hoakley October 26, 2021 Macs, Technology, Updates

Monterey 12.0.1, Big Sur 11.6.1 and Catalina Security Update 2021-007: a summary

If you haven’t yet installed any of the updates and upgrades released by Apple on 25 October 2021, here’s a quick summary and some matters arising.

Monterey 12.0.1

If you’ve just got one of the new M1 Pro or M1 Max MacBook Pros, Apple strongly recommends that you install this update as soon as possible. It fixes several significant issues in the otherwise-unreleased Monterey 12.0 which comes pre-installed on the first shipments of these new Macs.

If your Mac is currently running Big Sur, then I strongly recommend that you upgrade to Monterey soon. Big Sur hasn’t had any non-security bug fixes since 11.5.2, which was released on 11 August, over two months ago. Many of those bug fixes are included in Monterey, as are all the latest security updates.

Upgrading from earlier versions of macOS will inevitably be more traumatic, and there’s a greater risk of things going wrong. However, I still believe that if you can break free from 32-bit apps and Mojave (or earlier), the new Sealed System Volume and other structural features in Monterey are well worth the effort of upgrading.

There is, though, one warning of a potential problem when upgrading to Big Sur or Monterey from High Sierra, Mojave or Catalina. In some rare circumstances (presumably a bug in the older macOS) exceedingly large numbers of files in one of the working directories in /private/var/folders could cause the upgrade to fail completely. Mr Macintosh has full details of how to deal with this, and the quick test he recommends is running
sudo find /private/var/folders/*/*/C/com.apple.metadata.mdworker -type d | wc -l
in Terminal to check whether that returns a number greater than about 20,000. If it does, then follow the instructions he provides for dealing with this issue before you try to upgrade.

There are inevitably plenty of horror stories already about upgrades that went badly wrong. What you never hear about are the vast majority which complete without glitch or hitch. If you do experience any problems, the first thing to do is restart your Mac. If that doesn’t clear the problem, then try starting up in Safe Mode, leaving your Mac a couple of minutes, then starting back in regular mode. Further suggestions are given in this article.

One trick which is of little use now is performing a clean re-install. This is because every bootable installation of Monterey (and Big Sur) is perfect throughout its System volume. Before Big Sur introduced the Sealed System Volume, it was easy for parts of the new system to have minor errors which could make a clean re-install a useful tool. Now, when the System has been installed, its integrity is checked and validated thoroughly by the hashes which build up to the Seal at the top – and that has to match the hash set by Apple for that version of macOS, or your Mac won’t boot from it.

All Macs on which Monterey is supported have firmware updates. These are now checked correctly by SilentKnight, and listed in this article.

Not all of Monterey’s many features are available on all supported Macs. This article gives a detailed breakdown if you’re unsure as to what your Mac should be able to use.

Monterey 12.0.1 comes in two basic installers:

an update from 12.0 for new MacBook Pro models, available through Software Update
a full installer, which is readily obtained from the App Store, then delivered through Software Update.

There’s no standalone updater, following the pattern established in Big Sur.

Apple’s list of security fixes included in Monterey 12.0.1 is here, and includes more than 35 items, with several vulnerabilities in WebKit and three kernel bugs.

After upgrading or updating to 12.0.1, your Mac should also receive an update to Core Services Application Configuration Data, which is tiny at 24 KB. This may not appear in Software Update, but is easily obtained through SilentKnight or LockRattler. There is also an accompanying Rosetta 2 update for M1 models.

Big Sur 11.6.1

This is the second security update for Big Sur, now that it has entered the first of its two years of security maintenance only. It therefore contains no other significant bug fixes. It’s available in two forms:

an update available through Software Update
a full installer, which is listed by Mr Macintosh and others.

There’s no standalone updater.

Apple’s list of security fixes included in this update is here, and includes vulnerabilities in AppleScript, iCloud, zsh, and two kernel bugs.

Most if not all Macs on which Big Sur is supported have firmware updates, which are checked correctly by SilentKnight and listed in this article.

Catalina Security Update 2021-007

This continues the series of security updates, and is available through Software Update, or as a standalone installer package from here.

Apple’s list of security fixes included in this update is here, and includes vulnerabilities in AppleScript, zsh, and two kernel bugs.

Many of the Macs on which Catalina is supported have firmware updates, which are checked correctly by SilentKnight and listed in this article.

