MP 1,1-5,1 OCLP and other OpenCore Packages/Managers

[Syncretic]

(I see a lot of talk but no action, so I'll take the plunge, even though I'll have little to contribute to this thread going forward.)

OpenCore (code here, documentation here) is a boot loader; if you're not already familiar with it, here's an overview.

If you are an advanced user or have special requirements, you'll want to study this thread and learn to configure OpenCore to suit your needs.

If you just want your system to work (without reviewing 173 pages of documentation), there are several packages that can be installed fairly simply:

• OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) is configurable, and has a friendly setup process. The quickest way to receive help with OCLP is by joining the OpenCore Patcher Paradise Discord Server.
• Martin Lo's "Activate AMD Hardware Acceleration" package is easy to install, and generally works "right out of the box."
• Not exactly a package, but TECK's Axivo Plistlib Generator simplifies OpenCore configuration. (Also simplifies customization of @cdf's guide.)
• Also not exactly a package, but Dayo's MyBootMgr simplifies OpenCore/RefindPlus configuration.
• (I'm sure I'm missing some - please add to this list! Or, if your package/manager is listed above but you'd rather not support it in this thread, feel free to remove your software from the list.)

This thread is intended to serve as a Q&A zone, primarily for OCLP (to avoid derailing the manual configuration on MacPro OpenCore thread), but questions regarding other packages are not considered off-topic here. (Note that non-OCLP questions/discussion might get directed to a more appropriate thread, particularly if the authors or those supporting the package don't want to monitor multiple threads.)

I'm making this post a Wiki, so others can create FAQs, add links to documentation, etc. Feel free to improve this post as you see fit. (If you have edits you'd like to make but the site won't let you edit this post for some reason, PM me and I'll make your changes when I can.)

 

[Syncretic]

(Reserved)

 

[MacNB2]

@Syncretic Great initiative. ?
Thanks.

 

[splifingate]

Thank you.

Regards, splifingate

 

[TECK]

Thanks for posting this, @Syncretic. One small detail related my Plistlib Generator: I always work in close collaboration with @cdf to offer an unified setup. In other words, the Generator will allow you to automate @cdf’s guide and customize it easy to your needs. But still requires you to understand OC and his manual guide.

 

[benmuetsch]

Great idea, thx!

 

[MacRumors3590]

Awesome Idea!

 

[MacRumors3590]

I brought this up in another thread and almost got my head ripped off!

Why don't people just use OCLP instead of the others???? It's sooo much easier to use and it just works awesome on unsupported macs.
Anyone have any idea why you would use anything other than OCLP these days?
Maybe i'm missing something.....
Cheers!

 

[startergo]

I brought this up in another thread and almost got my head ripped off!

Why don't people just use OCLP instead of the others???? It's sooo much easier to use and it just works awesome on unsupported macs.
Anyone have any idea why you would use anything other than OCLP these days?
Maybe i'm missing something.....
Cheers!

Depends on the hardware. Some hardware just needs -no_compat_check to run successfully unsupported systems. Some needs a lot more. For the cMP5,1 minimal spoofing is needed so people prefer to do it manually. Also generally it is not a good idea to follow someone else's instructions for creating an OC package and then ask for support in a forum where different guide is used.

 

[MacRumors3590]

Depends on the hardware. Some hardware just needs -no_compat_check to run successfully unsupported systems. Some needs a lot more. For the cMP5,1 minimal spoofing is needed so people prefer to do it manually. Also generally it is not a good idea to follow someone else's instructions for creating an OC package and then ask for support in a forum where different guide is used.

oh i see now?

 

[MacRumors3590]

Depends on the hardware. Some hardware just needs -no_compat_check to run successfully unsupported systems. Some needs a lot more. For the cMP5,1 minimal spoofing is needed so people prefer to do it manually. Also generally it is not a good idea to follow someone else's instructions for creating an OC package and then ask for support in a forum where different guide is used.

oh I see now..
Thanks for the insight!

 

[cdf]

I brought this up in another thread and almost got my head ripped off!

