1 Topic by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,582

Topic: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

We repeatedly see users that install hardware and driver and can not use it - because quite obviously macOS blocks the driver and TotalMix FX. Often even the user knows that this is the case because the expected dialog to 'allow' the driver does not come up at all.

Documented are several ways to solve this:

- manually perform the 'allow' function in the Security & Privacy app. Will only work if the RME driver is shown there.

- reinstall the driver including reboots several times until the dialog comes up

- delete the driver's kernel extension manually prior to reinstalling it.

In seldom cases this all fails and the unit/driver stays blocked. There is a thread about this that includes a lot of details:

https://apple.stackexchange.com/questio … gatekeeper


There should be a way to find out why macOS denies loading the driver. Following is a description of it. Note that we do not have a computer where this mean behavior is happening, so the described method might not work. But it is worth a try. Here we go:


Experienced customers could try to load the driver manually with the command line tool "kextutil" and see what error message they get (ideally the driver is loaded once and available in the future).

If you want to load (or check) KEXT directly from the Library folder, you have to navigate to it within the terminal window using the change directory command: "cd ...", "cd ...", "cd library", "cd extensions" (the first two "..." go from the user directory to the roots directory, from there to the non-Apple drivers).

Then you can check with "ls" that there is a file "RMEFirefaceUSB.kext" in the directory and type "sudo kextutil -v 2 RMEFirefaceUSB.kext" and confirm with your login password (-v 2 sets the info level). If the KEXT was already loaded as on our computers the output is a bit cryptic:

user@User-MBP extensions % sudo kextutil -v 2 rmefirefaceusb.kext

Defaulting to kernel file '/System/Library/Kernels/kernel'
/Library/Extensions/RMEFirefaceUSB.kext appears to be loadable (not including linkage for on-disk libraries).
Loading /Library/Extensions/RMEFirefaceUSB.kext.
Reading load info for 19 kexts.
KextAudit initialized: audit=T
KextAudit didn't find a bridge: audit=F
Created mkext for architecture x86_64 containing 1 kexts.
(kernel) Notice - new kext com.apple.driver.usb.AppleUSBHostPlatformProperties, v1.2 matches prelinked kext but can't determine if executables are the same (no UUIDs).
(kernel) Received request from user space to load kext de.rme-audio.driver.RMEFirefaceUSB.
/Library/Extensions/RMEFirefaceUSB.kext successfully loaded (or already loaded)

If macOS blocks the kernel extension from loading maybe the info why is shown here.

Edit: Final solution to this issue ican be found here: https://forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopic.ph … 41#p152741

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • From: Sydney
  • Registered: 2009-04-17
  • Posts: 6

Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

Mac OS 'welcoming' RME drivers

I've just updated my iMac late 2012 from High Sierra to os Catalina 10.15.4 I had success installing driver 3.37 (after vainly searching for later drivers). I never saw the Privacy/Security 'ALLOW' button - was concerned but then discovered in the extensions log that it had already been allowed. Seems this recent OS version .4 recognises the RME driver.

I can't see 3.39 anywhere on the RME website .

I've been really happy with the Fireface 800 over many years and it now combines with an Apollo Twin (as a Mac OS Aggregate Device) to become a small but powerfuland flexible system....(btw I find TotalMix is much easier to use than the UAD mixer). 

Thanks MC and RME for your great work.

DR

  • Registered: 2020-06-07
  • Posts: 2

Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

I’m sorry Matthias but this is just total crap. Your drivers don’t work.... multiple devices, multiple tries. I got so fed up I bought another interface (Audient) just to get back up and running. Their drivers work fine. No problems.
I have a UFX II that I paid £1650 for 18 months ago and it’s just useless.... I want my money back. Your hardware is lovely.... your drivers are a joke. And don’t blame it on Apple... that doesn’t wash, other companies kit works just fine.

I’ve even done a clean install of Mojave.... still doesn’t work....

4 Reply by Maddcow (edited by Maddcow 2020-06-26 01:46:30)

  • Registered: 2019-11-06
  • Posts: 140

Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

@richandwill, I'm only new to RME (i.e. Dec last year) but I had no problems whatsoever installing UFX+ drivers on two different Catalina partitions of my MacBook Pro....and I had to do this twice because the MacBook Pro was replaced by Apple.  Obviously I don't know what the problem might be in your particular instance with your particular device, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to say "Your drivers don't work" when they obviously DO work for the vast majority of users.

