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

[cdf]

I tested today again with VLI and FL1100 and found that UsbMassStorageDxe.efi is not needed

OpenCore on the Mac Pro

I tested a USB3 card with VLI VL805-06 controller. To my surprise it also booted an USB thumb drive. USB3 - Sata adapter with Monterey 12.1 did not boot, it spit various USB errors in verbose mode. --- and tested a USB3 card with asm1142 USB 3 / USB C this thing booted the USB3 thumb drive...

forums.macrumors.com

Nice. That leaves XhciDxe.efi and UsbBusDxe.efi. Did you try with the OC version of XhciDxe.efi? If that works, then we just need to add UsbBusDxe.efi from MacPro6,1.

 

[Ausdauersportler]

Nice. That leaves XhciDxe.efi and UsbBusDxe.efi. Did you try with the OC version of XhciDxe.efi? If that works, then we just need to add UsbBusDxe.efi from MacPro6,1.

The OC version of XhciDxe.efi breaks booting attached with an FL1100 device completely, had to unplug the Thunderbolt dock to get the chime loud and to boot my system. Do not send me through the OpenCore debug loop.

 

[flaubert]

Hi, so I began my OpenCore journey today... I have a few questions. Before starting I upgraded my dual processor 5,1 classic Mac Pro up through latest Mojave, with boot rom 144.000.000. The cMP has a MSI RX560, fully supported Metal GPU, 12GB RAM, booting from a Crucial P1 NVMe in a Riitop PCIe card in slot 2. I put my OpenCore files in place, including the default config.plist from the first posting. It got through the initial boot, I verified that it had booted through OpenCore. I copied the config.plist over to home directory, and verified that all the settings in the first table (that begins with "DisableLinkeditJettison") were correct. At this point it was booted into Mojave through OpenCore.

Then there is a second table in the "Basic Setup" guide that begins with the phrase "You may want to make a few changes. Here are a few possibilities that are compatible with this guide."

I made my config.plist conform to all of these, except the one about writing to the flash, since I haven't verified the condition of the flash yet. Then saved the plist, ran the check, copied it over to the ESP. Now when I reboot, it goes more or less straight away to a Recovery boot; I tried tweaking a few of the settings to get the Picker, which was successful as far as getting the picker to show up, but even when the Picker says it is going to boot Mojave it goes to Recovery.

I put the original stock config.plist back in place using the terminal in Recovery mode, and now it boots back through OpenCore straight into Mojave, same as it did before I messed with the entries in that second table. There must an entry in that second table that isn't quite right for Mojave - does anyone know which one is the one to leave alone while working within Mojave?

After that, is it OK to enable the lilu, whatevergreen and FeatureUnlock kexts while still booting into Mojave?

Obviously my intent is to upgrade beyond Mojave to a supported operating system. Should I just run with the default config.plist during the upgrade process to either Big Sur or Monterey? Assuming that I'm going for Big Sur do I turn on the VMM flag and set Secure Boot Model to disabled, then download the full installer and initiate from there?

I know that there are probably going to be reboots during the installation process, so how do I ensure that OpenCore boots the installer each time? Do I turn on the Picker so that I have a chance to point it to the installer?

And speaking of which, what are people's opinions on whether to end up with Big Sur or Monterey? I don't need any of the particular fancy features of either of those two operating system destinations, I just want to get on a release that continues to get regular security updates. I think I remember reading somewhere that Apple had fixed the race condition in latest Monterey, does that point toward using Monterey?

Thanks for your help. The first posting is amazingly good in detail, I'm just not sure of the overall strategy to get to the destination - when to do what.

 

[cdf]

does anyone know which one is the one to leave alone while working within Mojave?

AppleBootPolicy. Although curiously, setting it to false should actually prevent booting into Recovery... I would also keep SecureBootModel disabled for Mojave.

is it OK to enable the lilu, whatevergreen and FeatureUnlock kexts while still booting into Mojave?

