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Variables Guide

This guide provides detailed explanations of the variables that can be set in the variables.pkrvars.hcl file for the macOS Virtual Machine Builder.

User Variables

  • version - Specifies the version of macOS to install. This will setup the correct boot commands, the available versions are:

    • monterey
    • ventura
    • sonoma
    • sequoia - Will always choose latest version of sequoia.
    • sequoia_15.x - Mention a specific version in sequoia. Installation steps were different for each version in sequoia, e.g., sequoia_15.1, sequoia_15.2 ... sequoia_15.5.

  • user - This variable defines the user account to be created on the virtual machine. It contains two keys:

    • username - Specifies the username for the user.
    • password - Specifies the password for the user.

Machine Settings

  • output_directory - Specifies the directory where the virtual machine files will be saved.
  • machine_name - Defines the name of the virtual machine in Parallels Desktop.
  • machine_specs - This variable holds the hardware specifications for the virtual machine:

    Note: This will only be taken into consideration if you are building a macvm and not an ipsw.

    • cpus - Sets the number of CPUs to assign to the virtual machine.
    • memory - Sets the amount of memory (in MB) to assign to the virtual machine.

Boot Settings

  • boot_command - Determines the boot command used when starting the virtual machine. This is a string, and we've provided a default value compatible with macOS 13. However, you can specify your own or look at available options in the boot commands directory.
  • boot_wait - Determines the duration the script should wait for the virtual machine to boot. While 6 minutes is suitable for most machines, slower systems might require an extended wait time.

macOS Source

  • macvm_path - Specifies the path to the macvm virtual machine. If this is set, the script will use this virtual machine instead of downloading the IPSW.
  • ipsw_url - Specifies the URL to the IPSW file to download. If this is set, the script will download the IPSW from this URL. You can also use a local IPSW by providing the full path to the IPSW file.
  • ipsw_checksum - Specifies the checksum of the IPSW file. If this is set, the script will validate the checksum of the IPSW file after downloading it.

Additional Options

  • addons - Lists the addons to install on the virtual machine. The available addons include:
    • vscode - Installs Visual Studio Code.
  • create_vagrant_box - If set to true, a Vagrant box will be created in addition to the virtual machine. If set to false, only a virtual machine will be created.
  • install_homebrew - If set to true, install the Homebrew Package Manager for macOS.

Please remember to validate your configuration before running the Packer script to ensure all variables are set correctly.