5 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

richandwill wrote:

I’m sorry Matthias but this is just total crap. Your drivers don’t work.... multiple devices, multiple tries. I got so fed up I bought another interface (Audient) just to get back up and running. Their drivers work fine. No problems.
I have a UFX II that I paid £1650 for 18 months ago and it’s just useless.... I want my money back. Your hardware is lovely.... your drivers are a joke. And don’t blame it on Apple... that doesn’t wash, other companies kit works just fine.

I’ve even done a clean install of Mojave.... still doesn’t work....


You didn't reply to my comments in the other thread. I am pretty sure your 'problem' is not what this thread is about. When the unit is known to the system then an update of OS or drivers will not trigger this issue.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2023-07-16
  • Posts: 2

Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

I'm not sure if this has been raised, but I've been having a problem for about 5 days trying to get the RME drivers installed on an M1 Mac mini for my FF800, which was working flawlessly on the M1 Mac mini up until I purchased an external SSD (256GB internal disk running low).

I believe there is a MacOS flaw impacting all currently M1/M2 supported versions which prevents 3rd party Kexts from running when booted from an external drive.  I think this is impacting more vendors than just RME but that booting from external drive is an edge case enough that these users are getting mixed into the security/permissions threads and desperately trying (as I have been) everything that's been posted on the internet even partly related to this.  Eventually this led me to manually launching kexts, using kmiutil, and to the following error:  Error Domain=KMErrorDomain Code=71 "Could not find: Unable to get contents of boot kernel collection collection at /System/Volumes/Preboot/

This led me to an Apple Developer thread: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/679416

After reading this, and realizing I've been spinning my wheels on something for which there is no fix, I wanted to come here (also posted on apple developer and on apple support) and post what I've been doing and what the result has been in the hopes it helps someone else save some time, and perhaps results in a fix from apple in the near future.

I'm copy/pasting part of my response in the apple support thread to save typing:

There is an error with Apple's handing of kexts for 3rd party apps when an Apple Silicon Mac is booted from an external disk. I believe this is causing a lot of turmoil in software/hardware vendor threads where there appears to be no solution and the vendors/developers are unable to resolve some issues.

Here is my configuration:

  • Mac mini M1

  • RME Fireface 800 audio interface

  • 1yr of flawless performance with macOS Monterey and RME M1/M2 drivers (v 3.41 for context).

  • Last week, due to running low on 250GB internal storage, Purchased Samsung 2TB Portable SSD T7 (USB 3.2 Gen2, 10Gbps)

  • Booted to recovery mode, Formatted volume to GUID/AFPS, installed Monterey 12.6.7

  • Rebooted to external SSD

  • Followed extensive installation instructions from RME for their M1/M2 drivers with support for os 11/12/13: https://rme-audio.de/rme-macos.html

  • Driver will not launch, RME Totalmix does not load, RME interface is stuck at RED light on the "Host" indicator

  • launch the kext manually running 'sudo kextutil /Library/Extensions/FirefaceAudioDriver.kext'

  • Get error: Error Domain=KMErrorDomain Code=71 "Could not find: Unable to get contents of boot kernel collection collection at /System/Volumes/Preboot/......

Searching for "KMErrorDomain Code=71", "kext preboot m1 Mac external disk" etc, it is clear this is impacting more 3rd party software than just RME, and there is the above apple developer thread which was originally submitted by a 3rd party developer to address an issue with their software.

I am hoping this can be escalated as a software issue and and prioritized for a fix, the developer thread did not seem to be going anywhere, though there are comments as recent as this week of users looking for an update from apple.

  • Registered: 2023-07-16
  • Posts: 2

Re: Debug macOS driver not loaded Security problem

Also FWIW, regarding my post above, when I boot back to my internal storage, same OS ver, Same RME driver ver, the FF comes up and works flawlessly, as it always has (for almost 20 yrs, thank you very much RME, this is incredible in itself)