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MP 1,1-5,1 Obsolete, Use OpenCore instead | What you need to do to make Catalina work with MacPro5,1
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It an old version of OpenCore spoofing a Catalina supported Mac. We already found that SMBIOS spoofing is not safe and something is writing binary blobs inside the BootROM.
The best way is to use current OpenCore spoofing the VMM flag.
Obsolete, Use OpenCore instead | What you need to do to make Catalina work with MacPro5,1
Apple requires a supported Mac to do point updates (10.15.0 to 10.15.1, for example). The only workaround Apple provided is to use a VM, since when Apple tests if your Mac is supported, the code checks if it's running inside a VM and then permit the update. OpenCore VMM flag spoofing makes...
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Edit: clarifying the answer.
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That loader should be then removed from the first post of this thread, or to be updated with the latest opencore release as you sayIt an old version of OpenCore spoofing a Catalina supported Mac. We already found that SMBIOS spoofing is not safe and something is writing binary blobs inside the BootROM.
The best way is to use current OpenCore spoofing the VMM flag.
Obsolete, Use OpenCore instead | What you need to do to make Catalina work with MacPro5,1
Apple requires a supported Mac to do point updates (10.15.0 to 10.15.1, for example). The only workaround Apple provided is to use a VM, since when Apple tests if your Mac is supported, the code checks if it's running inside a VM and then permit the update. OpenCore VMM flag spoofing makes...
Edit: clarifying the answer.
I shall mention I almost did used the catalina loader, but after hearing the that Catalina 10.15.0 had a lot of issues I preferred to wait til 10.15.1 to solve the issues
I finally got around to finding a SSD to re-purpose for Catalina. I have to say Catalina runs great on a 5,1 and am not sure whether to be thankful that Apple didn't do more to cripple it on the 5,1 or to be pissed at them for making us jump through additional hoops to get it installed.
To install, I just hooked the SSD (SATA) to my 2018 mbp with a SATA to USB-C cable, booted into Recovery mode, then used the Re-Install macOS option in recovery and picked the external SSD. While in recovery, I also enabled booting from external volumes so that the 2nd part of the install could be completed. Once part 2 was done, and it went into set-up, I shut down the mbp, mounted the SSD onto an OWC 2.5" sled, popped it into my 5,1, hit the power button, and Bob's yer uncle! (I'd already set the -no_compat_check boot-arg previously.) I use a hardwired ethernet connection, so didn't even need to make any patches for wifi. BT kb and tp work fine.
For updates, I'll just remove the sled, connect up the SATA to USB-C cable, boot my mbp off it, and install the update, then pop the sled back in... easy peasy!
To install, I just hooked the SSD (SATA) to my 2018 mbp with a SATA to USB-C cable, booted into Recovery mode, then used the Re-Install macOS option in recovery and picked the external SSD. While in recovery, I also enabled booting from external volumes so that the 2nd part of the install could be completed. Once part 2 was done, and it went into set-up, I shut down the mbp, mounted the SSD onto an OWC 2.5" sled, popped it into my 5,1, hit the power button, and Bob's yer uncle! (I'd already set the -no_compat_check boot-arg previously.) I use a hardwired ethernet connection, so didn't even need to make any patches for wifi. BT kb and tp work fine.
For updates, I'll just remove the sled, connect up the SATA to USB-C cable, boot my mbp off it, and install the update, then pop the sled back in... easy peasy!
Not a single one. At least, not for me. And some "cons". Keep using Mojave in all my macs.
I am doing the same, but it appears that wifi settings are being picked up from my 2012 mbp which then causes log errors (wifi spawning every 10s) when the disk is swapped into mp 5.1. Wifi symbol shows in header bar as connected even though no wifi card available?
Do I understand you right (regarding the update): You take out the MacPRo 5,1 system SSD (where Catalina runs), connect it externally to the MBP and boot the MBP with it. Then you make the update via the MBP, shut it down, reinstall the SSD to the MacPro and boot the MacPro from the SSD?
That's the plan... I installed 10.15.1, so have not had an update yet. When 10.15.2 comes out, I'll try it and post update here...
I'm not seeing that behavior... no wifi in header bar, nor in Network pref pane
Hi folks,
I successfully installed Catalina (now running 10.15.1) on Mac Pro 5,1 via VMware (thanks to this forum). Everything is great, but now I notice that Mac got problems with getting into sleep. `pmset -g` says that `sleep prevented by apsd`.
I'm not sure whether it's relevant at all to "Catalina on non-supported Mac", but just wonder if anybody else is facing this issue/has a clue.
Rebooting into Mojave makes it sleep as usual.
Any thoughts?
Regards,
Grigory
I successfully installed Catalina (now running 10.15.1) on Mac Pro 5,1 via VMware (thanks to this forum). Everything is great, but now I notice that Mac got problems with getting into sleep. `pmset -g` says that `sleep prevented by apsd`.
