MP 7,1 Mac Pro 2019 NVME RAID drives failing to mount

[profdraper]

Same here, I'm so disappointed.
I'm considering to abandon MacOS and switch to Windows 11.
The stability, cpu and gpu performance is so much better under the Win11.
Microsoft also updated the UI and it is on par with MacOS now IMO.
The drivers are regularly updated, not like apple abusive strategy to just ditch the MacIntel users.
They sold MP7.1 in 2023 so there should be bug fixes and new amd drivers for pro users for many years.

I refuse to buy MacStudio, the next workstation will be PC under Win11 sadly.
In MacStudio everything is soldered and can't be upgraded and MP8.1 just doesn't make any sense...
I understand this approach for portable devices but for workstations?
God damn it Apple... they've become so aggressive and so greedy, beyond imagination...
I won’t even start about the right to repair…

Yeah, a real waste of time. Just yesterday I went though all that again for no good reason: working on the latest edits of a film in DaVinci Resolve Studio, in this case Resolve using a Sonnet 4/M2a as fast cache RAID 0. Not there & of course, results in endles errors from Resolve not being able to find files etc ... and don't get me started on Apple's poor support of personal files as in Photos (eg, loses My Libraries all the time); & now there's the latest auto-updating to Sonoma without permission ruckus, https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ventura-magically-updated-to-sonoma.2416284/

Totally agree about Win 11 (in fact, specifically Windows 11 for Workstations). The *only* downside is in pro audio & the lack of Apple's aggregate audio features & unfortunatley I tend to rely on for multi-audio devices & OTB audio mastering. Even here however, there are still soe bugs with that in Sonoma that are not present in Monterey.

In any case, FWIW: the *only* thing that works for me to mount that drive: NMC reset immediately followed by a zap-the-PRAM. Or booting into Monterey.

 

[bcomer]

Could it be a drive firmware thing?

I doubt it - any SSDs I insert into slots six and seven seem to always mount fine.

 

[profdraper]

It was expensive and underpowered, but the Apple Macintosh still changed the world | John Naughton

After its hyperbolic, Ridley Scott-directed launch 40 years ago, Apple’s all-in-one computer was a commercial flop. And yet its impact is still being felt

www.theguardian.com

The Mac has always been a closed system with which one tinkers at one’s peril. The PC, oddly enough, has always been relatively open. This led Umberto Eco, in a memorable essay, to argue that the Macintosh is Catholic and the PC is Protestant. The church of Mac “tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach – if not the kingdom of heaven – the moment in which their document is printed”. The PC, in contrast, “is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can reach salvation”.

 

[bax2023]

Could it be a drive firmware thing?

99.9999% no, lots of combos have issues. Different drives and PCIe adapters/controllers.

 

[Daily PRAM Resets]

It is definately, 100% an Apple-induced Mac OS software bug.

Everyone seeing any SSDs mysteriously dissapear upon reboot in Sonoma should raise a support ticket. Apple isn't paying anyone to browse the web looking at forums like this to pick up on any of their crap coding mistakes.

 

[H2SO4]

I doubt it - any SSDs I insert into slots six and seven seem to always mount fine.

Ok that is interesting.

99.9999% no, lots of combos have issues. Different drives and PCIe adapters/controllers.

I'm not sure we'll get this fixed any time soon.

 

[geruil]

English version below (google translate).

Bonjour,

Je découvre cette discussion. Je suis dans le même cas.

Ma situation et mes tests :
-Mac Pro 2019.
-Sonnettech m.2 4x4.
-OWC Accelsior 1M2.
-Crucial P3 de 2To (kernel panic avec raid ou non).
-Samsung 990 PRO de 2To (montage aléatoire avec raid ou non).

En attendant, j’utilise la Sonnettech m.2 4x4 avec les Samsung 990 PRO de 2To en thunderbolt (Razer Core X).
La seule solution, à mon avis, est d’acheter une carte raid hardware comme https://www.areca.com.tw/products/nvme-1686-nod.html. Le Mac Pro verra la carte controller et non les disques m2. De plus, les drivers proviennent du fabriquant et non d’Apple.

Je viens de commander une ARC-1686-2NOD.

Je vous tiens au courant.

Microsoft Windows n’est pas une solution envisageable pour moi.

Bonne journée,

Gervais
-----

Good morning,

I discovered this discussion. I am in the same situation.

