Convert macOS Sequoia.app Installer to ISO

When you download any operating system to install on a computer, it is always a good idea to download the OS from a reputable source, namely Apple for macOS and Microsoft for Windows. This is to avoid malware in these files. The operating system is the foundation of any computer. Therefore, it has to be as clean as possible.

Microsoft offers the ISO file of Windows so you can create a bootable USB drive from it. The ISO format is a flexible format that can be used for other purposes. Another use is to mount it as if it were a physical CD so you can install Windows, or any OS, as a guest OS on a virtual machine created by VMWare, VirtualBox, or Parallel.

Apple, as usual, does things its own way by not offering its macOS files in the ISO format. When you download macOS Sequoia for example from the Apple App Store, it is is the .app format which is similar to ISO, but unfortunately does not have the flexibility of the ISO format. Therefore, when you want to install Sequoia inside a VMWare virtual machine, you have to convert the .app file to an .iso file. Again, Apple doe not make this conversion simple. Fortunately, it is possible to do so without the need to use a third-party program may inject malware into the resultant file during the creation process. If you don't mind doing some command line work in macOS Terminal, this can be done.

1. Download the "Install macOS Sequoia.app" from Apple using the App Store. As said, this ensures the file is free of malware.
   
   
2. Copy the file called “Install macOS Sequoia.app” installer from the Applications folder into your Desktop.
   
   
3. Open Terminal.
   
   
4. Create a dmg container on the desktop the size of 20GB named “Sequoia.dmg” by entering this command. You can copy and paste the command into the Terminal.
   
   hdiutil create -o ~/Desktop/Sequoia -size 20000m -volname Sequoia -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J
   
   
5. Mount the Sequoia.dmg container into your device.
   
   hdiutil attach ~/Desktop/Sequoia.dmg -noverify -mountpoint /Volumes/Sequoia
   
   
6. Create a bootable macOS Sequoia installer into the created dmg container.
   
   sudo ~/Desktop/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Sequoia --nointeraction
   
   
7. Detach the created bootable dmg container.
   
   hdiutil detach /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia
   
   
8. Convert dmg to cdr container.
   
   hdiutil convert ~/Desktop/Sequoia.dmg -format UDTO -o ~/Desktop/Sequoia.cdr
   
   
9. Convert cdr to the bootable iso image.
   
   mv ~/Desktop/Sequoia.cdr ~/Desktop/Sequoia.iso
   
   

That's it. All that work just to get the "Install macOS Sequoia.app" to become "Install macOS Sequoia.iso".

Now you can use this ISO file as you wish. Using the free VMWare Fusion 13.6.3, I have successfully installed Sequoia as a guest OS on a virtual machine.

Strange Bug in Windows 11 Installer

You would think that Microsoft with its virtually unlimited manpower and knowledge of its own operating system could not have made such basic mistake, but it did. When the installer for Windows 11 24H2 is created on a USB thumbdrive to be used to install Windows on a blank disk, early in the installation process, there is a bug where if you choose the default settings, the installer routine would not give you the option to pick what partition to install Windows 11 onto. You would not get this window.

Instead, the installing process will install into the primary partition. If there is an existing copy of Windows there, it will replace it. This makes creating a dual boot system impossible.

Fortunately, the buggy installer offers the option to Select Previous Version at Setup which when selected, will use the Windows 10 version of the setup where such a bug does not exist. If you choose this option, you get the desired screen with all partitions listed.

 

MOCA Galore

This is a long overdue update to a post I made in 2013.

https://packetrider.blogspot.com/2013/12/actiontec-wcb3000n-and-ecb3500t.html

Since then, the MOCA protocol has been updated a few revisions with the latest at version 2.5. This protocol allows network traffic at gigabit speeds to go through the coax wiring. Needless to say, to get these blistering speeds, MOCA devices have to support the MOCA 2.5 standard. Actiontec has these devices. The name itself has been rebranded as ScreenBeam. Below are the MOCA 2.5 products.

https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-MoCA-Network-Adapter-Ethernet/dp/B088KV2YYL?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

The difference between the ECB7250S02 and the ECB6250S02 is the 7250 can handle more network traffic. For a home network with less than 10 network devices, save some money and get the ECB6250S02 or its kit version ECB6250K02.    

While these devices work as advertised, they have one shortcoming. Each has only 1 network port. This means you can only connect one network device to the adapter. However, other vendors of MOCA 2.5 offer adapters that have multiple network ports. One of these is Translite Global.

https://www.transliteglobal.com/moca-distribution

https://www.amazon.com/MoCA-2-5-Gigabit-Ethernet-Ports/dp/B07Z3SB1HH?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

Despite what its website says, the "white" model with 4 network ports has been discontinued. I think I know why because my testing with the 2-port TL-MC84 adapter, there is an extra 3 ms of ping time when network traffic goes through these adapters. I suspect the CPU in these adapters cannot handle more than 2 network devices. The TL-MC84 I bought has an older firmware version. Strangely the vendor's website does not offer for download a newer firmware. I had to get it from tech support. I think it's their way of harvesting their customer's contact info for marketing purposes. No spam yet from them. If you need the newer firmware, here it is. Presumably, it's on the vendor's Google Drive.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UD8a-DJ-_6HNqTFvlGDYHaJnaTv8OAyg?usp=sharing

Incidentally, MOCA is not the only protocol that uses the coax cables to transmit Ethernet data. There is another called G.hn Ethernet Over Coax. It is newer than MOCA. I am not familiar with it, but I will research on if it is any better than MOCA. If G.hn allows PoE over the coax, it will be a big improvement over MOCA. One advantage G.hn has is it transmits its signal at lower frequencies than MOCA. Therefore, its signal can go farther. Low frequency signals can make use of older lower quality coax. Therefore if your home has very old coax that doesn't seem to work with MOCA, G.hn over coax may be a good alternative.

https://www.abiresearch.com/blog/wi-fi-vs-ghn-vs-moca-battle-home-networking-technologies-heats

https://www.triax.com/introduction-to-g-hn-eoc-technology