Yes. But note that the WhateverGreen settings in the guide are for Big Sur and later. If you want hardware acceleration (and DRM) in Mojave, you'll need to apply legacy settings. These are available in older versions of the guide (see the wiki history).

I think I remember reading somewhere that Apple had fixed the race condition in latest Monterey, does that point toward using Monterey?

Indeed. I would opt for the latest version of Monterey for this reason.

Should I just run with the default config.plist during the upgrade process to either Big Sur or Monterey?

That should work and would probably be the easiest upgrade path to the latest version of Monterey from Mojave. You could complete your OC config afterwards. Note that if you opt for Big Sur instead, you'll need to apply SurPlus.

Assuming that I'm going for Big Sur do I turn on the VMM flag and set Secure Boot Model to disabled, then download the full installer and initiate from there?

You could download the installer without OC. But you'll need to boot through OC before successfully running the installer. In Mojave, you'll need to set the VMM flag (keeping SecureBootModel disabled). Remember to reboot after making the changes to your config for the changes to apply. This should not only work for Big Sur but Monterey as well.

how do I ensure that OpenCore boots the installer each time? Do I turn on the Picker so that I have a chance to point it to the installer?

No user intervention is required. With RequestBootVarRouting enabled, the installer will automatically be selected for booting through OC.

Let us know how it goes!

 

[flaubert]

Thanks so much, @cdf! Amazing that you're still helping us OpenCore newcomers here on page 398! Happy new year and best wishes.

 

[xickomesquita]

Hello friends... Happy new year!! I'm stuck since last year!! o)

I'm trying to update my MacPro 5.1, with Nvidia GT 710 2GB, this weekend. After spend a lot of time with "a required firmware could not be installed". I believe the AAAAAAAAAAAAACAAAAAAA== to AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA== did the trick.. (I don't know if I'm right... Am I? -- I did the Monterey install to a HDD, migrate all the data from a SSD, then trying -with no sucess- install Monterey to the SSD, and getting the firmware issue again!)

After that, I'm stuck at SIP disable, to after that patch the wifi/bt and Nvidia card. (I don't mind to buy a better PCI board to wifi/bt, by the way...)

So, reboot to Recovery, did the csrutil disable, without the authenticated-root (I can't do it... not abled).

Then, the status is:

Tried to read a lot about it, but I'm new to the mac world, and a little lost here...

some good soul can take a look to my config.plist and gimme some direction?


I would love to know how to:

1) fix the "a firmware update..." issue, to be able to install the Monterey at my SSD.
2) How to do the SIP disable
3) Understand the best way to patch my Nvidia (I believe, after the SIP disable, I can do this process, Am I right (by the way, I'm using this exact GPU)?

 

[kkinto]

Hi - I am having a problem doing clean install of 11.6.2 - it just enters boot loop.

Made a backup before I started via CCC. Backup still boots perfectly. Installing not.

Tried three different versions (11.5.2, 11.6, 11.6.1, 11.6.2) all same. First boot is fine (disk is still named 'Macintosh HD') next boot begins the loop after picker and white apple - almost a second after the progress bar appears, every single time. (Cannot find macOS installers between 11.3 and .5)

Installing from recovery of the install drive - exactly the same. Result. Tried installing to internal HD, internal SSD and NVMe PCIe. Same every time.

Found a copy of 11.2.3 - installed perfectly first time. Tried to update via System Prefs/SW Update - same boot loop. The point at which the reboot starts is exactly the same every time, unlike the 'race condition' which was kinda random.

Other notes:
The installer reboots are silent - no chime and the "Restarted because there was a problem' message comes up after bootpicker.
Boots OK into 11.5.2 etc Recovery but on restart back to same problem.

At my wits end now.

Could there possibly be some setting in the OC config that might prevent 11.6+ from installing but not prevent it from booting OK?

I am using a mod version of Martin's config for 0.7.6 - the mod is the 2 bluetooth/wifi sections: true instead of false and the change for 4K resolution. Config attached.

Asked in another thread but no response so please excuse all the cross posting - I am going crazy!