60Comments

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1

Digious Solutions on October 26, 2021 at 7:02 pm

Thanks for letting us know. Appreciate your hardwork. Keep posting.

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- 2
  
  hoakley on October 26, 2021 at 7:18 pm
  
  Thank you.
  Howard.
  
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3

Dave Axler on October 26, 2021 at 8:43 pm

You say “All Macs on which Monterey is supported have firmware updates. These are now checked correctly by SilentKnight, and listed in this article.”

I’m running Mojave on a Late 2013 Mac Pro (MacPro6,1).

As of today, Silent Knight reports “EFI version found 428.140.7.0.0; expected 429.40.7.0.1”

This is a Monterey-capable Mac, as evidenced by the fact that Monterey now appears in the Software Update tab of System Preferences.

However, Apple has not yet released a Security Update for Mojave which installs the new EFI software that Silent Knight is reporting as expected.

Of course, such an update may appear in the near future. But, at the moment, you may want to fine-tune SK’s reporting algorithm.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 4
  
  hoakley on October 26, 2021 at 8:50 pm
  
  Thank you.
  Apple stopped supporting Mojave some months ago. You will not get a firmware update unless you update your Mac to Catalina at least. The firmware it has installed is now out of date, as is correctly reported by SilentKnight. You can of course choose to continue to run an unsupported version of macOS and its firmware, but SilentKnight will continue to report it as no longer being current, which is correct. I’m sorry – I don’t make the rules.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  - 5
    
    Dave Axler on October 28, 2021 at 4:37 am
    
    I’m aware of the Mojave support termination, and am working hard to move to Catalina or later.
    
    And I agree that (a) you don’t make the rules, and (b) that what SilentKnight is reporting is accurate.
    
    My quibble — and it’s nothing more than that — is that SK’s statement “Need to update EFI firmware.” seemed to be contradicted by it also stating “no updates.”
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 6
      
      hoakley on October 28, 2021 at 11:29 am
      
      Thank you. I’ll be releasing a new version soon which is a bit more lenient on those still using Mojave.
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
7

Aaron Shepard on October 26, 2021 at 11:06 pm

I have that problem with private/var/folders in High Sierra, with over 300,000 items. But I noticed that the same directory in my Time Machine backup is a fourth of the size, with only 124 items. I assume these are the items Apple considers worthwhile to keep, even if not essential. What if I just make all hidden files and folders visible and restore that one directory from the backup?

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 8
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 8:09 am
  
  I wouldn’t keep any of those: they’re temporary files created by an mdworker process when it’s indexing a volume. In more recent versions of macOS, their number should be zero. I suspect there’s an old bug which didn’t clear them up properly and let them accumulate to such high numbers instead of deleting them.
  Howard.
  
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9

antbee on October 27, 2021 at 4:57 am

Thank you, Howard. As usual, I have come to your site, first, before doing the update, as I know you will have any/all/most of the pertinent information needed in order to have a successful update.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 10
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 8:10 am
  
  Thank you.
  I wish you a swift and painfree upgrade. I’ve now upgraded all my four working Macs.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  - 11
    
    antbee on October 27, 2021 at 11:39 am
    
    Thank you, again, Howard! I did have a swift and painfree upgrade! It went a lot faster than I had been led to believe it would. I guess waiting a couple of days after the release helped, since the servers were not being overtaxed… 🙂 I did the Big Sur Security Update first, as you had suggested we do in one of your earlier posts, then I restarted my computer, although it restarted itself about five times during the 11.6.1 update, and then I did the Monterey update. That update, although 12 gigs , seemed to go a lot faster. Perhaps it was because I didn’t sit here and watch it, but would look at it from time-to-time, just to be aware of what was going on. I’d say the Monterey update took a little less than an hour from start to finish. I restarted my computer, again, and then ran Permscan18 on a few folders. Oh, and I ran Silentknight116 before doing the Monterey update, just to make sure I was all set after the last Big Sur update.
    Thank you, again, and have a great day, Howard!
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 12
      
      hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 1:32 pm
      
      Wonderful!
      Thank you,
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
13

EcleX on October 27, 2021 at 10:33 am

Thanks. I updated yesterday iMac18,3 (mid 2017) from 11.6 (20G165) to 11.6.1 (20G224) but problems arose (good ending that I report here, in case it could be useful to someone):

1. The installation process got stuck after several reboots, at about 75% (fans with high activity with 25 degrees ambient temperature). After waiting for about 45 min, I forced shut down (pressing the power button) and crossed my fingers…

2. The update continued automatically and after several reboots (and moments in which it seemed stuck again; but luckily I did not forced shut down the Mac then!!!), the installation finished and the Mac Desktop was shown. What a relief!!!

