APFS support enabled in High Sierra for cMP

[Fangio]

... 4,1 flashed to 5,1 Mac Pro with 3 HD spinners and one SSD. ... If I take out the 3 spinner drives and only leave the SSD for a clean install, will High Sierra still convert the 3 HD spinners to the new file system after the High Sierra installation has already completed? What if I have a second SSD with El Capitan on it and I want to use it along with High Sierra, will High Sierra convert this 2nd SSD to new file system or leave it alone?

Similar situation and would like to know the answer too.

I also have a pretty similar system and the short answer is no imho.

Installing HS by running the full 17A365 installer only touched the target SSD. I have two more SSDs in my 4,1/5,1 one running El Cap, and another with Yosemite and Mavericks on two partitions. These weren't converted to APSF.

Granted, I've left my three spinners in place. However I doubt that the HS installer automatically converts anything else than the startup SSD in a cMP.

 

[joot]

^^ OK, thanks. Good to know. I wouldn't want HS to touch anything else besides the boot up SSD.

 

[rawweb]

I also have a pretty similar system and the short answer is no imho.

Installing HS by running the full 17A365 installer only touched the target SSD. I have two more SSDs in my 4,1/5,1 one running El Cap, and another with Yosemite and Mavericks on two partitions. These weren't converted to APSF.

Granted, I've left my three spinners in place. However I doubt that the HS installer automatically converts anything else than the startup SSD in a cMP.

Same here. The public release did not prompt for a conversion of the drive, it simply just made it so along with the firmware update. Other drives were unaffected.

The real crock of High Sierra I realized last night after upgrading my mini server was the new Server software eliminates several functions (time machine, caching etc) from the server software and scatters it into other built in interfaces. Not a fan at all. Time Machine Server was one of the few reasons I had a mini server running...Oh well...

 

[Shad0wLandsUK]

No new firmware if you have the latest one from beta.



1) check if you have a Mac EFI graphic card
2) a theory that firmware cannot be upgraded via a USB drive. This is very possible indeed. In some case, the firmware cannot be updated because of HDD incompatibility (only incompatible to firmware update. The HDD itself works in normal situation).

Since you are now stuck. I suggest you boot into recovery partition. Install Sierra, do the OS upgrade inside Sierra but not a USB drive (I really don’t know why need a USB drive in cMP. Even you want a clean installation, recovery partition or boot from other hard drive is way much easier and safer).

I wanted to wipe the drive at the top level, which is something I do with all my systems.
I had a theory so I tested that out, went to sleep and left it restoring through the day from my Time Capsule.

Well that worked, it let me do the firmware upgrade, from within my Sierra installation, by running the macOS HS app

All updated and ready to go now.
That is not my only machine as my primary machine is my i7 Hackintosh, so this was not a huge issue, as this is my Power house...which I was happy to test on.

Thanks for your tips

P.S. I also made sure I am using an Apple card AMD 5770, and my other machine has the 7950 Mac in. I always use proper Apple cards for this and other installations

 

[nicoSWD]

Success on an Early 2009 Mac Pro (4.1) with the 5.1 firmware update/flash.

Ran the installer, and it asked me to update the firmware. I cancelled, powered off, and replaced my GPU with the standard one that came with my Mac, the GT120.

Booted again and re-ran the installer. It asked me again to update the firmware, which I now accepted. I powered off, and held the power button until the led flashed and it beeped.

It proceeded with the firmware update, which took ~5 minutes (for those who can't see the screen), and then it booted into Sierra. I checked the firmware version to confirm it worked (it's now at MP51.0084.B00) and re-re-ran the installer.

It now installed High Sierra normally, which took about ~40 minutes, probably because it had to update the file system to APFS.

And that's it. No issues so far.

 

[flowrider]

(for those who can't see the screen),

It WONT work with a GPU without a Mac EFI. A boot screen is necessary to perform the FW update.

Lou

 

[brossow]

I've got a 4,1 upgraded to 5,1 that's been bulletproof for several OS versions now. Only things different from stock are an upgraded processor, more RAM and an SSD boot drive. High Sierra has killed it. Firmware update seems to have gone fine - rebooted into 10.12 without issue after the upgrade and was prompted to do the HS update. Started that, walked away, came back an hour later to a kernel panic/reboot loop. Booted into recovery, did a new install (same drive) and same thing. Now restoring a Time Machine backup from just before the HS install to a different drive. Any advice if that doesn't (or does) work?

