Parallels Desktop for Mac 13...does it blend? (APFS)

Interesting...no mention of...but stumbled upon Parallels Desktop Mass Deployment package version 2.0.0.

This might get ugly, the link to their Parallels Desktop Business Edition Administrator's Guide, on their Parallels Desktop mass deployment page, is still for version 11 from 2015.

When you download the new Parallels Desktop Mass Deployment package, you get Parallels Desktop Business Edition Administrator's Guide version 12 from 2016.

What an easy life it must be for their product team to just wing it and react to complaints...oy.

Version 2.0.0 (this version)
- Added support for "SingleApplicationMode" feature
- Added support for per-VM "Show developer tools" feature
- Fixed broken "vm_deploy_mode" (Copy/Move) option support

Version 1.2.11
- Fixed broken installation in 'root' user context
- Fixed start_pd_as_service="no" option handling, requirement check was broken.

Version 1.2.10
- Added support to hide hostname in license-requests

Version 1.2.9
  - Added support for new options :
    "require custom password to edit PD preferences"
    "require custom password to add/create/remove/clone VM"
    "require custom password to edit VM configuration"

Version 1.2.8
  - Fixed installation error when Deploy.cfg launch option "start as service" set to "NO"
    and "start as service" option is NOT enabled in currently installed Parallels Desktop.

Version 1.2.7
  - Add support for Parallels Desktop 11.

Version 1.2.6
  - Fix installation of Parallels Desktop 10.2.1 and newer.

Version 1.2.4
  - Add proper handling for curved quotation marks in the deployment
    configuration file.

Version 1.2.3
  - Add options for the VM list manipulation password protection.
  - Add option for a custom URL that will be included in error message dialogs
    related to licensing operations.
  - Fix: the update_url parameter verification fails if its value is
    "Parallels".

Version 1.2.2
  - Add the VM list banner options.
  - Add changelog (this file).

Version 1.2.1
  - Fix: Parallels Desktop settings are not applied to new user accounts.

Version 1.2.0
  - Add the CEP Participation option.
  - Fix: in some cases the "updates_auto_check" option was processed
    incorrectly.
  - Fix: in rare cases Parallels Desktop initialization didn't complete
    properly.
  - Fix: on Mavericks, the installer image stayed mounted on completion.

Version 1.1.0
  - Various fixes.
  - Extend available configuration options list.

Version 1.0.0 (initial release)
  - Basic deployment support.

For your entertainment, testing this now...

1. Install PD13 on a slightly older MBP running 10.12.6, HHD formatted as HFS+.
2. Build a 10.13 VM in PD13, and select the option to not format the HHD to APFS (not an option on hosts with SSD).
3. Copy the 10.13 VM over to a MBPr running 10.12.6 SSD formatted as HFS+.
4. Does it blend? If not, lambast Parallels publicly some more for shoddy publicly facing technical information.

Figures...not wasting my time on this...

installer -pkg Parallels_ParallelsDesktop_13.0.0-42936.pkg -target / -verbose
installer: Package name is Parallels Autodeploy Package
installer: Upgrading at base path /
installer: Preparing for installation….....
installer: Preparing the disk….....
installer: Preparing Parallels Autodeploy Package….....
installer: Waiting for other installations to complete….....
installer: Configuring the installation….....
installer:  
#
installer: Validating packages….....
#
installer: The upgrade failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)

No wonder it doesn't work...from their System Requirements page...

#rollsEyes

Parallels 13.0.1 -42947 was released.

Doesn't fix their issue. Parallels Support continues to give us "Wait for High Sierra to be released". Of course their blog showing High Sierra virtualized is still there. Most likely form pre-Beta 5.

Parallels blows chunks. Really.

FYI, the Parallels Mass Deployment Tool is now working, apparently there were some syntax changes in their deploy.cfg script that had to be set up differently than previous versions.

And yes, they still list "High Sierra 12.13" as a requirement. #rollsEyes

Parallels Desktop 13.1.0 running on High Sierra 10.13 to create the VM.

VM runs on Sierra 10.12.6 host (didn't test older macOS versions).

The only issue we found, the temp HD it has to create for the OOB to be made, is the defined boot drive for the VM. So you've got to shut down the VM, delete the original drive, then it boots normally.

Thepd-deploy.zip mass deployment tool is still broken for deploying VMs (works for deploying the app), but would you accept anything less? #rollsEyes

$ installer -pkg /Users/montd124/Desktop/PD13_macOS_10.13-17A365_20171005.pkg -target / -verbose
installer: Package name is Parallels Autodeploy Package
installer: Installing at base path /
installer: Preparing for installation….....
installer: Preparing the disk….....
installer: Preparing Parallels Autodeploy Package….....
installer: Waiting for other installations to complete….....
installer: Configuring the installation….....
installer:  
#
installer: Validating packages….....
#
installer: The install failed (The Installer encountered an error that caused the installation to fail. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance.)
$

This is like the thread from hell...shouldn't be...but given how much is broke' with Parallels, thought we'd share this nugget we developed with some of the Parallels folks, for deploying a VM to /Users/Shared/Parallels/ in "registered" state, so it is shared across all users.

1. Requires Parallels Desktop 13.1.0.
2. Create your High Sierra OOB VM and recursively set to 777.(*)
3. Package it so it is put into /Users/Shared/Parallels/.
4. Follow the install of the VM with a post installation script that registers the new VM (and any others in that folder that aren't yet registered):

#!/bin/sh
user=$( ls -la /dev/console | cut -d " " -f 4 )
IFS=$'
'
for pvm_file in $( ls "/Users/Shared/Parallels/" | grep .pvm );
    do
        sudo -u $user /usr/local/bin/prlctl register "/Users/Shared/Parallels/${pvm_file}" --regenerate-src-uuid
        echo "Registered ${pvm_file}..."
    done
unset IFS
exit 0

User launches Parallels Desktop 13.1.0 and the OOB VM shows up on their machine list.

(*) Note the --regenerate-src-uuid option is new with v13.

HTH the next poor soul stuck using Parallels.

Don