3. After leaving the Mac idle for about half an hour until MenuMeters showed not activity, I shut down the Mac overnight and this morning I used Recovery Mode (Command R while cold booting). Disk Utility’s First Aid (after selecting View – Show All Devices) showed (data volume, then system volume, then container, then disk; repeating each one until no error was found):

Repairing file system.
Performing fsck_apfs -y -x /dev/rdisk355.
Restoring the original state found as mounted.

and

Warning: Unable to read apfs keylocker ranges: No such file or directory.

Eventually, all was fixed. What a relief again!!! I wonder why the stalled update happened:

• Was it because at the time of Mac rebooting for the installation it happened that Time Machine was in the middle of backing up the booting disk into an external SSD?

• Was it because the booting disk had some problem that could have been fixed if I had run Disk Utility’s First Aid before updating macOS?

In the old days with HFS+ disks, I used to rebuild the disk directory with DiskWarrior before updating or upgrading the macOS booting disk, but the latest 5.2 version does not work with APFS. So, we are left with Disk Utility’s First Aid only.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 14
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 11:21 am
  
  I’m sorry to hear of your problems.
  First, as your Mac is already on 11.6, why not upgrade to Monterey as I’ve advised? Latest analysis of those security updates reveals that 11.6.1 leaves several vulnerabilities unpatched, although they’re fixed on 12.0.1. You also miss out on over two months of bug fixes, which have been made in 12.0.1 and will never be made in Big Sur.
  Second, did you see any errors reported in the fsck? What you have quoted there is a warning, not an error, and could result from a lot of things.
  Which type of backup was TM using at the time – HFS+ or APFS? Although in both cases, the restart to install the updated macOS shouldn’t have left the file system in an unstable state.
  I used to run First Aid routinely on my boot disk before installing macOS updates/upgrades when I was using HFS+. I don’t any more, as they have proved a waste of time with APFS. However, you had a forced shutdown in the middle of your update, and there’s no telling what state the file system was in at the time, so that is the most likely explanation here.
  As I have explained repeatedly to you, HFS+ is a file system which is inherently prone to file system errors. APFS is not, and is designed to be robust like other modern file systems. What evidence have you that any rebuilding of directories (if that is even a meaningful thing to do) in APFS would make the slightest bit of difference? And didn’t you just report that Disk Utility fixed any problems which arose? So why do you continually write that you want a third-party tool to do something which may not even be possible?
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
15

EcleX on October 27, 2021 at 11:42 am

First of all, many thanks for your awesome site and support. Comments:

1. You are right, but since it is a production Mac, I want to make sure that applications like Word and EndNote (among others) work as expected. So far, I have no reply from their developers. My intention is to upgrade once macOS 12.2 or 12.3 is released (probably, by Chrismas or January 2022). Remember the serious data loss with Apple Mail in macOS 10.15 Catalina… You know, pioneers get the arrows…

2. No other warnings and no errors shown by First Aid, besides the reported ones above.

3. I have all set as APFS. The backup was from the internal booting SSD into Samsung Portable SSD T5. Both are 2 TB SSD and it usually takes just a a couple of minutes or so to backup, but by chance it was triggered while the macOS update was working and then restarting the Mac in the middle of the backup.

4. They were just questions. I just wonder why the update was stuck. What do you think? Could it have been prevented? If so, how? In this case, all was eventually fixed, but this kind of issues could have catastrophic consequences (losing all data), even with APFS.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 16
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 1:39 pm
  
  1. Mail bugs are a good example. AFAIK from Michael Tsai’s expert insights, the bugs still aren’t fixed in Big Sur. Now they never will be, except in Monterey, which is where Apple is making a big effort to fix bugs like those. Wait until 12.2 or 12.3? By that time, you’ll be nearly six months without any bug fixes, or complete security updates. Pioneers getting the arrows? Hardly – because Monterey is consolidation and fixing, above all else, not deep internal changes.
  2. So, there were no file system errors. Which proves my point: how would HFS+ have coped?
  4. I don’t know why your update stuck. Some do stick. Updates now are very complex, and on the whole extremely reliable. However, I think you may have missed an important point: in these new updates, your Data volume is unmounted during much of installation. The worst case is that, at the end of a failed update, you have to reinstall macOS in Recovery, which will then reunite with your Data volume, and no data loss will occur. Particularly with APFS.
  Isn’t the Sealed System Volume wonderful after all?
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
17

EcleX on October 27, 2021 at 5:24 pm

Thanks. Do you mean that I should reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode, even with First Aid reporting no issues?

