Casper NetInstall Image Creator Does Not Support macOS Sierra

[michael-brodt]

The NetInstall Image Creator does not currently support making a NetInstall Image of a macOS Sierra volume. Does anyone have any idea about when it might be updated or what alternatives there are?

[bloree]

I'm not sure on the NetInstall Image Creator side of things. If you are looking for alternatives, I have found that using AutoDMG to make a base image and then AutoCasperNBI to make the NetBoot Image works very well and is working in our environment with Sierra 10.12.2.

https://github.com/MagerValp/AutoDMG
https://macmule.com/projects/autocaspernbi/

[Chris_Hafner]

Agreed, I am happily net-booting and imaging macOS 10.12.2 from a 10.12.2 NetBoot Image created with AutoDMG and then AutoCasperNBI.

[Kyuubi]

Ditto over here. AutoDMG and AutoCasperNBI are the way to go

[WBS]

I just ran into the same issue it gets to a point and crashes. I asked jamf and they said to use what everyone else has said. I tried that and it works fine i prefer it at this point anyway because i compressed the image and it boots notably faster.

[martinoc]

We're using AutoDMG and AutoCasperNBI to deploy 10.12.3 fine but in my experience using Casper NetInstall Image Creator resulted in a 6 GB NetBoot image and now with these other tools it's over 9 GB. That makes a big difference when you are trying to image a lab of 40 Macs. Hopefully there will be a new version of Casper NetInstall Image Creator soon. And I always prefer using one tool rather than two. :)

[bentoms]

@martinoc The actual size of the NBI from NetInstall or NetBoot doesn't matter.

But you should be able to check the "Reduce Size" box to get it under 8GB in AutoCasperNBI.

The speed difference is the way that NetBoot often creates a shadow file on the NBI server.

This can be sped up in by checking the "modified rc.netboot" option in AutoCasperNBI, which should stop the NBI's creating the shadow file on the NBI server.

Really, other than the underlying tech differntiating.. the NBI size doesn't matter as the client doesn't load the whole NBI.. only the bits it needs.

[martinoc]

@bentoms Thanks for the tech tip, I never knew what that "modified rc.netboot" checkbox was for. I have yet to test the new NBI I just made but hopefully it will speed things up.

[bentoms]

@martinoc NP.. i've had these q's a lot (being the developer of AutoCasperNBI).. & did a talk with @nick at JNUC.. erm 2014 on Casper NetInstall Creator & AutoCasperNBI where we mentioned this.

[jeandelgadoc]

@martinoc Can you please guide me through the steps to enroll computers to the JSS using macOS Sierra? I can't get to deploy this package via Casper Admin and Imaging. We have an Admin user on each computer. Let me know please. Definitely need some help on this. Thanks, Jean

[martinoc]

@jeandelgadoc You can create a QuickAdd package and install it any way you want, you can browse to the enrollment URL of your JSS (https://<the DNS name of your JSS>/enroll, or you can use Recon and enroll it remotely. If these things don't work, contact Jamf support.

[Servicedesk_TCG]

Hi,

Is there a way a can find a Full OSX 10.12.6 to add to the netbook build?

[bloree]

Apple published a support doc on how to download Sierra. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202

You can still download it through the Mac App Store. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-sierra/id1127487414?ls=1&mt=12

[hbelem]

Does anyone knows a way to successfully add creative cloud pkg with AUTO DMG I have tried it but it always fail
I want to create a netinstall image with all the bells and wistles, adding others packages work fine but creative cloud not all
Any work around ?

Thank you