How to build your own iMac Pro [Successful Build/Extended Guide]

[rudey]

If you do not have the voodooTSCSync.kext in both /kexts/Other directories (USB Flash drive installer and 10.13 system disk), YES!

If you have anything in the /kexts/10.12 directories, NO! It will just be ignored under 10.13!

ok, that wasn't the issue. I have it in /Other on both the USB and system drives. Still KP'd attempting to continue the install, but I can boot to the installer on USB fine. I uploaded both my EFI folders, one for the USB and one for the system disk. I did a diff on the config.plist's and they are identical. If you have time, can you tell me if I am missing anything? In theory they should be identical to yours, just with a new Serial number.

 

[kgp]

ok, that wasn't the issue. I have it in /Other on both the USB and system drives. Still KP'd attempting to continue the install, but I can boot to the installer on USB fine. I uploaded both my EFI folders, one for the USB and one for the system disk. I did a diff on the config.plist's and they are identical. If you have time, can you tell me if I am missing anything? In theory they should be identical to yours, just with a new Serial number.

o.k., I will have a look.

1.) You are booting at first place the macOS installer partition on your 10.13 System Disk still with the EFI-Folder on your USB Flash Drive Installer, correct?

2.) What is the exact error message you receive before kernel panic and reboot?

3.) We now have nearly identical hardware configuration. It seems impossible that the MacOS installation does not work in your case...

4.) What about the ThunderboltEX 3? Removed for installation?

5.) Just one GPU plugged for installation?

6.) Any additional PCIe cards?

7.) I know that you checked XXX-times the BIOS Settings but please check the BIOS settings once more

8.) Are you using BIOS version 0802?

At first glance everything with your EFI-Folders look fine...

What you can try to do in addition is:

a.) Disable "10.13 Installer/Updater essential" KernelToPatch entry (however I think it is mandatory)

b.) Enable KernelPM in "Kernel and Kext Patches" Section of Clover Configurator (I don't need it

c.) Add under "Custom Flags" in the "Boot" Section of Clover Configurator the boot flag "-lilubeta"

d.) Check "Nvidia Web" in "System Parameters" Section of Clover Configurator

Not much more that can be done....

I don't think it is the EFI-Folder.... Something else must be wrong... You are even able to successfully boot the USB Flash Drive Installer, which is much more critical then the macOS installer partition on the 10.13 System Disk!

Just revise points 1.) to 8.) and try points a.) to d.)

Else there must be something wrong with your system disk! Wrong formatting, wrong partition.. I don't know...

Let's see if something of the above is of help!

Cheers,

KGP

 

[rudey]

o.k., I will have a look.

1.) You are booting at first place the macOS installer partition on your 10.13 System Disk still with the EFI-Folder on your USB Flash Drive Installer, correct?

2.) What is the exact error message you receive before kernel panic and reboot?

3.) We now have nearly identical hardware configuration. It seems impossible that the MacOS installation does not work in your case...

4.) What about the ThunderboltEX 3? Removed for installation?

5.) Just one GPU plugged for installation?

6.) Any additional PCIe cards?

7.) I know that you checked XXX-times the BIOS Settings but please check the BIOS settings once more

8.) Are you using BIOS version 0802?

At first glance everything with your EFI-Folders look fine...

What you can try to do in addition is:

a.) Disable "10.13 Installer/Updater essential" KernelToPatch entry (however I think it is mandatory)

b.) Enable KernelPM in "Kernel and Kext Patches" Section of Clover Configurator (I don't need it

c.) Add under "Custom Flags" in the "Boot" Section of Clover Configurator the boot flag "-lilubeta"

d.) Check "Nvidia Web" in "System Parameters" Section of Clover Configurator

Not much more that can be done....

I don't think it is the EFI-Folder.... Something else must be wrong... You are even able to successfully boot the USB Flash Drive Installer, which is much more critical then the macOS installer partition on the 10.13 System Disk!

Just revise points 1.) to 8.) and try points a.) to d.)

Else there must be something wrong with your system disk! Wrong formatting, wrong partition.. I don't know...

Let's see if something of the above is of help!

Cheers,

KGP

1.) You are booting at first place the macOS installer partition on your 10.13 System Disk still with the EFI-Folder on your USB Flash Drive Installer, correct?
Yes

2.) What is the exact error message you receive before kernel panic and reboot?

It looks like the below, there might be more errors I am missing.
"validate_root_image: SMA mismatch on chunk 26 ...
authentication_root: failed to validate root image against chunklist"

3.) We now have nearly identical hardware configuration. It seems impossible that the MacOS installation does not work in your case...

