how to silently install .dmg in MacOS?

Question

I have a .dmg MacOS package (with 'continue' buttons, EULA etc) that i need to install on multiple computers. Is it a way to do so silently via a bash/python/ruby/etc script just like silent MSI installation in Windows? I can automate installation writing script that will click buttons for me, but that looks kinda unnatural :).

score 18 · Accepted Answer · edited Aug 06 '19 at 00:46

18

to instal a DMG you can do this:

cd ~/Desktop

curl -O http://darwinports.opendarwin.org/downloads/DarwinPorts-1.2-10.4.dmg

hdiutil attach DarwinPorts-1.2-10.4.dmg

cd /Volumes/DarwinPorts-1.2/

sudo installer -pkg DarwinPorts-1.2.pkg -target "/"

hdiutil detach /Volumes/DarwinPorts-1.2/

In a nutshell, this

goes to your Desktop folder
grabs DarwinPorts from the opendarwin site
mounts the dmg
goes to the newly mounted DarwinPorts volume
installs the package, targeted to the root, as the root user
ejects the mounted disc image.

you then can use Automator to do this...

code taken from this page

edited Aug 06 '19 at 00:46

foxtdev

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answered May 28 '09 at 10:01

balexandre

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ahem... could you just comment that you copypasted http://codesnippets.joyent.com/posts/show/322 ? :D – Andor May 28 '09 at 12:34
what's the point? – balexandre May 28 '09 at 13:12
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Giving credit to the original author? – ceejayoz May 28 '09 at 13:57
who tells me that he didn't copied from other ;) – balexandre May 28 '09 at 16:41
what's the point? – Andor May 29 '09 at 09:27
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The source link is dead so what's the point? – Mikael Dúi Bolinder Oct 23 '14 at 13:01

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered May 28 '09 at 09:45

4

If you're administrating multiple Macs, I highly recommend investing in a copy of ARD - I'm sure there is a scripting answer to your question, but I've been using ARD for so long, I'm afraid I don't know it!

answered May 28 '09 at 09:45

avstrallen

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to answer the question, and using ARD, see this link: http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/softwaredistribution.html – balexandre May 28 '09 at 09:52

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered May 28 '09 at 09:50

2

Is that a DMG plus a PKG?

Because DMG, as is, cannot be installed, it just a volume, an image, like an ISO. So probably what you have is a DMG plus a PKG or an installer inside...

If it's a PKG, probably can be installed remotely or silently, but if it's another installer, it can be more tricky, note sure right now...

Remote desktop also, as adamvs says, can deploy packages into your installs...

answered May 28 '09 at 09:50

Andor

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.dmg with a .pkg inside. .pkg can be extracted before install, it's no problems. – grigoryvp May 28 '09 at 10:32
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then: http://codesnippets.joyent.com/posts/show/322 – Andor May 28 '09 at 12:33

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Oct 23 '14 at 12:56

echo "mounting server"
  mount_afp afp://username:password@yourserver
  hdiutil attach /Volumes/yourserver/pathtodmg.dmg
  /usr/sbin/installer -pkg /Volumes/pathtopkgfile.pkg -target / -verboseR
echo "umounting the repository"
  umount /Volumes/yourserver
  status=$?
    if [ $status != 0 ]
    then
        echo "Something went wront unmounting the server... no problem... we'll just remove the directory"
        rmdir /Volumes/yourserver
    fi

I've found this to be really clean way of installing and is almost entirely silent (Except for the initial attach)

how to silently install .dmg in MacOS?

4 Answers4