Multiple Recovery HDs for different OS versions

[AVmcclint]

I've looked through the Admin guide and the discussions but I can't seem to find an answer to this problem. We currently have all our machines imaged with 10.9 and they all require FileVault so a Recovery HD is in place to be included for imaging. I have begun the process of building a 10.10 image configuration with an appropriate 10.10 Recovery HD. I followed all the directions in the Admin Guide but then I realized that I there's no way to associate one Recovery HD with a particular OS image. I named the base image config 10.10.2 Base config and I named the Recovery HD configuration 10.10.2 Recovery HD. When I went to image a Mac using the 10.10.2 config, it never did the Recovery HD - even when I chose to erase the HD before imaging. Is it possible to have multiple OS image configurations, each with their own respective Recovery HDs? The image for 10.9 still works and gets its Recovery HD as expected.

[bentoms]

@AVmcclint If you create your OS.dmg with AutoDMG & lay that down using Casper Imaging you'll install the correct recovery as it's part of the AutoDMG OS.dmg.

[bmarks]

You could do this a couple of ways, but yeah, AutoDMG is the way to go. Go to the App Store and get the installer apps for Mavericks and Yosemite (if you don't already have them) and then use AutoDMG to create your base images for each platform. Automagically, the resulting DMG's will include the Recovery HD when used as the base OS in your imaging workflows. The only limitation is that you will need to use AutoDMG on Mavericks to make a Mavericks image and on Yosemite to make a Yosemite image.

[AVmcclint]

I've looked at AutoDMG but if I understand it correctly, all it does is freshly install the OS to a DMG. I need to deploy an already setup OS with local admin user accounts specifically configured (with remote login and remote management pre-configured) and have some apps pre-installed (before imaging) and some apps deleted (before imaging). How does AutoDMG make this process easier (apart from including the recovery partition in the DMG)?

[bpavlov]

@AVmcclint You can technically add packages to AutoDMG. So you could add packages that create the local user account, another that runs a bunch of scripts on first boot, one that maybe skips the registration screens on first boot, and even add additional applications if necessary through packages. Not sure what you mean about removing apps before imaging as AutoDMG only includes the built-in OS X apps (not even iLife or iWorks apps are included).

Also be warned that you're probably better off letting your software deployment tool of choice do the installing of your applications as sometimes vendors do not properly build packages and they do not get installed correctly via a tool like AutoDMG. Plus it's extra work to then have to update your image with the latest version of the applications you add in addition to updating it using your software deployment tool of choice. Why do double the work? However if you do insist and you're building the application package yourself then just make sure you reference $3 in any preinstall/postinstall scripts you may use if you really insist on baking in certain applications when creating an OS image using AutoDMG.

[Fissette101]

Once you have the base image created with AutoDMG you can create multiple configurations by adding packages through your JSS / CasperAdmin and then image using Casper Image. This way you will not need to build multiple images for your different configurations.

[bentoms]

@AVmcclint If you split out the component part of your imaging workflow. Then you only need to replace parts as needed.

For example, here is my imaging workflow. For 10.10.3 all I need do is replace the OS.dmg.

[bmarks]

The original question was about the Recovery HD and I recommended AutoDMG solely for the creation of the base OS + recovery partition for each OS. Everything else you'd want to continue to do with your imaging configs in Casper. While in theory you can do extra stuff with AutoDMG, I wasn't mentioning it as a replacement to the rest of your imaging process.

[RobertHammen]

In general, the more modular you can make your imaging workflow, the better.

I.e. use AutoDMG to build an up-to-date never booted base OS.
Use CreateUserPkg to build an installer pkg that creates any local user
Use other pkg and dmg files, either vendor-supplied or created with Composer, to install other software.

The advantage to this is that when an update drops, whether it be 10.10.3 or 10.11, you just need to update one piece of your workflow - not rebuild that entire base OS image.

Your mileage may vary, but I recommend/use this approach with all of my clients.