 Workstation and my 2012 mini living room Zoom station.

 

[wickerstick]

Anyone else having issues running dual monitors on Big Sur? 2x Apple cinema Displays here no second monitor going to Big Sur. Vega Vii. Please send help

 

[johnwillsey]

You did a Big Sur clean install from Mojave disk? That is not possible with 0.6.3, it will be with 0.6.4.

Hmm. I've done fresh installs to multiple fresh partitions from OC 0.63. From Mojave, Catalina, pretty sure both with RC1 and Release. The SSD has 3 partitions.. Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur. First RC1, then yesterday I wiped the 3rd partition and installed the release on OC 0.63

 

[JeDiGM]

Is anyone seeing any actual performance gains or improvements in Big Sur over Catalina on the cMP 5,1? The only reason I'm seeing to upgrade from the feature list is that Time Machine now supports APFS and that's not even on the feature list. Maybe the iMessage improvements as well. Comments?

 

[h9826790]

I formatted the disk, but when I start the BS install from Mojave disk, it fails at min 14 and the Mac shuts down completely, did this twice. I'm downloading again the BS installer, this time with:

curl -O -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/munki/macadmin-scripts/main/installinstallmacos.py
sudo python installinstallmacos.py

Here it is my plist. cc @cdf

I also tried another clean Big Sur installation (from Mojave, to another newly formatted SATA SSD) last night. Installer from Appstore natively.

The installation went into a loop (Apple logo -> progress bar -> about 1 minute -> reboot)

Then I reset NVRAM, and download the installer again from AppStore. No other change. This time installation completed without issue.

So, either NVRAM caused the problem. Or the installer itself is somehow corrupted (both installer has same file size, but I haven't check MD5).

But the current 0.6.3 setup can do that definitely.

 

[h9826790]

More tests here: DRM content not working :-(.
In Mojave, Amazon Prime and Netflix are ok.

Known issue, as discussed before. OC developer team fully aware this issue, and looking for solution.

I see for the installation of Open Core it’s recommended that the Mojave drive be in bay 1 and the Catalina drive in Bay 2. So is this just for the installation of Open Core and the upgrade to Catalina or should I always keep the Mojave drive in Bay 1 for a fall back?

Right now my Mojave SSD boot drive is sharing a Sonnet Tempo PCIe card with my VI Samples SSD.

So I have the two SSD drives plus four HDD drives occupying the four bays & an extra utility HDD in one of the optical bays.

On my cMP, SSD on TempoSSD has highest priority (e.g. boot to that drive first after NVRAM reset). You should able to keep the Mojave drive on the TempoSSD as fail safe.

Waiting for the update of the wiki post #1 with a comprehensive guide for Big Sur installing in OC. I have tried to do a fresh installation erasing my Catalina, which worked perfectly. I have just read here some other posts.

I have failed several times after:

1./ Completely erasing my disk A (APFS container) twice. First time in no APFS format, second time in APFS

2./ Installing OpenCore 0.6.3 following the wiki post #1 in my EFI (disk0s1) in disk A

3./ My changes to the config.plist has been:

a./ VMM flag is off
b./ Hybriditation: activated adding to SMBIOS key, following post #4399 in Page 176

<dict>
<key>BoardProduct</key>
<string>Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94</string>
<key>FirmwareFeatures</key>
<data>A1QM4A==</data>
<key>FirmwareFeaturesMask</key>
<data>P/8f/w==</data>
</dict>​

c./ No Lilu, No WhateverGreen no AppleMCEReoprterDisbaler added to the /OC/Kexts folder.
Not sure if it is correct….. ( it failed with them installed too )

d./ UpdateSMBIOS false


4./ Big Sur full Installer downloaded from Apple Servers

Install process starts normally. I can choose my disk A to install….. I can see BS installer in my BootPicker...after first restart no progress

What am I doing wrong_?

Thanks everybody here!

Doesn't make sense. If you turn off UpdateSMBIOS in step 4, then all codes in step 3b is meaningless.

Even though it seems that you found the solution, but the correct way should be VMM off with UpdateSMBIOS enabled with those codes.

Anyone else having issues running dual monitors on Big Sur? 2x Apple cinema Displays here no second monitor going to Big Sur. Vega Vii. Please send help

Sounds like due to agdpmod=pikera isn't working in Big Sur yet. If adding this boot argument still can't fix your issue, change the board ID in config from Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 to Mac-27AD2F918AE68F61 should able to fix it (as temporary solution).

