after Casper imaging the computer boots into recover HD

[tcandela]

I created a base OS for OS X.10 yosemite using AutoDMG.

-- Setup a configuration
-- target mode imaging
-- target disk mode a mb pro
-- connect mbpro to imac that is running Casper imaging
-- after it finishes I remove the firewire 800 cable from mbpro and restart it. It then boots into the recovery HD (just like if i booted up and pressed Command + R)

what is going on?
just a simple configuration, with adobe flash, xerox printer drivers,

[davidacland]

I haven't seen that one! What is the startup disk system preference set to before you put the Mac into TDM? Are you imaging some new Macs or older ones?

In the worst case you could get around it with a self-destructing startup script that:

• Sets Macintosh HD as the boot disk
• Reboots
• Deletes itself

As far as a root cause, I'm not too sure. I've used AutoDMG for a while now and haven't seen this behaviour with target mode imaging.

[tcandela]

the mbpro is set to startup from Machintosh HD prior to pressing T to get it into target disk mode.
I then connect it to iMac that is running casper imaging, it recognizes the TDM mbpro in casper imaging, i give the computer a name and click install.
After it finishes, i remove firewire cable from mbpro, startup the mbpro, and it boots up in recovery hd. It just finished another configuration run, back to recovery HD, I choose startup disk to use Mac HD 10.10.2 - restart- its back to recovery HD

[davidacland]

It could be a broken image (not normal with AutoDMG but possible), or a good image but Casper imaging is deploying it wrong.

If you delete the recovery HD and only leave the Macintosh HD, can it boot then?

Other possibilities could be; is the dmg set to priority 1? What happens if you reset PRAM then set startup disk? What happens if you select Macintosh HD from the startup manager instead?

[tcandela]

yep, os.dmg is priority 1 while flash/xerox are priority 10

could it be network issue, the distribution point being far away?

i'll try delete recovery hd etc.. next

[davidacland]

If it is pulling from a network DP you could pull the files down into a folder on the iMac to rule that out.

[tcandela]

in casper admin here are the configuration specs are for my configuration
--- standard config
--- I enter a mgmt account (check 'create mgmt account if it does not exist' and check 'hide mgmt account)
--- I enter a homepage
--- partition tab is untouched; <target drive> 100%

do you mean; copy the distribution share (caspershare) from the current location (smb://casper.xxxxxx.xxx/caspershare) to the iMac, and then point to that location?

[tcandela]

when i go to diskutil list i see /dev/disk0 thru /dev/disk15

[davidacland]

On the iMac, create a folder and copy the structure of your distribution point to it. You don't need to copy all of the files from the DP, only the ones you need. Then in Casper Imaging you can specify the local folder as the distribution point.

/dev/disk15 doesn't sound right, you should only see a list of the disks attached so unless there are 15 of them there might be another issue there.

I would still try to see if its possible at all to boot from the Macintosh HD, either by holding down alt on startup and manually selecting it, or by deleting the recovery partition so the Mac has no choice. Just to confirm if the deployed image is working ok.

[tcandela]

holding down alt/option at starup results with only seeing EFI Boot

when i hdiutil detach /dev/disk#'s and reboot, they again are all present again

[davidacland]

So you use hdiutil detach to get rid of the extra disks, restart, hold down alt and Macintosh HD is present? Can it then boot to it?

Not sure if thats what you meant, sorry!

If its not showing up when you hold down alt (even after hdiutil detach), the firmware isn't seeing a bootable system on Macintosh HD. If you boot to recovery and use terminal to browse /Volumes/Macintosh HD, does it look like it has a full system installed?

[jhalvorson]

Is the option to erase the drive selected within Casper Imaging?

If you are not selecting that option, then you might be laying down the OS X autodmg on-top an existing OS.

[iJake]

Reset your PRAM.

[asegura]

I was getting the same issue and I had to revert the core storage to HFS. Here are a few articles to assist. Once I reverted to HFS my issue was resolved.

http://awesometoast.com/yosemite-core-storage-and-partition-woes/

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/article.html?id=381

https://macmule.com/2015/01/02/casper-imaging-corestorage-volumes/#more-1664

[tcandela]

I wipe the drive when doing the imaging.
Holding alt brings up Efi boot, nothing else. Even when I booted to Mavericks install usb it eventually went to recovery he again. Right now I'm doing an secure erase via disk utility.
I will look into asegura links and let you know my results.

[tcandela]

I am getting 'no core storage logical volume groups found'

[tcandela]

asegura - no luck, when i read the links you displayed i get 'no core storage logical volume groups found' when running diskutil cs list

[bentoms]

@tcandela, where are you running the diskutil command?

On the Mac that's imaging the other, with the other connected via TDM?

Can you post the results of diskutil list?

[tcandela]

i was able to get that mbpro to install OSx.8 from a usb installer. so currently diskutil list on that mbpro lists

/dev/disk0 0 guid partitino scheme 500GB disk0
1 EFI 209.7MB disk0s1
2 Apple HFS untitled 499.2GB disk0s2
3 Apple boot recovery hd 650.0MB disk0s3

so currently its good. I am going to try the TDM from it, and do the casper imaging deal again.

currently i am testing on another mbpro.

[tcandela]

From other posts it looks like target disk mode imaging is a problem with casper

[bentoms]

@tcandela, I left a reply on that other thread.

https://jamfnation.jamfsoftware.com/discussion.html?id=13178#responseChild78512

You mentioned there that you're using 9.51, I think the JSS only supported 10.10.x with 9.6x

[tcandela]

ok, thanks Bentoms i'll check it out.

in a related not: if I wanted to target disk mode say a half dozen mbpro's at the same time, how would i do that? would i need some sort of firwire, thunderbolt hub ???

[tcandela]

for some reason, whether using TDM or external drive with OSX/Casper Imaging, the computer goes through the imaging process (pick config, wipe, reboot etc..) then on reboot it stops at 50% of progress bar.

then when I force shutdown and reboot/Option, I only see EFI Boot

do not understand what is happening!!

[ytalha]

I'm running into the exact same issue. I opened a ticket and is not going nowhere. The only difference is that I'm using netboot, Casper will image the machine and stuck in the middle of the deployment until I open terminal and type shutdown -r now.

I'm in 9.63

[bentoms]

@ytalha, so your issue is a gnat on imaging?

Is this via a JDS?

[tcandela · Accepted solution]

I am going to try to USB boot to OS Mavericks with casper imaging and go from there. I hear that using USB boot with OS Yosemite 10.2 is the problem.
When the OS is being installed it say's 'installing package' instead of a block install.

[bentoms]

@tcandela, 9.64 has a fix for the slow copy with 10.10.2.

[tcandela]

I used a USB with OS X.9 with casper imaging, it worked, block copy of OS completed and OS on imaged mac was good.