DeployStudio Catalina

DeployStudio does work with Catalina. Please be aware you will need to ensure your Boot ROM has been updated to enable APFS booting. There is a BootROMUpdate NetBoot image floating around. Please note, DeployStudio does NOT support restoring APFS to HDDs at all. You will only be able to do the top workflow on a SSD. You can do the bottom workflow on a HDD.

You will need a USB updated to Catalina.

• Install and Update Catalina
• Install DeployStudio 1.7.9 (archive)
• Open System Preferences : Security & Privacy : Full Disk Access
• Click the lock to authenticate
• Open Finder : click go : type /bin and Enter
• Drag sh from /bin to the Full Disk Access window

The DeployStudio Runtime should now work on your USB drive

To create the Catalina Image you should be booted to the USB created above in the Mac you would like to image. Be sure to have plenty of free space on your USB.

• hdiutil create -size 30g -type SPARSE -fs APFS -volname "Macintosh HD" filename.dmg
• hdiutil attach -nobrowse -noautoopen -noverify -owners on filename.dmg.sparseimage
• diskutil apfs listsnapshots /dev/disk1s1 | grep "+--" | cut -d" " -f2 | xargs -I{} sudo diskutil apfs deleteSnapshot disk1s1 -uuid {} (substitute your source volume device name. Run once for the Data volume and once on the System
• sudo asr restore --source /dev/disk3 --target /dev/disk5s1 --erase --noprompt (please substitute /dev/disk3 with the container of the volume to be imaged and /dev/disk5s1 with the output of hdiutil for the volume named Macintosh HD)
• Use Disk Utility to eject the image file
• hdiutil convert -format UDZO filename.dmg.sparseimage -o filename.dmg
• asr imagescan --source filename.dmg

Now you can put this in the DeployStudio/Masters/APFS directory and make a normal workflow incorporating this image.

To make a workflow in DeployStudio that will update the Boot ROM and bridgeOS

• Build a workflow that installs 10.13.6 HFS
• Add a generic script called copy_catalina.sh

• #!/bin/sh
  cp -R "${DS_REPOSITORY_PATH}/Files/Install macOS Catalina.app" "${DS_LAST_RESTORED_VOLUME}/Applications/"
  exit 0
  

• Add a generic script to the workflow called update_catalina.sh. Check the Postponed execution
• Create a script that contains

• #!/bin/sh
  "/Applications/Install macOS Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/startosinstall" --agreetolicense
  exit 0