VMware Fusion.pkg creation in Composer

[shrisivakumaran]

I have created VMware Fusion 11.5.1.pkg file by using Composer/Package tool. while I tried to install it in new Mac installed successfully when opening the VMware Fusion getting attached error. if I use the same package for upgrade the VMware fusion from older version to new version(11.5.1) it works.

Does anyone know how to do this?
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

[jhamil50 · Accepted solution]

You should be able to copy the VMware Fusion.app into /Applications without taking snapshots in Composer and then add the following command in a postinstall script:

/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/Initialize VMware Fusion.tool set

[emily · Accepted solution]

I admire people's willingness to cling to Composer… I would highly recommend you look into AutoPkg if you haven't yet.

https://github.com/autopkg/autopkg
https://github.com/search?q=org%3Aautopkg+vmware+fusion&type=Code

There are a handful of VMware Fusion recipes that can automatically download and build a deployable VMware Fusion installer for you, and even JSS recipes that will automatically upload those installers to your JSS.

[mbezzo]

Hi,
I'm seeing this same thing - been packaging this for years without issue. They must have changed something!

I'm thinking about just deploying their DMG in a package with a postscript to mount and then open the installer? Curious how others may solve this...

[jhamil50 · Accepted solution]

You should be able to copy the VMware Fusion.app into /Applications without taking snapshots in Composer and then add the following command in a postinstall script:

/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/Initialize VMware Fusion.tool set

[mbezzo]

@jhamil50 This did the trick! Thank you!

[emily · Accepted solution]

I admire people's willingness to cling to Composer… I would highly recommend you look into AutoPkg if you haven't yet.

https://github.com/autopkg/autopkg
https://github.com/search?q=org%3Aautopkg+vmware+fusion&type=Code

There are a handful of VMware Fusion recipes that can automatically download and build a deployable VMware Fusion installer for you, and even JSS recipes that will automatically upload those installers to your JSS.

[maurits]

I have always used the

Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/Deploy VMware Fusion.mpkg

Documented here: https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/fusion/mass-deployment-of...

[shrisivakumaran]

If we create a package using Composer this doesn't work. This is working for .mpkg file, but when we copy the mpkg file to JSS server using Jamf Admin the file converting to zip file automatically. @jhamil50 @mbezzo @maurits can you share how you created pkg file and uploaded to JSS server for self service installation.

[sdagley · Accepted solution]

@shrisivakumaran You really should follow @Emily's advice above on AutoPkg (and the AutoPkgr GUI wrapper for it) as it will allow you to fully automate the creation and uploading of a VMware Fusion package, as well as pretty much any other application, to your JSS.

[shrisivakumaran]

Thanks @sdagley,AutoPkgr worked and i can create pkg.

[hepvd]

̶I̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶s̶u̶e̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶F̶u̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶1̶2̶.̶ ̶C̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶l̶o̶y̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶a̶l̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶.̶ ̶I̶'̶v̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶M̶P̶K̶G̶ ̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶c̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶V̶M̶W̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶v̶i̶d̶e̶d̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶s̶ ̶f̶a̶i̶l̶s̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶:̶

̶S̶o̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶i̶n̶v̶e̶s̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶a̶u̶t̶o̶P̶K̶G̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶.̶ ̶I̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶w̶a̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶e̶r̶i̶a̶l̶i̶z̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶?̶

Small update if it can help…

Ok, so "IF" I upload the MPKG throught the Jamf Admin app, it works. If the MPKG is put on the SMB repository directly it will fail… Odd

[spalmer]

@hepvd This is because the MPKG that is created by using VMware’s instructions is not a flat package and Jamf Pro no longer works with non-flat packages. All PKGs need to be flat or if they are not flat they need to be zipped. When uploading non-flat packages via Jamf Admin, it zips them by default.

On a side note, I tested out VMware’s workflow in the past and it does not compress the copy of the Fusion application placed inside the MPKG, thus creating a fairly large installer. I found it best to use Composer or Apple’s pkgbuild CLI to build a flat PKG which is also compressed to save on bandwidth and space when installing via Jamf Pro.

[DebstepFRB]

VMWare updated their instruction for building a Mass Deployment package. Jun 2020. https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2058680 this worked for us on 12.0 but for some reason i cannot get it to work for 12.1. :( [ Not allowed to use Auto pkg ... ] so have to figure out how to make this work

[sdagley]

@DebstepFRB If you use the Packages app to build a .pkg installer for VMware Fusion it has an option to preserve xattrs

[smolyeet]

@DebstepFRB are you dropping the app or are you dropping a zip of the app inside the .mpkg? I use this method and it worked for deploying 12.1 to customers just fine though Munki.

Just curious, but how come you aren't allowed to use AutoPKG? There are stop gaps (mainly creative overrides and a testing group in Munki to verify and vet your uploads)

[DebstepFRB]

I dropped the ZIP re AutoPkg... we are standardized on JAMF and (upcoming Intune) still trying to get it approved