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 18
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 7:13 pm
  
  No. What I wrote was: “The worst case is that, at the end of a failed update, you have to reinstall macOS in Recovery, which will then reunite with your Data volume, and no data loss will occur.”
  You previously suggested that this type of problem could result in “losing all data”. I was explaining that even if the update failed totally, because of the Sealed System Volume and the fact that the update installer unmounts the Data volume, that wasn’t the case now. The worst that can happen is that the failed update trashes the System volume, which you can then rectify by booting into Recovery and re-installing macOS, which will unite the new System volume with your Data volume, and there will be no loss of data at all.
  That’s the new worst case.
  Howard.
  
  LikeLike
  - 19
    
    EcleX on October 27, 2021 at 7:42 pm
    
    Thanks. BTW, on the other side, I have noticed that since updating to macOS 11.6.1 (20G224) Big Sur the iMac display shows colors in a different way, like more intense. I wonder if that is expected or normal.
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 20
      
      hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 8:10 pm
      
      Thank you.
      Although I haven’t examined it (and won’t be), Big Sur 11.6.1 doesn’t contain any bug fixes or improvements other than the listed security fixes. Maybe it has altered some of your display settings? Or perhaps you’re just drinking strong coffee 🙂
      Howard.
      
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    - 21
      
      EcleX on October 27, 2021 at 10:00 pm
      
      I have not changed any display setting. Really, the display is now much bright, even with “Apple – System Preferences – Displays – Display – Brightness” near zero (as was before updating). I am using Dark Mode as well as before updating, and now whites are now too bright. So bright that hurts the eyes… I wonder if it could be caused by the halted update issue, and in such case how to fix it.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 22
      
      hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 10:07 pm
      
      Well, you can try resetting the SMC and zapping the NVRAM. Other than that, it’s a matter of contacting Apple Support, I fear.
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
    - 23
      
      EcleX on November 1, 2021 at 3:00 pm
      
      Thanks. Good news. None of that fixed the issue. But I have found the culprit: somehow, the upgrade turned off “Apple – System Preferences – Displays – Night Shift”, which I had previously set as custom manual with maximum color temperature (warm). Setting that again fixed the issue. Curiously, the problem arose on some Macs, but not on others, after the update. Weird!
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 24
      
      hoakley on November 1, 2021 at 8:02 pm
      
      Well done. Why do you use Night Shift? It’s folklore, and there’s no science to support it at all.
      Howard.
      
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    - 25
      
      EcleX on November 1, 2021 at 9:45 pm
      
      Well, there are scientific reports supporting it. For instance (just an example; not an exhaustive review):
      
      Blue light excited retinal intercepts cellular signaling
      https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-28254-8
      
      Daily blue-light exposure shortens lifespan and causes brain neurodegeneration in Drosophila
      https://doi.org/10.1038/s41514-019-0038-6
      
      Cones Support Alignment to an Inconsistent World by Suppressing Mouse Circadian Responses to the
      Blue Colors Associated with Twilight https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.028
      
      Blue light from electronic devices may be an important factor for vitreous floaters
      https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109698
      
      In any case, whites become too bright without it in my iMac which already is set with Dark Mode. The first time that you set Night Shift, you notice it a lot and do not like it very much. But after a few hours or days you do not notice it, and if it goes away for some reason, you notice a too-bright light flash in your eyes, and do not like it. The same with Dark Mode. Now I love both and my eyes are less stressed with a large 27-inch retina display.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 26
      
      hoakley on November 1, 2021 at 11:14 pm
      
      Thank you.
      I’m amazed at your list of references:
      – the first paper is a study on HeLa cell cultures, not even a living organism
      – the second is about fruit flies, which have completely different eyes and lack anything like a mammalian brain, and are you seriously claiming that, like fruit flies, blue light shortens human lifespan?
      – the third paper is about mice, which have completely different circadian rhythms and neuroendocrinology
      – the fourth paper is, quite frankly, speculative crap and not science at all.
      If you’d care to look at the studies which have been performed on humans, by reputable scientists, you’ll discover that there is absolutely zero evidence of any beneficial effect. Even Apple couches its claims in vague and uncertain terms, to avoid embarrassment at the response from those who know this field.
      I use Dark Mode pretty well all the time, except when taking screenshots, but that’s a personal preference and has no claim that it is better for my health.
      Howard.
      