Why don't people just use OCLP instead of the others???? It's sooo much easier to use and it just works awesome on unsupported macs.
Anyone have any idea why you would use anything other than OCLP these days?
Maybe i'm missing something.....
Cheers!

Perhaps some background will shed some more light. Two years ago, that other thread made OpenCore on the Mac Pro possible, and it's partly the reason why OpenCore works so awesomely on the Mac Pro. Take a look at credits section on the OCLP project page. It has even been said that:

EVERYTHING on the internet (I am not kidding, it's really everything) about running OpenCore on the 5,1 is based on cdf's finding in this thread.

Those that have been around from the beginning and that have contributed to making this possible and that have even been inspired to proposed their own solutions here on this forum will understandably interpret your partiality as disrespectful.

OpenCore has really been amazing for the classic Mac Pro. How you configure it should not be a matter of such contention.

 

[TECK]

Why don't people just use OCLP instead of the others????

I believe OCLP does not gives you any liberty to build a customized EFI, you have to take what they offer and that's all. I'm not sure if my affirmation is true because I have not used OCLP, just looked a while ago at the source code.

You can call OCLP easy and argument that you don't feel like learning anything about OC and read the documentation. This will offend people like @vit9696 who spent an enormous amount of time and white nights writing code for our old Mac Pro, so we benefit of all the great features OC offers now. I remember when I started learning from @cdf, @h9826790 and @startergo two years ago on the official guide, there was a lot of collaboration, so others get helped.

That's right, without all these great people, your Mac will be dead now and the Plistlib Generator program I wrote or other products like OCLP would not exist. Plistlib Generator adheres to Acidanthera's philosophy, which is "To get the most out of OpenCore, it is important to read the manual and understand its settings."

I respect that you don't feel like learning something you're not interested into. But don't come here and hit hard the drums that everyone should use OCLP.

 

[MacRumors3590]

Perhaps some background will shed some more light. Two years ago, that other thread made OpenCore on the Mac Pro possible, and it's partly the reason why OpenCore works so awesomely on the Mac Pro. Take a look at credits section on the OCLP project page. It has even been said that:



Those that have been around from the beginning and that have contributed to making this possible and that have even been inspired to proposed their own solutions here on this forum will understandably interpret your partiality as disrespectful.

OpenCore has really been amazing for the classic Mac Pro. How you configure it should not be a matter of such contention.

wow, I didn't know till now and I am truly sorry for not investigating more before posting my statement.
That said, Thank you and everyone involved in all the projects to do with OC.
Regards

 

[MacRumors3590]

I believe OCLP does not gives you any liberty to build a customized EFI, you have to take what they offer and that's all. I'm not sure if my affirmation is true because I have not used OCLP, just looked a while ago ad the source code.

You can call OCLP easy and argument that you don't feel like learning anything about OC and read the documentation. This will offend people like @vit9696 who spent an enormous amount of time and white nights writing code for our old Mac Pro, so we benefit of all the great features OC offers now. I remember when I started learning from @cdf, @h9826790 and @startergo two years ago on the official guide, there was a lot of collaboration, so others get helped.

That's right, without all these great people, your Mac will be dead now and the Plistlib Generator program I wrote or other products like OCLP would not exist. Plistlib Generator adheres to Acidanthera's philosophy, which is "To get the most out of OpenCore, it is important to read the manual and understand its settings."

I respect that you don't feel like learning something you're not interested into. But don't come here and hit hard the drums that everyone should use OCLP.

I started with Martin Lo package and that was really cool but for me, I just needed something with no fuss that just did everything I needed and the OCLP 0.3.0 gets everything I use working quick on my (4) cMP 5,1's and a MBP 2010 17" GT 330M.. All is just working great.
Cheers

 

[hwojtek]

I believe OCLP does not gives you any liberty to build a customized EFI, you have to take what they offer and that's all. I'm not sure if my affirmation is true because I have not used OCLP, just looked a while ago ad the source code.

