How to get incremental updates on a Hackintosh.

[Cyberdevs]

Today I conducted a little test.

 

 

I clean installed an older beta build of macOS Sonoma (first public beta build 23A5286i) using the configured config.plist for macOS Sonoma with csr-active-config set to 030800000 and amfi=0x80 boot flags, with wireless network kexts added and com.apple.iokit.IOSkywalkFamily blocked and excluded on iMac19,1 SMBIOS.

The installation went trough without any issues and once it was done, before applying the patches I went to Software Update and the incremental update was available for download. I installed the update and the installation went fine.

Once the updates were installed I applied the root patches and everything was as expected.

 

Clean install macOS Sonoma Public 1:

Spoiler

 

Got the incremental update for dev beta 4 (public beta 2) and installed it:

Spoiler

 

Applied the root patches

Spoiler

 

 

So in conclusion:

In order to get the incremental update on MacPro7,1 and iMacPro1,1 SMBIOSes you need to add revpatch=sbvmm as a boot-argument and for that flag to work you also need to have RestricEvent.kext available in the kexts folder.

You also need to revert Root Patches to be able to get the incremental updates. Once the update is done you can apply the root patches to have fun functionality in macOS Sonoma.

 

SecureBootModel must be also disabled.

[perez987]

@Cyberdevs

I tried yesterday but the only way to get incremental update to beta 4 was reverting to pre-OCLP values the items csr-active-config, SecureBootModel and boot-args. Reverting root patch was not enough for me, I was getting the full installer update.

After updating, it's easy to recover the 3 values and apply root patch again.

[Cyberdevs]

56 minutes ago, perez987 said:

@Cyberdevs

I tried yesterday but the only way to get incremental update to beta 4 was reverting to pre-OCLP values the items csr-active-config, SecureBootModel and boot-args. Reverting root patch was not enough for me, I was getting the full installer update.

After updating, it's easy to recover the 3 values and apply root patch again.

Sorry to ask but are you talking about an Apple computer or a hackintosh?

Usually on my Macs I do build the and install OpenCore first then I reboot the system, revert the patches, get the incremental updates and then apply the patches.

[perez987]

Hackintosh. Z390 in signature. 

On the iMac I do the same as you.
On the PC everything has worked fine, I just wanted to tell you that, without reverting those config.plist changes required by OCLP, I only had full package update, without those changes with sbvmm I had true incremental update instead.

[Cyberdevs]

@perez987

Thanks for the update, since it's related to Hackintosh I moved the post here. That section is for Apple computers 

[Cyberdevs]

On my KabyLake rig I didn't actually revert any settings in the config, I just only reverted the root patches and the incremental update was shown correctly. So I guess there's no general rule about hacks?!?

[Cyberdevs]

I did two sets of tests with MacPro7,1 and iMacPro1,1 SMBIOS.

Did a clean install of beta two with the same EFI folder with all related boot-args and kexts for Sonoma enabled and disabled.

The only way for me to get the updates presented is to have revpatch=sbvmm as a boot-argument.

 

So my conclusion is that there's no need to revert the csr-active-config to 00000000 and no need to set secureboot to default and also there's no need to disable the kexts for wireless and the blocking of com.apple.iokit.IOSkywalkFamily.

 

These tests were conducted on my KabyLake rig.

[perez987]

@Cyberdevs

Ok. Noted for the next beta. I'll try and comment.

[Cyberdevs]

@perez987

Just to confirm and for the sake of documenting it for everyone in the forum the same goes for iMacPro1,1 as MacPro SMBIOS.

I did the same test and having RestrictEvents.kext and boot-arg: revpatch=sbvmm is suffice to get the incremental updates.

 

In general there are three main reasons for update to fail:

1. Using BlueToolFixup.kext being enabled while trying to install the update via Software update.

2. Booting from another EFI folder which macOS isn't initially installed and booted from which results in an error like this:

[Cyberdevs]

There are the results diskutil apfs list command before and after installing the root patches and then reverting the root patches:

 

Clean installed macOS Sonoma:

Spoiler

|   +-> Volume disk2s4 BECCB49B-37D9-4971-B184-A90D07CF5856

|   |   ---------------------------------------------------

|   |   APFS Volume Disk (Role):   disk2s4 (System)

|   |   Name:                      14 (Case-insensitive)

|   |   Mount Point:               Not Mounted

|   |   Capacity Consumed:         9799495680 B (9.8 GB)

|   |   Sealed:                    Yes

|   |   FileVault:                 No

|   |   |

|   |   Snapshot:                  0A8383B6-E29C-4E04-8289-488B6D4063B0

|   |   Snapshot Disk:             disk2s4s1

|   |   Snapshot Mount Point:      /

|   |   Snapshot Sealed:           Yes

 

after applying the root patches:

Spoiler

|   +-> Volume disk8s4 BECCB49B-37D9-4971-B184-A90D07CF5856

|   |   ---------------------------------------------------

|   |   APFS Volume Disk (Role):   disk8s4 (System)

|   |   Name:                      14 (Case-insensitive)

|   |   Mount Point:               Not Mounted

|   |   Capacity Consumed:         9826947072 B (9.8 GB)

|   |   Sealed:                    Broken

|   |   FileVault:                 No

|   |   |

|   |   Snapshot:                  DE5D8EC0-5CB5-4365-B93E-496B8C07E654

|   |   Snapshot Disk:             disk8s4s1

|   |   Snapshot Mount Point:      /

|   |   Snapshot Sealed:           Broken

 

after reverting the root patches:

Spoiler

|   +-> Volume disk7s4 BECCB49B-37D9-4971-B184-A90D07CF5856

|   |   ---------------------------------------------------

|   |   APFS Volume Disk (Role):   disk7s4 (System)

|   |   Name:                      14 (Case-insensitive)

|   |   Mount Point:               Not Mounted

|   |   Capacity Consumed:         9799598080 B (9.8 GB)

|   |   Sealed:                    Yes

|   |   FileVault:                 No

|   |   |

|   |   Snapshot:                  0A8383B6-E29C-4E04-8289-488B6D4063B0

|   |   Snapshot Disk:             disk7s4s1

|   |   Snapshot Mount Point:      /

|   |   Snapshot Sealed:           Yes

 

[perez987]

Good explanation, thanks. 
In summary:

 

1. About getting update notifications 

• iMac19,1 SMBIOS (no T2) gets Sonoma updates
• T2 SMBIOSes don’t get Sonoma updates
• T2 SMBIOSes with vmm setting (sbvmm, kernel patches or cpuid flag) get Sonoma updates

2. About full or incremental updates

• OCLP root patched systems get full size updates
• not root patched systems or with root patch reverted get incremental updates.

Do you think this is so?

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by perez987

[Cyberdevs]

@perez987

Yes that's correct.

With one addition; as far as I've tested on all machines (none T2 and T2 models) the RestrictEvents.kext and revpatch=sbvmm is required to get the incremental update. for instance on iMac19,1 (none T2) without the mentioned settings the full update is offered instead of the incremental update.

[perez987]

@Cyberdevs

Thank you. Saved for next beta.