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    - 27
      
      EcleX on November 2, 2021 at 9:45 am
      
      Thanks. Those are scientific evidences, published in top peer-reviewed journals. They include humans. Time will tell if they hold. If you know other evidence in humans, where has been published?
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 28
      
      hoakley on November 2, 2021 at 10:06 am
      
      Thank you.
      Do you understand what those four papers are actually about? While each of discusses potential implications for humans, not one of them “includes humans” in the research which they report, do they? Indeed, the last of those is published in a journal named “Medical Hypotheses”, and isn’t even about the postulated effects of blue light on sleep or circadian rhythms, but about the generation of floaters, which is something totally different. It’s also by its own admission “a preliminary survey”.
      No, I don’t accumulate the literature on this vogue myth. But there are several excellent studies out there which are fairly easy to find: watch my keypresses, it’s bunk, and I’m surprised at how many people are so gullible to believe it.
      Howard.
      
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    - 29
      
      hoakley on November 2, 2021 at 11:23 pm
      
      You asked for other evidence. Here is a specific study of Night Shift, which found no significant effect in using it. And if you like studies in mice, here is another study which refutes the claims, and an explanation of its findings. Both of those studies were covered in 9to5 Mac.
      Howard.
      
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    - 30
      
      EcleX on November 2, 2021 at 12:41 pm
      
      Scientific paper reporting that blue light generates oxidative stress:
      
      Blue light-induced oxidative stress in live skin
      http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2017.03.010
      
      Graphical abstract (ONLY available on web page):
      https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S089158491730134X?via%3Dihub
      and specifically at:
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 31
      
      hoakley on November 2, 2021 at 12:43 pm
      
      So do you know what oxidative stress has to do with sleep or circadian rhythms?
      Howard
      
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    - 32
      
      EcleX on November 2, 2021 at 8:14 pm
      
      They are related. You can find the scientific evidence searching the Internet for
      oxidative stress sleep circadian rhythms
      
      Anyway, I did not mean that specifically, but health in general. Oxidative stress generate free radicals, that attack any biomolecule, generating all kinds of problems, including DNA mutations and cancer. It is shown in the picture above. The amazing thing recently discovered in such paper is that such mutations can be generated not only by UV light, but even by blue light, which was previously thought to be harmless. The effect is not direct as with UV light, but through free radicals, albeit the final outcome is the same: damaged DNA.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 33
      
      hoakley on November 2, 2021 at 10:42 pm
      
      OK, so given that you believe that exposure to the blue light in flatscreen displays causes cancer by damaging DNA, please explain to me how Night Shift helps that in any way at all? And why you daily expose yourself to such a proven carcinogen?
      I’d also love to know whether you’re a professional oncologist.
      (I’m afraid that I find all this both totally irrelevant to this article, and utter hogwash. But then I’ve only been a medical practitioner for just over 40 years, so clearly don’t know anything.)
      Howard.
      
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    - 34
      
      EcleX on November 3, 2021 at 7:46 am
      
      This is from the horse’s mouth:
      
      Use Night Shift on your Mac
      Studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep.
      Color Temperature: Drag the slider to make the color temperature more or less warm when Night Shift is on. Warmer color temperatures show more yellow and less blue.
      https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207513
      
      Besides, shocking as it might seem, blue light is a risk factor for oxidative stress. That has been scientifically demonstrated recently. Night Shift reduces blue light, which is particularly relevant when people spend many hours in front of displays. Having said that, we are not all dead because cells have repair mechanisms. But they do not work with 100% efficiency. Last but not least, cancers do not arise overnight; they may take 20 or 30 years to arise, usually after repetitive DNA damage over the years. Last but not least, the best is to have information (sound scientific one) and freedom, so that anyone can decide.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 35
      
      hoakley on November 3, 2021 at 8:25 am
      
      Thank you.
      You have steadfastly failed to provide any robust scientific evidence, merely innuendo. Try reading this well-researched article.
      And I don’t take advice from horses, thanks.
      Howard.
      