My situation and my tests:
-Mac Pro 2019.
-Sonnetech m.2 4x4.
-OWC Accelsior 1M2.
-Crucial P3 of 2TB (kernel panic with raid or not).
-Samsung 990 PRO 2TB (random assembly with raid or not).

In the meantime, I'm using the Sonnettech m.2 4x4 with the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO in thunderbolt (Razer Core X).

The only solution, in my opinion, is to buy a hardware raid card like https://www.areca.com.tw/products/nvme-1686-nod.html.
The Mac Pro will see the controller card and not the m2 disks. In addition, the drivers come from the manufacturer and not from Apple.

I just ordered an ARC-1686-2NOD.

I'll keep you informed.

Microsoft Windows is not an option for me.

Good day,

Gervais

 

[H2SO4]

English version below (google translate).

Bonjour,

Je découvre cette discussion. Je suis dans le même cas.

Ma situation et mes tests :
-Mac Pro 2019.
-Sonnettech m.2 4x4.
-OWC Accelsior 1M2.
-Crucial P3 de 2To (kernel panic avec raid ou non).
-Samsung 990 PRO de 2To (montage aléatoire avec raid ou non).

En attendant, j’utilise la Sonnettech m.2 4x4 avec les Samsung 990 PRO de 2To en thunderbolt (Razer Core X).
La seule solution, à mon avis, est d’acheter une carte raid hardware comme https://www.areca.com.tw/products/nvme-1686-nod.html. Le Mac Pro verra la carte controller et non les disques m2. De plus, les drivers proviennent du fabriquant et non d’Apple.

Je viens de commander une ARC-1686-2NOD.

Je vous tiens au courant.

Microsoft Windows n’est pas une solution envisageable pour moi.

Bonne journée,

Gervais
-----

Good morning,

I discovered this discussion. I am in the same situation.

My situation and my tests:
-Mac Pro 2019.
-Sonnetech m.2 4x4.
-OWC Accelsior 1M2.
-Crucial P3 of 2TB (kernel panic with raid or not).
-Samsung 990 PRO 2TB (random assembly with raid or not).

In the meantime, I'm using the Sonnettech m.2 4x4 with the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO in thunderbolt (Razer Core X).

The only solution, in my opinion, is to buy a hardware raid card like https://www.areca.com.tw/products/nvme-1686-nod.html.
The Mac Pro will see the controller card and not the m2 disks. In addition, the drivers come from the manufacturer and not from Apple.

I just ordered an ARC-1686-2NOD.

I'll keep you informed.

Microsoft Windows is not an option for me.

Good day,

Gervais

Looks like an even better option than my Sonnet. Expensive though.

 

[nopster]

Hello to everybody, after some days of testing, I believe that upgrading to Sonoma 14.3, removing (as I said in my previous post) the Sonnet card for SSD 2.5 that was empty (without hdds) and removing the Sonnet card for HD NVME, after reinserting this last one on SLOT 5, everything seems ok, the HD remaining mounted.
I really don't know if this can solve the problem, previously and randomly the HDD on the Sonnet Card unmount after some minute from logging in.

 

[davidec]

Hi all this thread has gone quiet, are the rest of us keen to upgrade Monterey > Sonoma let to believe that will be ok with mounting 4 OWC NVME Blades as part of a unified RAID drive on latest Sonoma 14.3.1?

 

[Daily PRAM Resets]

Hi all this thread has gone quiet, are the rest of us keen to upgrade Monterey > Sonoma let to believe that will be ok with mounting 4 OWC NVME Blades as part of a unified RAID drive on latest Sonoma 14.3.1?

You couldn't make me do this with a gun pointed to my head! Sonoma's bugs around drive mounting definitely are not sorted out, but your mileage may vary. Just be sure to have everything backed up and you know how to downgrade from Sonoma to Monterey or Ventura.

 

[bax2023]

Hi all this thread has gone quiet, are the rest of us keen to upgrade Monterey > Sonoma let to believe that will be ok with mounting 4 OWC NVME Blades as part of a unified RAID drive on latest Sonoma 14.3.1?

Its very clear that solution is up to Apple, not us, so there is no mutch to talk about regarding this topic. I've installed Ventura 13.6.4 with all kinds of external drives (PCIe to SATA, PCIe to NVME (x1 and x4), PCIe to U.2, SFF-8643 to SFF-8639) and not one had mount failure or forced eject.

