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Creating a Mac High Sierra VM on Ubuntu

I got a System76 Oryx Pro laptop running Pop!_OS (which is basically Ubuntu). I want to run Mac OS X within VirtualBox.

Initially I tried to install Mac Sierra following notes at suzywu2014.github.io

But I was getting errors, so I switched to following the primary source, geerlingguy at GitHub.

But I was getting errors there, too. And I saw this issue that the latest Sierra installer doesn't seem to work.

So I then switched to trying to install High Sierra, using instructions from tobiwashere.de

But I got further errors. Or at least it seemed so.

Finally, I tried the tutorial at howtogeek.com even though the description concerns Windows 10. I think maybe the key advance is that they mention the long, slow, scrolling text that look like errors. "Don't worry about it. It's normal." They also select the generic "Mac OS X (64-bit)" rather than the "High Sierra" version (though I'm not sure if it matters, I stuck with it.)

  1. On Mac, download Sierra installer from https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?ls=1&mt=12

    Wait that's left over from when I was trying to install Sierra. For High Sierra, it will be easy to find the installer at the Mac App store, and you may already have a copy of the installer sitting in /Applications. (My Mac is still running Sierra and it's been pleading with me to upgrade for months.)

  2. Also on Mac, prepare the High Sierra installer as an ISO

    hdiutil create -o /tmp/HighSierra -size 8G -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J -type SPARSE
hdiutil attach /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/install_build
hdiutil detach /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra/
hdiutil convert /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage -format UDTO -o /tmp/HighSierra.iso
mv /tmp/HighSierra.iso.cdr ~/Desktop/HighSierra.iso
rm /tmp/HighSierra.sparseimage

  3. On Ubuntu, open virtual box and create a new VM

    name: MacVM
MacVM: OSX
version: Mac OS X (64-bit)
RAM: 8192 GB
Create a virtual hard disk (VDI; dynamic): 150 GB
Pointing device: USB multi-touch tablet
Select "Enable EFI" (I initially de-selected but got error)
Processor: 2, with PAE/NX enabled
Acceleration:
  paravirtualization interface: default
  Enable VT-x/AMD-V
  Enable Nested Paging
Display: 128 MB Video Memory, Scale Factor 200%
Shared Folders: Machine Folder to /home/kbroman/MacShare

    Also, load the HighSierra.iso into the virtual CD:

    • Open Settings for the MacVM in VirtualBox
    • Click on Storage
    • Click on the CD drive
    • Click the disk on the far right and select "Choose Virtual Optical Disk File" and select the HighSierra.iso file

  4. Close VirtualBox, and on the command line:

    VBoxManage modifyvm "MacVM" --cpuidset 00000001 000306a9 04100800 7fbae3ff bfebfbff
VBoxManage setextradata "MacVM" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemProduct" "MacBookPro11,3"
VBoxManage setextradata "MacVM" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiSystemVersion" "1.0"
VBoxManage setextradata "MacVM" "VBoxInternal/Devices/efi/0/Config/DmiBoardProduct" "Mac-2BD1B31983FE1663"
VBoxManage setextradata "MacVM" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/DeviceKey" "ourhardworkbythesewordsguardedpleasedontsteal(c)AppleComputerInc"
VBoxManage setextradata "MacVM" "VBoxInternal/Devices/smc/0/Config/GetKeyFromRealSMC" 1

  5. Install High Sierra by opening virtual box and starting the VM.

  6. Don't panic.

  7. Select language, then Disk Utility, then "Show All Devices", then Erase the "VBOX HARDDISK Media". Then close Disk Utility and select "Install macOS".

  8. Shut down the VM, go into VirtualBox, eject the virtual CD, and restart the VM.

  9. You get to the "UEFI" ugliness. Type:

    fs1:
cd "macOS Install Data"
cd "Locked Files"
cd "Boot Files"
boot.efi

  10. Long, slow ugliness, then nice-looking Mac install. Then more ugliness. Again, don't panic.

  11. Finally get to the "Welcome" page. Sigh. We made it.

  12. Install stuff: iterm2, R, RStudio, command-line developer tools, Office 365, gfortran

  13. VirtualBox doesn't have "Guest Additions" for Mac VM, so you can't do shared folders like you can with windows. But I'm able to ssh/scp from linux host to the Mac VM by doing the following:

    • Changed the Network setting for the Mac VM in VirtualBox from "NAT" to "Bridged adaptor"
    • On the Mac VM, went to Sharing Preferences and turned on "File Sharing" and "Remote Login", and gave the guest the name "MacVM"
    • Now can ssh/scp from linux host to MacVM.local.
    • But I don't have internet access with the bridged adaptor; if I switch back to "NAT" and log out and log in again, I have internet again.
    • Turns out I just need a second network adapter. In settings for the VM, go to "Network". Adapter 1 is "NAT"; adapter 2 is "Bridged network" with the name "wlp110s0". Log out and log in again on the Mac VM and I have both internet connection and the ability to ssh into the VM from my ubuntu host

Updating the OS

Have difficulty updating the OS using the App Store. It downloads and reboots but doesn't do the install properly. It seems that with VirtualBox it's not finding the right boot file to initiate the update.

Follow the instructions at https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=85631

  • Do the download and restart

  • Repeatedly press to get into boot manager

  • Choose "Boot Maintenance Manager"

  • Choose "Boot from File"

  • Select the option that has HD(2,G

  • Choose macOS Install Data then Locked Files then Boot Files and finally boot.efi