Why? It's Opencore, want something custom added, you throw it into the right place in /EFI/OC, edit the .plist, done.
The only difference is there is an app (text/GUI) that is sort enough to create a working initial config.plist for you and has an automated way of copying to the EFI Partition of choice.

 

[TECK]

Why? It's Opencore, want something custom added, you throw it into the right place in /EFI/OC, edit the .plist, done.

How would you edit the config or EFI tree structure of you have no idea what OC does. That is exactly my point. This will go sideways, I’m not interested to pursue this discussion.

 

[MacNB2]

Why? It's Opencore, want something custom added, you throw it into the right place in /EFI/OC, edit the .plist, done.
The only difference is there is an app (text/GUI) that is sort enough to create a working initial config.plist for you and has an automated way of copying to the EFI Partition of choice.

Exactly. OCLP gives you a "canned" package but does not stop you from opening it and tinkering with to customise it if you know what you are doing.

For example, for the MacPro 4,1 & 5,1, it produces an OpenCore that spoofs a MacPro7,1 but that breaks H/W acceleration (H.264 & H.265 encode/decode) for RX580 on Mojave & Catalina. But you can then tinker with the config.plist and customise it to spoof the system as an iMacPro1,1.

OCLP bypasses @cdf's process for creating a working OpenCore from the basics (from scratch).
I prefer starting from the basics that way one can learn how/why things work and so can figure out how to use it best.
But on the other hand, not all people have a desire or technical knowhow to pursue the basics but just need a solution that's good enough.

In the end the destination is the same: OpenCore, but the journey to get there may be via different paths.

 

[cdf]

wow, I didn't know till now and I am truly sorry for not investigating more before posting my statement.
That said, Thank you and everyone involved in all the projects to do with OC.
Regards

Thank you for this ?

 

[MacRumors3590]

How would you edit the config or EFI tree structure of you have no idea what OC does. That is exactly my point. This will go sideways, I’m not interested to pursue this discussion.

my TECK friend:
As I said before, I started out editing Martin Lo's Config.plist for months, But once I found OCLP i'm sticking with it until I find something that works better for (me).
All this OC stuff that everyone here is doing is GREAT!
It's just a preference ?

 

[Taipan]

For example, for the MacPro 4,1 & 5,1, it produces an OpenCore that spoofs a MacPro7,1 but that breaks H/W acceleration (H.264 & H.265 encode/decode) for RX580 on Mojave & Catalina. But you can then tinker with the config.plist and customise it to spoof the system as an iMacPro1,1.

Is there a way to force OCLP to use iMacPro1,1 instead? I thought I'd do it manually, but from what I've read, it doesn't seem to be as simple as replacing the Board-ID. In hackintosh-forums I read about generating a new serial number etc., is this also necessary on a cMac Pro?
Edit: After further reading, it seems to me that this is not necessary on Mac hardware with minimal spoofing. So, is it actually as easy as replacing the (3 occurrances of the) board ID in config.plist?

 

[cdf]

After further reading, it seems to me that this is not necessary on Mac hardware with minimal spoofing. So, is it actually as easy as replacing the (3 occurrances of the) board ID in config.plist?

Correct. Regarding the number of occurrences, I suppose it's a matter of consistency vs minimality. In practice, only the SMBIOS one is needed.

 

[Taipan]

Correct. Regarding the number of occurrences, I suppose it's a matter of consistency vs minimality. In practice, only the SMBIOS one is needed.

Thank you once again!

 

[MacRumors3590]

Another great Install and patch by OCLP on my (4) 5,1's and a 2010 mBP 17" GT 330M.
All updated tonight and still working great on B9!!!
Thank you Everyone!!!!!!

 

[MacRumors3590]

-I know we did this years and years ago but it works great now!-
OCLP v0.3.0 B9
Note: Firewire working perfect in TARGET MODE
I'm using Target Mode to incrementally update the data partition using CCC. Just brilliant!
So simple and fast with one Firewire 800 cable I update all 4 of my machines.
One at a time of course...