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    - 36
      
      hoakley on November 3, 2021 at 8:33 am
      
      Oh – and I nearly forgot. If blue light is really a risk factor for cancer, then you shouldn’t go out in daylight with any of your skin exposed. Because, if you care to measure it, the amount of blue light falling on all your exposed skin in normal daylight, even on a cloudy day, is far greater than that resulting from any current computer display. Or are you claiming that isn’t true?
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
    - 37
      
      EcleX on November 3, 2021 at 10:12 am
      
      Howard, the summary is that we are imperfect and we live in an imperfect world. Genomes get damaged by internal and external factors. Each person is different with different risks. The more aggressions we get, the more likely we have to develop cancer.
      
      And yes, exposing to sunlight is dangerous. Actually, melanin is produced AFTER such damage has happened. And shockingly enough, melanin protects and also causes cancer:
      
      Chemiexcitation of melanin derivatives induces DNA photoproducts long after UV exposure
      https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1256022
      
      In summary, we do not know everything, and science discovers new things constantly. That is great!
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 38
      
      hoakley on November 3, 2021 at 12:34 pm
      
      And poor science is rampant, and all too often championed by those who don’t understand it, or the research which has already been undertaken.
      Stay indoors,
      Howard.
      
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    - 39
      
      EcleX on November 3, 2021 at 1:44 pm
      
      That is not poor science. It is top science, published in the Science journal, which is one of the best in the world.
      
      Anyway, the best is to have information, and then act accordingly in freedom. ¿Remember when stomach ulcers were considered to be due to stress for centuries? You surely studied that at the University. Until two Australian researchers demonstrated against the rest of physicians and researchers that they are due to a bacterium (Helicobacter pylori), as you know for sure.
      
      It was considered impossible that a bacterium could live in the extreme acidic pH of the stomach, yet that was true. They got the Nobel Prize for such accomplishment. As you know for sure, previously, people with gastric ulcer could end up losing all their stomach and dying. Now they are cured in a few days with antibiotics. And, of course stress favors ulcer development (as many other diseases), but it is not the original cause. It misled researches. In short, the truth is what science demonstrates, until someone scientifically demonstrates otherwise. And that is great.
      
      LikeLiked by 1 person
    - 40
      
      hoakley on November 3, 2021 at 5:46 pm
      
      Thank you for a complete red herring about the aetiology and pathogenesis of peptic ulceration, although your short summary isn’t an accurate account by any means, and anyone wanting to get a better picture of current views would do well to read the Wikipedia article, or one on an established medical website.
      Returning to the question of Night Shift, I’m surprised that you’ve been unable to provide any evidence from a study on humans of the claimed benefits of Night Shift, which Apple alludes to. This is very surprising coming from the company that developed ColorSync to ensure that what we saw on our displays was as true to ‘real’ colours as possible. Don’t tell me they thought that, like the fruit flies in one of your papers, our brains would degenerate and our lives would be shortened as a result of all this blue light?
      No. Night Shift is an affectation. I’m perfectly happy that users should have the option, and if you really think that it does something for you, then dig out. But please don’t produce pseudo-science to make claims for which there really is no substantial evidence at all, at least in humans. Meanwhile, I’m sure your fruit flies are living longer as a result.
      This thread is now closed, thank you. Peptic ulceration is a disease too far even for me.
      Howard.
      
      LikeLike
41

dafoxe1 on October 27, 2021 at 5:29 pm

I’m just reporting a problem with my MacPro6,1 that started after I upgraded to Monterey (12.0.1) from Big Sur (11.6). First, Software Update offered 11.6.1 and I decided to install it rather than trying to get to 12.0.1. The was also a second update listed in Software Update that was titled something with “Devices”. After 11.6.1 was installed, the second update was no longer offered, only 12.0.1. The upgrade to 12.0.1 went fine and nothing else was offered in Software Update at the end.

Unfortunately, now I get crashes/restarts during long sleep periods using 12.0.1. I usually leave my MacPro6,1 sleeping when not in use and over night. I’m just reporting this in case your other readers have this problem. I’ll try scoping it out with your great tools when I get some time today and report back.