UPDATE: The Time Machine restore (to another drive) worked, so at least I'm up and running again. Going to hold off on trying HS again, unless someone can point out something I've overlooked.

 

[LightBulbFun]

Not sure if this is because of the new firmware but...

I upgraded the CPUs in My Mac Pro today from dual X5570s to Dual X5677s and I noticed that on first boot the RAM speed was already at 1333Mhz, I was expecting 1066Mhz then do a PRAM reset to get it to show properly...

 

[h9826790]

Not sure if this is because of the new firmware but...

I upgraded the CPUs in My Mac Pro today from dual X5570s to Dual X5677s and I noticed that on first boot the RAM speed was already at 1333Mhz, I was expecting 1066Mhz then do a PRAM reset to get it to show properly...

View attachment 721557

PRAM reset is not necessary required, but just a quick way to fix it. I never need to do that after any CPU, RAM change.

 

[applCore]

I can't get my 2010 firmware to update in one of my scenarios. All of our 2009 systems updated just fine with the fw hack, but this blasted 2010 is being a nightmare both in and out of beta as far as getting the firmware to stick. Note: Failure installing on Mac Pro 2010

 

[Synchro3]

High Sierra also runs fine on Mac Pro on a SSD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

Cloned the High Sierra installation with CCC to an external Hard Disk with Mac OS Extended format, booted the external disk, erased the APFS formatted SSD according to https://www.macobserver.com/tips/deep-dive/macos-sierra-delete-apfs-partition-right-way/ and cloned High Sierra back to the SSD.

Note: It is not possible with the High Sierra harddisk utility to format an SSD to Mac OS Extended format, only APFS is indicated to choose from.

 

[s.m.t.]

any reason not to covert my other SSDs to APFS?

 

[h9826790]

High Sierra also runs fine on Mac Pro on a SSD with Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

Cloned the High Sierra installation with CCC to an external Hard Disk with Mac OS Extended format, booted the external disk, erased the APFS formatted SSD according to https://www.macobserver.com/tips/deep-dive/macos-sierra-delete-apfs-partition-right-way/ and cloned High Sierra back to the SSD.

Note: It is not possible with the High Sierra harddisk utility to format an SSD to Mac OS Extended format, only APFS is indicated to choose from.

High Sierra disk utility can format a APFS SSD back to HFS+

 

[vignesh90]

Just a heads up to update the firmware on a Mac Pro 4,1 or 5,1 you have to install an EFI video card (this is true also if your flashing a 4,1 to a 5,1) if you dont have a EFI video card then it wont update

Thanks for the path ill have to poke around in there.

I have the same issue as Kris. How to check if I have a EFI video card? I'm not able to install High Sierra now

 

[h9826790]

Your GPU should be an Apple 5770, or at least a flashed one. Both can finish the firmware upgrade anyway.

One of the easiest way to determine if that’s a real Apple card is to open up the case and post us the real looking of the card.

Anyway, how you do the OS upgrade? Direct download from AppStore and then run the installer?

 

[jelockwood]

The final version is 17A365
View attachment 721008
Anyway, for others info. The PCI page is fixed for non flashed GPU (even no HDMI audio installed). It's too bad that the HDMI audio work natively during Beta and Apple intentionally took it away.
View attachment 721009

I am particularly hacked off by Apple deliberately breaking the HDMI audio support after the first betas supported this.

Apart from the facts that it has been well proven to work fine in Boot Camp, and even in OS X via a third-party KEXT, and as we have seen worked in the early HS betas, when the next new Mac Pro ships which is supposed to support internal PCIe video cards people will be quite rightly livid if Apple cripple those cards in a brand new model. Since the next new Mac Pro will be running the same OS and the same PCIe video cards as the classic Mac Pro having it working in one means it should work in the other or vice versa.

Since it did work in the early HS betas, is anyone able to spot what the difference is that allowed this? Was it as simple as a change to the relevant Radeon Kext file or a plist inside it? Or would a DisplayOverride file do the job?

 

[flowrider]

I have the same issue as Kris. How to check if I have a EFI video card?

You have an EFI card if you get a boot screen. If not, then no Mac EFI.

Lou

 

[vignesh90]

Your GPU should be an Apple 5770, or at least a flashed one. Both can finish the firmware upgrade anyway.

One of the easiest way to determine if that’s a real Apple card is to open up the case and post us the real looking of the card.

Anyway, how you do the OS upgrade? Direct download from AppStore and then run the installer?