Thanks

 

[prefuse07]

Hi - I am having a problem doing clean install of 11.6.2 - it just enters boot loop.

Made a backup before I started via CCC. Backup still boots perfectly. Installing not.

Tried three different versions (11.5.2, 11.6, 11.6.1, 11.6.2) all same. First boot is fine (disk is still named 'Macintosh HD') next boot begins the loop after picker and white apple - almost a second after the progress bar appears, every single time. (Cannot find macOS installers between 11.3 and .5)

Installing from recovery of the install drive - exactly the same. Result. Tried installing to internal HD, internal SSD and NVMe PCIe. Same every time.

Found a copy of 11.2.3 - installed perfectly first time. Tried to update via System Prefs/SW Update - same boot loop. The point at which the reboot starts is exactly the same every time, unlike the 'race condition' which was kinda random.

Other notes:
The installer reboots are silent - no chime and the "Restarted because there was a problem' message comes up after bootpicker.
Boots OK into 11.5.2 etc Recovery but on restart back to same problem.

At my wits end now.

Could there possibly be some setting in the OC config that might prevent 11.6+ from installing but not prevent it from booting OK?

I am using a mod version of Martin's config for 0.7.6 - the mod is the 2 bluetooth/wifi sections: true instead of false and the change for 4K resolution. Config attached.

Asked in another thread but no response so please excuse all the cross posting - I am going crazy!

Thanks

Lol @ "no responses" -- I responded to you in the AMD thread...

 

[kkinto]

Lol @ "no responses" -- I responded to you in the AMD thread...

haha - thanks. Yes - I first posted in the "Big Sur Unsupported Macs" thread a coupla days ago Anyway, as I noted I tried going back to OC 075 but no joy at all. Exactly the same. I attempted to use the basic config here but I couldn't boot anymore - it doesnt have Sur+ and I obviously messed up trying to replace so I am still using Martin's config example.

Just don't understand how my backup can boot with 11.6.2 but not install it. Also I never had one single failed boot when I updated to 11.6.2 (via updater) - it was flawless. And on the same SSD too.

 

[cdf]

I would love to know how to:

1) fix the "a firmware update..." issue, to be able to install the Monterey at my SSD.
2) How to do the SIP disable
3) Understand the best way to patch my Nvidia (I believe, after the SIP disable, I can do this process, Am I right (by the way, I'm using this exact GPU)?

I'll address the first two questions:

1. Either enable the VMM flag (easiest) or update the firmware features with SecureBootModel set to default (better for future updates). All the details are provided in Post #1.
2. This is the hardwired SIP problem. See Post #8,577.
   

Could there possibly be some setting in the OC config that might prevent 11.6+ from installing but not prevent it from booting OK?

Enabling the VMM flag for the installation should help.

 

[splifingate]

so although the installer crashes identical to the debian installer after a forced reboot i can see a Ubuntu Partition in the boot picker. As mentioned the linux install leaves a mess in my OC EFI partition but i backed it up and replaced the messed up one by the backed up one. Reboot and Linux still works.So i still don't know why the installer crashes everytime it tries to install GRUB but at least it seems to work...
no luck with debian11 thou...

Hi.

I was reading the 0.7.6 Changelog, and I noticed this:

"Upgraded ProtectUefiServices to prevent GRUB shim overwriting service pointers when chainloading with Secure Boot enabled"

I don't know if this dirrectly relates to what you're experiencing, but does hint to your difficulties.

 

[kkinto]

Enabling the VMM flag for the installation should help.

Ah! Thank you very much cdf - that did the trick! ?

 

[cdf]

I have also noticed hanging on boot with the same message:

Lilu dev: @ failed to obtain model information, retrying...

This needs further investigation and should be reported on the Acidanthera bugtracker as soon as possible.