LikeLiked by 1 person
- 42
  
  hoakley on October 27, 2021 at 7:15 pm
  
  I’m sorry to hear that. It’s worth checking your firmware version, to ensure that it was updated correctly, and watching for the Panic Log which should appear when your Mac restarts. Don’t be afraid to contact Apple Support – those are kernel panics, and shouldn’t be occurring at all.
  I wish you success.
  Howard.
  
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  - 43
    
    dafoxe1 on October 27, 2021 at 7:27 pm
    
    Thanks, Howard. I’ve taken a quick look at the Panic logs each time and it’s not very informative, to me anyway. I’ve turned off Power Nap and will see at lunch time if the Sleep has a Panic again. As an aside, BitDefender AVFM’s BDLDaemon was running my fans full blast and using 92-95% of all 6 cores in CPU so I forced quit it a couple of times and right after I got an Automatic Update from BitDefender and BDLDaemon seems to be running normally again. Maybe that’s the culprit–I’ll see.
    
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    - 44
      
      dafoxe1 on October 29, 2021 at 3:42 pm
      
      Well, after 2 days with no crash/panics during sleep with Power Nap off, and the BitDefender AVFM Update. I’m going to turn Power Nap back on and see what happens. BDLDaemon occasionally still runs my fans at full blast and peggs the CPU but they are infrequent and much shorter periods of times.
      
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    - 45
      
      hoakley on October 29, 2021 at 7:37 pm
      
      My fingers are crossed for you.
      Howard.
      
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    - 46
      
      dafoxe1 on October 30, 2021 at 9:47 pm
      
      No more crashes/panics so far with Power Nap re-enabled. Might have been the Bit Defender update. No one else replied to I am assuming the issue was a one off with my rig.
      
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    - 47
      
      hoakley on October 30, 2021 at 10:07 pm
      
      My fingers remain crossed for you.
      Howard.
      
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48

dafoxe1 on October 29, 2021 at 3:43 pm

BTW, the firmware is correct according to SilentKnight.

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49

Robin K on October 29, 2021 at 8:39 pm

This is slightly off topic, but I thought you’d be interested in this experience.
I usually launch SilentKnight every other day or so. A few days ago I saw that a new Catalina security update was available. I proceed with the update through SilentKnight.
In the middle of the update – at the point where there is a progress bar on a black screen – my wife’s 2018 MBP was magically transformed into a brick. Nothing. Blank screen.

I called Apple Support and managed to get an appointment at the Genius Bar for that afternoon (we are fortunate that we live only a short distance from an Apple store). Our “genius”, Kyle, noted that he had a special gizmo in the back room that would let him refresh the firmware of the Mac. Fifteen minutes later he returned with a smile on his face. The Mac was alive! He explained that there was a bug in the T2 chip that made it seem as if the Mac had no power. Great news for us as we will want to sell her 2018 MBP once I finish configuring her new M1Pro 14” (which is an awesome machine!).

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- 50
  
  hoakley on October 29, 2021 at 10:17 pm
  
  I’m sorry that the update so wrong. Perhaps I can explain.
  SilentKnight is designed to detect, download and install the frequent small security updates such as MRT and XProtect. It isn’t intended to replace Software Update for installing large macOS and similar upgrades and updates, which are still much better performed in that pane.
  During that security update, that MBP should have had the T2 firmware update installed. During that, the Mac’s display goes black for around a minute, as that’s the time the firmware is being updated. It isn’t bricked at all.
  What happened to yours was that firmware update was interrupted. In that case, the treatment is to install the update using Apple Configurator 2 from another Mac – and that’s the ‘magic’ which the staff in the Apple store did for you. It isn’t a bug, it’s the way that T2 firmware updates have to be performed, as the whole of the Intel CPU and display have to be shut down for the update, which makes it look like the Mac is dead.
  Howard.
  
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  - 51
    
    Robin K on October 30, 2021 at 8:10 pm
    
    Thank you, Howard. Reflecting on your thoughtful response:
    I assumed that the firmware update had failed for some reason. The question is why? We will never know. I’m guessing here that multiple component updates weren’t serialized and ultimately caused the problem.
    However, I’ll note that I pursued the same approach with my 2018 15” MBP and that ran to completion without issue.
    Of course, I should have realized that the “gizmo” I referred to was another Mac which pushed a firmware update to my wife’s Mac over TB. Hard to see how the fix could have been pulled as the recipient was a brick. Definitely a handy mechanism. Actually, I am curious about how a push would actually work, but that’s a question for another day.
    If SilentKnight is less robust than executing Software Update then I’ll refrain from using it in the future for macOS updates, save the small ones you mentioned.
    I’m now headed into M1Pro land for our two new Macs,Also, I’m reevaluating just about everything related to macOS maintenance and backups. I may actually return to Time Machine as one component as I now have a spare SSD.
    The good news, of course, is that her Intel Mac lives for another day. The other good news is that I had several backups if the worst had occurred.
    