I'm not sure whether it's relevant at all to "Catalina on non-supported Mac", but just wonder if anybody else is facing this issue/has a clue.
Rebooting into Mojave makes it sleep as usual.
Any thoughts?
Regards,
Grigory
It's a MP4,1>5,1 or a real MP5,1? Did you upgrade to Westmere Xeons? It's a dual CPU tray?
Apple removed Nehalem support with 10.14.4 and Catalina modified a kext that manage CPU sockets, AppleIntelMCEReporter.kext. Catalina do not officially support any dual socket Mac and Apple probably it's not supporting dual sockets anymore. People with dual socket hackintoshes are reporting trouble with Catalina too.
People are finding several quirks with dual CPU trays with Westmere Xeons. With Nehalem it's even worse, since you have the same audio stuttering of Mojave 10.14.4+ and don't have AppleHypervisor support.
Thanks for the information! I guess it's 4,1 > 5,1. It's mid 2010 (running 2 x 2,93 6 core Xeons). Let me clarify it: I *can* put Mac to sleep manually. What it has problems with is automatic sleeping.
I was thinking if it would be possible to use Target Disk Mode (i.e. start up the Mac Pro while holding down the T key) and use FireWire 800 to a MacBook Pro from 2012 that I have (or via Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and then the Thunderbolt 2 to FW800 adapter on a newer Mac with Thunderbolt 3) to make the drive from my Mac Pro show up on the officially supported MacBook Pro and install it that way.
Think it will work?
I can just give it a shot myself of course, but I'll wait until 10.15.2 is out of beta.
Having to remove the drive I use for MacOS in the Mac Pro for every update would be too much hassle I think, since it's an NVMe drive that requires quite a lot of work (screws) to remove from the Mac Pro.
It doesn't work. in the new Mac it will ask you to remove the external drivesI was thinking if it would be possible to use Target Disk Mode (i.e. start up the Mac Pro while holding down the T key) and use FireWire 800 to a MacBook Pro from 2012 that I have (or via Apple's Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and then the Thunderbolt 2 to FW800 adapter on a newer Mac with Thunderbolt 3) to make the drive from my Mac Pro show up on the officially supported MacBook Pro and install it that way.
Think it will work?
I can just give it a shot myself of course, but I'll wait until 10.15.2 is out of beta.
Having to remove the drive I use for MacOS in the Mac Pro for every update would be too much hassle I think, since it's an NVMe drive that requires quite a lot of work (screws) to remove from the Mac Pro.
OK, thanks for the info. But how can it be that it works for @macagain to:
For updates, I'll just remove the sled, connect up the SATA to USB-C cable, boot my mbp off it, and install the update, then pop the sled back in... easy peasy!
? ?
@macagain is not using Target Disk Mode. You can take the SSD out and use it to boot a supported Mac. The supported Mac will then update Catalina on this SSD and after it has done so put it back into the cMP.
Is there a thorough guide to installing Catalina using VMWare + raw disk mode? Because I'm hitting a wall when I boot the installer. It just seems to hang when I try to do the installation.
e: Found it.
e2: That guide worked except that changing the VM settings to Windows 10 prevented it from booting, I set it to Catalina and it went fine. Not sure where to stick the Airport kext, though.
e: Found it.
e2: That guide worked except that changing the VM settings to Windows 10 prevented it from booting, I set it to Catalina and it went fine. Not sure where to stick the Airport kext, though.
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Thanks, but I’m just curious as to why there would be a difference between using target disk mode compared to installing Catalina on an external drive? I mean the NVMe drive I have would have to be connected to another Mac via an external case since no Mac has an M2 slot. Or am I thinking incorrectly? ?
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Yes I ma curious too. I tried it from within Catalina operating system. Maybe it will work from HS or Mojave.
Some other members have not been successful using Target Disk Mode. I would give it a go and report back .
Taking the drive out of the cMP5.1 and connecting it externally seems to have a high success rate. This is more of a pain with an NVME disk but connecting the NVME up with a USB 3.0/3.1 adapter should work.
I use an SSD in one of the sleds as a clone of the NVME disk (using CCC). This is always useful as a bootable backup. Taking the SSD out of the cMP5.1 (easy) and connecting it directly to a USB3.0 adapter would give you a route to updating Catalina via a supported machine. You can then put the SSD back, boot to it and then clone back to the NVME. Once this has worked you can then revert to the NVME as your boot drive and use the SSD again as a backup until the next update.
Yep, didn't work.
Got the message from the Catalina installer that it couldn't be installed on that drive saying something about the computer being started into Target Disk Mode. I recognize this from when I tried to do the same with High Sierra from one Mac to another using Target Disk Mode. So it's not new.
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