4.) What about the ThunderboltEX 3? Removed for installation?
Both, I the same exact happens with the Thunderbolt card installed or not.
5.) Just one GPU plugged for installation?
Yes, the RX580
6.) Any additional PCIe cards?
no
7.) I know that you checked XXX-times the BIOS Settings but please check the BIOS settings once more
Yes, went through again issue still persists.
8.) Are you using BIOS version 0802?
Yes updated the board before attempting to install anything.

---
Some additional notes both drives are formated using the following commands
sudo diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ "USB" /dev/disk2
sudo diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ "System" /dev/disk3


I went through and tried your 4 suggestions one by one and didn’t have any luck.

 

[rudey]

Being a bit of a newbie here. When. I boot to clover from a particular disk, then select an OS to boot to, the system utilizes the EFI and Kexts of the booted clover volume correct?
In other words even if I didn't have an EFI folder on the system disk but was booted to clover via the USB drive I should still be able to boot an OS on the system disk right?
I just want to make sure I'm troubleshooting the right thing and knowing how clover logically works through boot and loading would help me diagnose.

I'm scratching my head on why booting the installer on USB works but booting the OS on the system disk fails.

 

[kgp]

Being a bit of a newbie here. When. I boot to clover from a particular disk, then select an OS to boot to, the system utilizes the EFI and Kexts of the booted clover volume correct?
In other words even if I didn't have an EFI folder on the system disk but was booted to clover via the USB drive I should still be able to boot an OS on the system disk right?
I just want to make sure I'm troubleshooting the right thing and knowing how clover logically works through boot and loading would help me diagnose.

I'm scratching my head on why booting the installer on USB works but booting the OS on the system disk fails.

Yes if you boot the 10.13 System Disk with the EFI from your USB Flash Drive, the boot will be executed by means of the boot files in the EFI Folder of your USB Flash Drive and not by means of the boot files fo your System Disk.

I would reformat your System disk with HFS+ and GUID Partition Table by means of Apple's Disk Utility as described in my guide and start from scratch with the macOS Installation!

Cheers,

KGP

 

[ycbr]

Yup, sleep/wake has not been verified yet. I suppose it won't work yet.. Thus, please disable all sleep related settings in "System Preferences" under "Energy Saver"!

Below you find my Energy Saver Settings:

View attachment 282345

Hi - thanks for the screenshot! I've been letting display sleep but not the computer (see screenshot).

I'm fiddling around with the system a bit more. So far so good. Although I do have my sights on getting the EX-3 Thunderbolt card to work.

I've installed all the drivers on my win10 OS and I am able to use the usb port on the card to read off a RAID. I keep the RAID plugged in when I restart and load OS High Sierra, but it doesn't work. System Profiler says that there are no Thunderbolt drivers loaded even though everything works on the win10 side.

I used your guide to input the Thunderbolt settings inside the BIOS. Any clues?

 

[kgp]

Hi - thanks for the screenshot! I've been letting display sleep but not the computer (see screenshot).

I'm fiddling around with the system a bit more. So far so good. Although I do have my sights on getting the EX-3 Thunderbolt card to work.

I've installed all the drivers on my win10 OS and I am able to use the usb port on the card to read off a RAID. I keep the RAID plugged in when I restart and load OS High Sierra, but it doesn't work. System Profiler says that there are no Thunderbolt drivers loaded even though everything works on the win10 side.

I used your guide to input the Thunderbolt settings inside the BIOS. Any clues?

Apple's System Report does not recognise the ThunderboltEX 3 without DSDT patches, nevertheless the ThunderboltEX 3 should work!

I have the same situation on my system: the ThunderboltEX 3 is not recognised by Apple's System Report but fully functional under 10.13!

 

[ycbr]

Apple's System Report does not recognise the ThunderboltEX 3 without DSDT patches, nevertheless the ThunderboltEX 3 should work!

I have the same situation on my system: the ThunderboltEX 3 is not recognised by Apple's System Report but fully functional under 10.13!

Ah ok that makes sense. Let me test in out in a bit - I'm just working right now. I'll restart and see if my RAID mounts while plugged in to the USB port of the expansion card.

 

[dwhitla]

The empty EFI-partitions can be mounted by means of Clover Configurator!

... or just by typing diskutil mount /dev/disk2s1 in a terminal (where /dev/disk2s1 is the block device corresponding to your USB stick's EFI partition as shown by diskutil list).

 

[dwhitla]

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --no interaction

That should read:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/USB --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --nointeraction