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    - 52
      
      hoakley on October 30, 2021 at 10:07 pm
      
      You can discover all about repairing T2 firmware updates by downloading Apple Configurator 2 from the App Store (it’s free) and reading its detailed Help book.
      SilentKnight is perfectly robust with large updates, as it uses the softwareupdate command tool to handle the download and install. However, you don’t get any of the user interface like progress bars. I do occasionally use it for larger updates, but Software Update is better normally.
      Howard.
      
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53

DarrenK on October 30, 2021 at 7:32 pm

I downloaded the security update for Catalina manually and ran on 3 MBA’s 2013. All three had the same issue: dark screen through final install phase and upon final boot up. I could see by holding a flashlight to screen that it was like brightness was all the way down. Once completed, I had to manually shut down and restart, but all was fine. This happened on all 3 machines. Very weird. Am I better off allowing software update to handle, or better off manually downloading and running?

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- 54
  
  hoakley on October 30, 2021 at 10:02 pm
  
  I’m sorry to hear that.
  With Catalina, the System volume isn’t sealed, so there’s no guarantee of integrity in the way that there is with Big Sur and Monterey. That could have been a single duff updater, just bad luck, or a side-effect likely on that model. Sometimes these are less likely with Software Update, sometimes less likely with the standalone installer. It’s just a matter of luck, and changes with macOS 11 and later anyway.
  Howard.
  
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  - 55
    
    DarrenK on October 31, 2021 at 11:55 pm
    
    Thank you for those thoughts. Everything worked out..no issues have resulted. I would have thought the updater had failed and froze, but like I said, I could see activity on the screen but it was like someone took the screen brightness to zero. Only a flashlight could make out that things were still moving along. On the final boot up, the screen was still dark. Once I force shut down and restarted, everything was fine. For security updates…at least on Catalina….do you favor letting Software Update handle or just use the downloaded installer? What does each do differently, if you don’t mind me asking??
    
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    - 56
      
      hoakley on November 1, 2021 at 7:59 am
      
      I’m glad you found a solution.
      Software Update downloads an Installer package containing the update, then installs that for you. If you download the standalone installer yourself, you run that in the Installer app. Although these should be identical, there are many reports that one or other works better. However, opinion varies with each update as which might be the better. It’s pot luck.
      In Big Sur and Monterey, you don’t get the option – there are no standalone updaters, so you have the choice of updating through Software Update, or downloading the full Installer app and running that instead. Needless to say, most prefer the former as it’s a fraction of the size.
      Howard.
      
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57

Bob Evans on November 2, 2021 at 4:03 pm

Howard, Upon installing Monterey on my late 2015 iMac, 4GHZ i7 the first day it was available it seemed to work fine. Now the last several days it has taken seven or eight minutes to boot up. Upon checking on line I find some people have to wait up to forty five minutes for it to boot up. Seems to be an issue with older computers. Thoughts? Regards, Bob Evans

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- 58
  
  hoakley on November 2, 2021 at 10:33 pm
  
  I’m sorry to hear that.
  What extensions do you have installed, and what apps run on startup? Do you have any third-party products like anti-malware which might be causing this? Have you tried starting up in Safe mode, leaving your Mac for a couple of minutes, then restarting in regular mode? Have you inspected the log for the startup period to see what’s going on?
  I wish you success tracking the problem down.
  Howard.
  
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  - 59
    
    Bob Evans on November 3, 2021 at 12:17 pm
    
    Thanks for pointing me in right direction Howard – turned off log at start items, only had two and now it boots in less than a minute. Both log items can be turned on once booted if needed so all is good
    
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    - 60
      
      hoakley on November 3, 2021 at 12:52 pm
      
      Hurrah! I’m delighted that you solved the problem. It would be worth checking whether those apps are fully up-to-date, and if they are, informing their developers of the problem.
      Howard.
      
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