Parallels Desktop Business Edition | IT Administrator's Guide | v17

Deploying macOS image using NetBoot

If you are using NetBoot to deploy a macOS image with Parallels Desktop Business Edition preinstalled, some additional steps need to be taken to properly activate a copy of Parallels Desktop on individual Macs.

The following steps describe the process of installing Parallels Desktop and creating an image from it suitable for NetBoot deployment:

1. Install macOS on a Mac.
2. Install Parallels Desktop Business Edition.
3. Make sure your Mac can connect to the Internet.
4. Activate Parallels Desktop using your Business Edition license key.
5. Tune Parallels Desktop settings and add or create virtual machines according to your needs.
6. Open Terminal and deactivate the Parallels Desktop license by typing the following command:

   prlsrvctl deactivate-license

   On successful license deactivation, you should see the following output:

   The License has been successfully deactivated

7. Quit Parallels Desktop.
8. In Terminal, type the following command to prepare Parallels Desktop to activate a license in deferred mode:

   prlsrvctl install-license --key <key> --deferred

   where <key> is the Parallels Desktop Business Edition license key.

   On success, you should see the following output:

   The License has been successfully prepared for deferred installation.

   This means that the next time Parallels Desktop starts, it will try to activate the license automatically. The Internet connection is required for activation. If a Mac can't connect to the Internet, the Parallels Desktop license activation will be postponed until the Internet connection is available.

You can now create a macOS image from this system and deploy it to other Macs in your enterprise using NetBoot.