Memory error most likely will pop up once you boot to desktop (this is why I choose the iMac Pro board ID, but not the 7,1 board ID), but this is cosmetic, and can be fixed by using MacPro MemoryNotificationDisabler kext

 

[PeterHolbrook]

I installed Big Sur yesterday on a VMware Fusion 12 virtual machine. No problems. I also installed it to a Catalina auxiliary spinning disk inside my Mac Pro 5,1 booted into another Catalina through OC 0.6.3. The installer hadn't been modified and the installation was successful. As far as I've been able to detect everything works, including BT 4.x, Wi-Fi, et cetera, with the sole exception of Night Shift. In addition, when I use my regular Catalina startup disk, I now can see that the Big Sur APFS container has three "visible" volumes as far as Disk Utility is concerned: one unmounted (and unmountable?) and unnamed volume (which I think is the Big Sur system, whose name is, in actual fact, "Big Sur"), one "Big Sur - Data" volume, and one "Update" volume, which seems to be the only volume actually accessible from Catalina; it contains folders such as "Controller", "db", "Firmware", "Hardware", "mnt1" and "preboot".

I have a couple of questions for the experts:

1. Not that it will be particularly important once I finally migrate everything to Big Sur, but, how can one access the Big Sur system and Big Sur - Data volumes from a Catalina Finder or Terminal? Is there a way to write to such volumes, in particular to the Big Sur system volume from Catalina? I know the "sudo mount -uw /" trick for Catalina, but my hunch is that won't work on Big Sur structures from the Catalina end, considering the system volume isn't even mounted.
2. If I'm not misinformed, it seems there is somewhere in cyberspace a patched version of Big Sur CoreBrightness that will make it possible for Night Shift to work on unsupported hardware. Can anyone provide a link to that patched version (or instructions to patch it on one's own) and, in particular, instructions on how to actually copy it on top of the stock version? I know how to do that for Catalina CoreBrightness, but I'm not confident the same trick will work on Big Sur unless the procedure is somehow modified.

 

[jackluke]

If I'm not misinformed, it seems there is somewhere in cyberspace a patched version of Big Sur CoreBrightness that will make it possible for Night Shift to work on unsupported hardware. Can anyone provide a link to that patched version (or instructions to patch it on one's own) and, in particular, instructions on how to actually copy it on top of the stock version? I know how to do that for Catalina CoreBrightness, but I'm not confident the same trick will work on Big Sur unless the procedure is somehow modified.

I made that patched CoreBrightness and works with BigSur, it's also included here: https://github.com/jacklukem/BigSurfixes/releases/

but I am not advertising on this thread (maybe MacPro3,1 Nehalem or Penryn could try that BaseSystem fix installer), because I understand that many want to keep BigSur installation stock using only OpenCore.

Only requirements to make bootable and working this "BaseSystem fix Installer" are:

- an apple EFI GPU or GPU flashed with an apple EFI GPU firmware (you could use also a stock EFI apple non Metal GPU), otherwise you don't have a bootscreen

- after applying any BigSurFixes, OTA update won't work more, because for OTA update is required a stock BigSur installation without kext patches and with a stock sealed snapshot booting (but reinstalling a stock "Install macOS BigSur.app" through OpenCore will remove any kext patches)


For those who want to test this, for Night Shift patch just apply "BigSurFixes Frameworks patch"

Moreover to allow "sudo mount -uw /" on BigSur use instead "BigSurFixes disable snapshot" (or if after reboot "sudo mount -uw /" still doesn't work then use "BigSurFixes delete snapshot").

 

[Gr1f]

hi folks managed to get BS/OC on cmp 5,1 internal SSD clean install from Catalina on another HD. `It booted into it BUT no wifi. I've the original Wifi in 2012 5,1.

Anything I can do here?

Update 1
using ethernet for now...booted back into Big Sur and it's slow and unresponsive this time.... not sure why.... maybe something to do with network connection. Nothing is blasting Activity Monitor CPU or disk that I can see.

Installed Kext:
AppleMCEReportDissbaler.kext
Lilu.kext
RadeonBoost.kext
WhateverGreen.kext

Update 2
This is odd. Booted back into Catalina and the Volume with Big Sur / OC has disappeared, instead there's a new volume called "Update"!?

Cheers

 

[Perana]

Sounds like due to agdpmod=pikera isn't working in Big Sur yet. If adding this boot argument still can't fix your issue, change the board ID in config from Mac-7BA5B2D9E42DDD94 to Mac-27AD2F918AE68F61 may able to fix it (as temporary solution).

Memory error most likely will pop up once you boot to desktop (this is why I choose the iMac Pro board ID, but not the 7,1 board ID), but this is cosmetic, and can be fixed by using MacPro MemoryNotificationDisabler kext

Adding agdpmod=pikera to the boot args worked for me (5,1 with 5600XT and 2x DP Monitors)