Looks like we have our answer (thanks @vit9696!):

Lilu dev: @ failed to obtain model information, retrying... · Issue #1903 · acidanthera/bugtracker

Mac Pro 5,1 Opencore REL-076-2021-12-06 OCLP 0.3.3 and Montery 12.1 Sometimes I get the Lilu dev: @ failed to obtain model information, retrying... error when booting. I have bootpicker enabled and...

github.com

When using Lilu with recent versions of macOS, board-id should be present in IODeviceTree:/efi/platform. We can fix this by setting DataHub>BoardProduct to Mac-27AD2F918AE68F61 (being consistent with the config detailed in the first post) and UpdateDataHub to true. Note that because we are not overriding the Data Hub protocol, all existing OEM values remain fixed, so spoofing is still effectively kept to a minimum.

 

[xickomesquita]

I'll address the first two questions:

1. Either enable the VMM flag (easiest) or update the firmware features with SecureBootModel set to default (better for future updates). All the details are provided in Post #1.
2. This is the hardwired SIP problem. See Post #8,577.

Enabling the VMM flag for the installation should help.

Hey @cdf, it worked! The funny part is I was trying to do a lot of the #8,577 post, but, with a lot of insecure feelings. Now, everything is working perfect, but the wifi/bt.

Thanks a lot!!

 

[ditz]

Does anyone have a guesses why
that modified gigabyte rom g095vmac
by Prince134

(powermanaged, macedited and, besides, uefied, as reported by GPU-Z), being atiflashed to my reference Radeon Sapphire HD 7970, from opencore's bootpicker runs up complete loading of

windows 10 uefi (!), mojave, highsierra and mavericks

absolutley smoothly, though experts say it is impossible for Windows ?
(I can not recreate this rom for now, yet)

 

[cdf]

but what's when someone wants spoofless?

In that case, you would update the Data Hub with the original board-id: Mac-F221BEC8.

Note that because a spoofless MacPro5,1 will not have hardware acceleration, we do the next most minimal thing: hybridization. In other words, we make minor modifications (board-id) to the platform information (SMBIOS, NVRAM, and now DataHub). This is done with Automatic=false.

If I got vit9696 right it is ok to set in PlatformInfo the key Automatic to true.

This would typically be for a full-spoof approach, which is the preferred approach for non-Apple hardware. However, this approach has proven problematic for legacy Apple hardware. In particular, it requires using new serials to avoid issues with Apple services (iCloud, Messages, FaceTime). The best approach for legacy Apple hardware is either spoofless (which is insufficient for MacPro5,1) or hybridization.

I read the Board ID before with Automatic: false and after a reboot of course with Automatic: true and it matched to the MP5,1 original ID like wanted with a spoofless OC variant

This is where you want to look: ioreg -p IODeviceTree -n platform -r

When you add the board-id property by updating the Data Hub it will appear as the last item in the list.

 

[Fastsavage]

Looks like we have our answer (thanks @vit9696!):

Lilu dev: @ failed to obtain model information, retrying... · Issue #1903 · acidanthera/bugtracker

Mac Pro 5,1 Opencore REL-076-2021-12-06 OCLP 0.3.3 and Montery 12.1 Sometimes I get the Lilu dev: @ failed to obtain model information, retrying... error when booting. I have bootpicker enabled and...

github.com

When using Lilu with recent versions of macOS, board-id should be present in IODeviceTree:/efi/platform. We can fix this by setting DataHub>BoardProduct to Mac-27AD2F918AE68F61 (being consistent with the config detailed in the first post) and UpdateDataHub to true. Note that because we are not overriding the Data Hub protocol, all existing OEM values remain fixed, so spoofing is still effectively kept to a minimum.

I use OCLP and all looks OK in my config.plist EXCEPT UpdateDataHub is set to FALSE so I guess I need to set it to TRUE ?

 

[cdf]

I use OCLP and all looks OK in my config.plist EXCEPT UpdateDataHub is set to FALSE so I guess I need to set it to TRUE ?

Yes, provided that DataHub is not set to true under ProtocolOverrides. Also, you can leave SystemProductName empty, because it's an existing OEM property.