 

[profdraper]

You couldn't make me do this with a gun pointed to my head! Sonoma's bugs around drive mounting definitely are not sorted out, but your mileage may vary. Just be sure to have everything backed up and you know how to downgrade from Sonoma to Monterey or Ventura.

I tend to agree. Just keep Monterey on an alternate boot disk; use CarbonCopyCloner etc.

FWIW however, I did install the 14.3.1 update on my Sonoma volume, and, so far the mounting issue has been fine & has not yet returned after a half dozen boots or so ... 'could' be fixed in this update? Others may want to verify.

 

[cobra521]

prof,

Sorry. Been using Sonoma 14.3.1 for a week or so now - at first it seemed OK but as the days go by it has reverted to the same old same old; only about 1/2 my NVME SSDs are now showing up after a cold boot.

Sigh,

Tom

 

[Derived]

Just chiming in here...my 7,1 while running Sonoma had the same issue with my OWC 4M2 4x1tb array, disappears every few reboots and sometimes takes a couple more to get it back. I've downgraded to Ventura for other reasons, so far haven't seen the same issue. Very, very sad to see what Apple has become over the last few years. Luckily I will (hopefully) be using largely Linux on this machine so I won't have to worry about their issues much longer.

 

[davidec]

You couldn't make me do this with a gun pointed to my head!

Wow, that is some strong vitriol! Thanks very much for the responses here. I will hold off, not sure our highly pressurised music studios would like missing drives - that excuse might not fly with clients.

Just adding that my motivation was my M3 Max on Sonoma is solid whereas in my experience Monterey has been one of the most unstable OS' of late.

 

[lomahs]

Previously, the mac pro 7.1 was booted from an SSD on a normal PCIe card (no raid). Under Sonoma 14.3.1 the boot process failed sometimes according to an unrecognizable pattern. The above mentioned SSD was not recognized. After several reboots, the boot process worked again and everything worked flawlessly. No SSD disappeared during operation.

Since installing an original 1TB kit, the Mac boots reliably from it. However, if an SSD that is installed on the above-mentioned card is not recognized during the boot process, the progress bar stops "in the same place" for a longer period of time. This behavior is reproducible.

It requires an unpredictable number of reboots until the SSD is displayed on the desktop again. When the SSD is recognized, the progress bar runs through without delay.


Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

 

[profdraper]

prof,

Sorry. Been using Sonoma 14.3.1 for a week or so now - at first it seemed OK but as the days go by it has reverted to the same old same old; only about 1/2 my NVME SSDs are now showing up after a cold boot.

Sigh,

Tom

Damn ...

 

[profdraper]

Wow, that is some strong vitriol! Thanks very much for the responses here. I will hold off, not sure our highly pressurised music studios would like missing drives - that excuse might not fly with clients.

Just adding that my motivation was my M3 Max on Sonoma is solid whereas in my experience Monterey has been one of the most unstable OS' of late.

Well certainly NOT on a MP 7,1 & which many recording studios are still using for obvious reasons.

 

[avro707]

I really don't know if this can solve the problem, previously and randomly the HDD on the Sonnet Card unmount after some minute from logging in.

My Sonnet 4x4 silent card still does this even on 14.4 Sonoma. It’s very annoying.

It gives me “disk not ejected properly” messages.

I have Windows 11 pro for workstations I can use if needed. It’s a lot more stable and faster.

 

[avro707]

I'm on 14.4 Beta (23E5205c) for a few days now and haven't noticed any of these errors.

Has anyone else seen any improvement? I'm still using MacOS primarily but havent't had any of those disk not ejected properly messages since that update.

 

[H2SO4]

I'm on 14.4 Beta (23E5205c) for a few days now and haven't noticed any of these errors.

Has anyone else seen any improvement? I'm still using MacOS primarily but havent't had any of those disk not ejected properly messages since that update.

That's obvs a different beta from your previous post?

 

[avro707]

That's obvs a different beta from your previous post?

Yes it is, 14.4 beta 4 if I remember correctly. I updated after the other post.

 

[H2SO4]

Yes it is, 14.4 beta 4 if I remember correctly. I updated after the other post.

Well that's positive news, pls keep us posted.

 

[avro707]

Well, so far no further instances of that error using 14.4 beta 4.