Exactly what is the disk shown in the Finder named Macintosh HD, in Big Sur and later versions of macOS? An exploration of the structure of the modern boot disk.
System volume
Which single folder in /System/Library contains the most bundles? Why did the number of kernel extensions in macOS soar from 535 to 788 in less than 2 months?
How inode numbers can give important insights into the structure of the conjoined System and Data volumes, and help you navigate them.
Without firmlinks, the System and Data volumes couldn’t have been separated, and Secure Boot couldn’t have worked.
Updated charts of containers and volumes on boot volume groups for Ventura, with details of cryptexes and what they do.
When a startup disk is running short of space, needs a good clean up, or isn’t quite right, it’s tempting to try surgery. Here’s what you can get away with.
The split startup volumes in Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey can be disorientating. Here’s how to find your way in the Finder and Terminal.
Snapshots are designed to make it easy to roll back to a previous state. Why then can’t you use a snapshot to roll back to an earlier version of Big Sur?
How can you tell whether your Mac’s shiny new Sealed System Volume is properly sealed? You could easily be misled into thinking it isn’t.
Looking at what’s involved in updating Big Sur’s new Sealed System Volume shows what’s necessary for successful cloning.
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