Attached some pictures. Is this the one?

Yes, I tried a direct download from App Store and run the installer.

[doublepost=1506762658][/doublepost]

You have an EFI card if you get a boot screen. If not, then no Mac EFI.

Lou

I do get a boot screen. From what I've read on this thread, the upgrade should work for an EFI card. But it doesn't

 

[h9826790]

Attached some pictures. Is this the one?

Yes, I tried a direct download from App Store and run the installer.View attachment 722340 View attachment 722341
[doublepost=1506762658][/doublepost]

I do get a boot screen. From what I've read on this thread, the upgrade should work for an EFI card. But it doesn't

Yes, this is a Apple 5770.

If you can't finish the firmware upgrade. You may try the following in order

1) PRAM reset
2) boot from another HDD / SSD
3) remove all other HDD / SSD
4) delete and download the HS installer again from Appstore
5) Disable SIP (I don't think it really affect anything, but worth to try)

 

[H2SO4]

Yes, this is a Apple 5770.

If you can't finish the firmware upgrade. You may try the following in order

1) PRAM reset
2) boot from another HDD / SSD
3) remove all other HDD / SSD
4) delete and download the HS installer again from Appstore
5) Disable SIP (I don't think it really affect anything, but worth to try)

Is it worth trying the firmware upgrade first, (assuming it's available as a separate installer)?
This is the latest page I could find that links to it. Strangely it's a 2010 article but with a very up to date image.

EDIT : Forgot to put the link in.

 

[h9826790]

Is it worth trying the firmware upgrade first, (assuming it's available as a separate installer)?
This is the latest page I could find. Strangely it's a 2010 article but with a very up to date image.

If there is a separate firmware updater, I totally agree we should go for this one first.

 

[H2SO4]

If there is a separate firmware updater, I totally agree we should go for this one first.

Ok, so I went for it and........

You don't really need the separate firmware updater. Download HS, run the package and it'll ask you to power down and restart.
You do this by holding the power button until the power light flashes or you get a long bleep, mine did both. (Before doing so though, I removed all non apple hardware which also meant popping the SSD into a SATA bay). It'll restart with the new firmware back into the original OS and of course from that point you have the option to stay with 10.XX
Incidentally when I continued to 10.13, it failed 3 times, I restarted and it failed again. I put Rootless back to how it should be and again, fail.

I downloaded a fresh HS package and it worked.

 

[vignesh90]

Yes, this is a Apple 5770.

If you can't finish the firmware upgrade. You may try the following in order

1) PRAM reset
2) boot from another HDD / SSD
3) remove all other HDD / SSD
4) delete and download the HS installer again from Appstore
5) Disable SIP (I don't think it really affect anything, but worth to try)

This worked. Thanks a ton! Didn't have to disable the SIP

 

[richardw]

Success on an Early 2009 Mac Pro (4.1) with the 5.1 firmware update/flash.

Ran the installer, and it asked me to update the firmware. I cancelled, powered off, and replaced my GPU with the standard one that came with my Mac, the GT120.

Booted again and re-ran the installer. It asked me again to update the firmware, which I now accepted. I powered off, and held the power button until the led flashed and it beeped.

It proceeded with the firmware update, which took ~5 minutes (for those who can't see the screen), and then it booted into Sierra. I checked the firmware version to confirm it worked (it's now at MP51.0084.B00) and re-re-ran the installer.

It now installed High Sierra normally, which took about ~40 minutes, probably because it had to update the file system to APFS.

And that's it. No issues so far.

This is good to know. I've just picked up a 4.1 that I'm hoping to get to the same state as you.

Am I correct to assume your boot drive is an SSD? And that APFS only applies with an SSD (I'm literally getting up to speed with this from nothing today).

Also I'm currently on El Capitan. Is it still possible or necessary to move to Sierra before High Sierra?

 

[h9826790]

This is good to know. I've just picked up a 4.1 that I'm hoping to get to the same state as you.

Am I correct to assume your boot drive is an SSD? And that APFS only applies with an SSD (I'm literally getting up to speed with this from nothing today).

Also I'm currently on El Capitan. Is it still possible or necessary to move to Sierra before High Sierra?

Depends on if you have the Sierra Installer. If yes, you can (but not necessary) to install Sierra. If not, it may be a bit hard to get a trustable legal copy of the installer.

In any case, after firmware upgrade, you can install Sierra or High Sierra as you wish.