 

[Fastsavage]

Yes, provided that DataHub is not set to true under ProtocolOverrides. Also, you can leave SystemProductName empty, because it's an existing OEM property.

Datahub is FALSE under ProtocolOverrides

Cheers for the help

 

[macgi]

I thought about sharing my experience.
I used method 1 to clean install Monterey 12.1 on a Macpro4,1 with updated Bluetooth and Wifi and it worked absolutely flawless. Everything worked without a hitch and I could copy my data from my Catalina install.
The funny thing is that Apple knows we are installing Monterey on CMPs, otherwise why would they spend time into inserting the right MacPro picture in the code? Even the fix for the race condition ( surplus ) is kind of weird... Hopefully they won't go back at next update.

@cdf : would it make sense to switch the configuration to method 2 now ?

 

[cdf]

@cdf : would it make sense to switch the configuration to method 2 now ?

If you don't intend on booting earlier versions of macOS through OC, then switching to method 2 (SecureBootModel=Default and updated firmware features) certainly makes sense because it will get you much closer to the security and user experience that is intended by Apple.

 

[cdf]

Due to the holiday season, the release of OC 0.7.7 will be delayed until next Monday.

 

[PeterHolbrook]

Due to the holiday season, the release of OC 0.7.7 will be delayed until next Monday.

I've seen an OC 0.7.7 release by Dortania. Is that any good or are we better off waiting for the Acidanthera release?

 

[cdf]

I've seen an OC 0.7.7 release by Dortania. Is that any good or are we better off waiting for the Acidanthera release?

That's just a build of 0.7.7 as it stands now. It's definitely better to wait for the actual release so that we can all be on the same page, as things are still evolving.

 

[borgo1971]

P.S. And if someone is guessing way I don't reinstall OpenCore from scratch to new nvme drive, I add that I tried this at first, but with no success. So I taught to make it easier and copy all from working drive.

.../cut
So, after I replaced the new nvme SSD from Crucial P2 (not sure, but I guess there was something wrong with it) to Samsung 970EVO Plus, I could make the hardware upgrade, and I did it coping both, my old ESP and my old Catalina boot partition. Now I get my MacPro booting flawless with Catalina and OC 0.72 with my new nvme SSD.
But until I get a working backup of my nvme SSD, with both partitions on it (I can replace nvme SSD's and my Mac boots with any), I thought it's even the occasion to update OC. While I'm still at 0.72, I thought to start editing the 0.76 realase sample config.plist file, and not editing my old config.plist, following the steps for new OC installations. Obviously I replaced EFI folder with the 0.76 realase, I replaced resource folder, added Lilu, WhateverGreen and FeatureUnlock kexts, etc... (all in last realase) but can't boot in Catalina with OC 0.76. After selecting Catalina partition from OC picker, MacPro starts loading the system with progress bar that disappears after few seconds (about 20%), leaving display without signal until it comes back with a kernel panic. Rebooting Catalina, cycles entry process again. If I choose Mojave partition in OC picker, first I got a kernel panic too, but after it, Mojave boots correctly (without showing picker again). I thought it wasn't using OC, but typing nvram command to verify OpenCore installation, response was that it used OC realase 0.76 (with Mojave). Replacing EFI folder with a copy from previous version (0.72), let my MacPro boot again with Catalina.
So, what can I do to troubleshoot booting Catalina through OC 0.76? I specify that even though I have made multiple attempts, I have not added SurPlus patches and even clean NVRAM, because at the moment I'm using only Catalina and Mojave (as emergency boot), even I guess that soon I'll need BigSur and later Monterey too... should I add one of these patches/futures? Or could they give only more trouble with Catalina? I think it's better try one thing at a time, so as not to have too many variables... but maybe I'm wrong.
I bundle both, my working OC 0.72 config and the OC 0.76 config I made editing 0.76 sample config. I tried even to replace parts of new config file taking them from OC 0.72 config (for example graphics card Properties), but with no success. Using old config file at all with OC 0.76, gives no better results...