OS X VM Factory

This is a set of scripts and Packer templates to create OS X VM for VirtualBox. It is largely based on osx-vm-templates. Be aware that the whole process can take more than 3 hours and require at least 30GB of disk space. We use mas and xcode-install to automate as much as possible. Be aware that there is an inherent security risk when we rely on third-party code to get our compilers.

1. Getting Started

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/donny/osx-vm-factory

Get the OS X El Capitan installer app from the Mac App Store:

brew install mas
mas install 1018109117 # Install OS X El Capitan

Install the required software:

brew cask install virtualbox virtualbox-extension-pack vagrant
brew install packer

Modify the file scripts/xcode.sh and fill in the appropriate credentials (use a low privilege Apple ID). These are used to download Xcode from Apple.

2. Building the Disk Image

Build the disk image using prepare_iso.sh script in osx-vm-factory repository. Disable remote management if we’re building an image for VirtualBox.

cd osx-vm-factory
sudo ./prepare_iso/prepare_iso.sh \
  -D DISABLE_REMOTE_MANAGEMENT \
  /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/ \
  packer/

Take note of the output at the end, we need the filename (e.g. OSX_InstallESD_10.11.5_15F34.dmg) of the new disk image.

3. Packing the Vagrant Box

Use packer to pack the Vagrant box.

cd osx-vm-factory/packer
packer build \
  -var iso_url=OSX_InstallESD_10.11.5_15F34.dmg \
  -var autologin=true \
  -only virtualbox-iso \
  template.json

4. Using the Box with Vagrant

Add the box to Vagrant:

vagrant box add \
  --name osx-10.11.5 \
  packer_virtualbox-iso_virtualbox.box

Provision the box:

mkdir osx-vm
cp osx-vm-factory/Vagrantfile osx-vm
cd osx-vm
vagrant up