bootstrappr
Bootstrappr
A bare-bones tool to install a set of packages and scripts on a target volume.
Typically these are packages or scripts that “enroll” the machine into your management system. Upon reboot, these tools take over and continue the setup and configuration of the machine.
Bootstrappr is designed to be able to run in Recovery mode, allowing you to “bootstrap” a fresh-out-of-the-box machine without having to run the Setup Assistant, manually creating a local account, and other unreliable manual tasks.
Packages
Add desired packages to the bootstrap/packages
directory. Ensure all packages you add can be properly installed to volumes other than the current boot volume.
If your packages just have payloads, they should work fine. You should check that pre- and post-install scripts do not use absolute paths to the current startup volume. The installer system passes the target volume in the third argument ($3
) to installation scripts.
Scripts
Bootstrappr checks that script filenames end with the .sh
extension and have the executable bit set. Other files are ignored.
Bootstrappr passes the selected volume in the first argument ($1
) to scripts. (This is different from installation scripts in packages.)
Keep in mind that the Recovery system does not have the same set of tools available the full macOS has. python
, ruby
, zsh
, osascript
, systemsetup
, networksetup
, and many others are not available in the Recovery system; write your scripts accordingly. Using bash
for your scripts is the safest choice.
If in doubt, boot to Recovery and test.
Order
Bootstrappr will work through scripts and packages in alphanumerical order. To control the order, you can prefix filenames with numbers.
iMac Pro
Bootstrappr is particularly useful with the new iMac Pro, which does not support NetBoot, and is tricky to get to boot from external media. To set up a new machine, pull the machine out of the box, boot into Recovery (Command-R at startup), mount the Bootstrappr disk, and run Bootstappr.
Usage scenarios
Scenario #1: USB thumbdrive
-
Preparation:
- Copy the contents of the bootstrap directory to a USB thumbdrive.
-
Bootstrapping:
- (Optional) Start up in Recovery mode.
- Connect USB thumbdrive.
- Open Terminal (from the Utilities menu if in Recovery).
-
/Volumes/VOLUME_NAME/run
(usesudo
if not in Recovery). - If in Recovery, restart.
Scenario #2: Disk image via HTTP
-
Preparation:
-
Create a disk image using the
make_dmg.sh
script. -
Copy the disk image to a web server.
-
(NOTE: In Recovery mode,
https
URLs may be problematic.http
URLs should be fine.)
-
(NOTE: In Recovery mode,
-
Create a disk image using the
-
Bootstrapping:
- (Optional) Start up in Recovery mode.
- Open Terminal (from the Utilities menu if in Recovery).
-
hdiutil attach <your_bootstrap_dmg_url>
. -
/Volumes/bootstrap/run
(usesudo
if not in Recovery). - If in Recovery, restart.
Sample session
# hdiutil attach http://macbootstrap /dev/disk3 GUID_partition_scheme /dev/disk3s1 Apple_HFS /Volumes/bootstrap # /Volumes/bootstrap/run *** Welcome to bootstrappr! *** Available volumes: 1 Macintosh HD 2 Target Volume 3 bootstrap Install to volume # (1-3): 2 Installing packages to /Volumes/Target Volume... installer: Package name is foo installer: Installing at base path /Volumes/Target Volume installer: The install was successful. installer: Package name is bar installer: Installing at base path /Volumes/Target Volume installer: The install was successful. installer: Package name is baz installer: Installing at base path /Volumes/Target Volume installer: The install was successful. installer: Package name is Munki - Managed software installation for OS X installer: Installing at base path /Volumes/Target Volume installer: The install was successful. Packages installed. What now? 1 Restart 2 Shut down 3 Quit Pick an action # (1-3): 3