Apple Mac Studio Coming for Review... When Supply Chain Delivers

Consult with Lloyd on your computer or photographic purchase, backup strategy, archival and storage strategy, etc.

Apple Mac Studio, front and rear

Lead time at Apple is 10-12 weeks for the Mac Studio M1 Ultra with 128GB, and it will be August before B&H Photo gets units.

Accordingly, I am canceling the review order for the 128GB model discussed below, because all the 128GB models have gone to "end of July" for delivery, presumably due to China problems. But it looks like I can get a 64GB model immediately, so I am requesting that instead.

UPDATE: in the space of writing this and having the 64GB model in stock and placing the request (5 minutes), all M1 Ultra models went out of stock and are now "end of July". So no review anytime soon unless there is a reader getting a new one who can loan it out for 2-3 days.

All tests but one or two can run comfortably in 64GB memory, and so will be just as useful and revealing of the M1 Ultra potential.

...

See previous comments on the Apple Mac Studio.

A big call-out and thank-you to B&H Photo which will be sending the $5199 Apple Mac Studio M1 Ultra 20-core CPU / 48-core GPU/ 128GB / 2TB SSD for review. This is exactly the configuration I would buy excepting a preference for a 4TB SSD.

If the budget allows, by all means get the 64-core GPU and/or the 8TB SSD since nothing internally is upgradeable.

Save the sales tax with B&H Payboo. Please and thank you for ordering through B&H with these links. It helps make my reviews possible, such as the recent review of the 2021 Apple MacBook Pro.
View all Apple Mac Studio at B&H Photo.

CLICK TO VIEW: Apple Mac Studio and Displays

CLICK TO VIEW: Thunderbolt and Related Accessories

Validating Backup Volumes is Essential, Right-After and Later Too!

re: data integrity

I had just made a Carbon Copy Cloner backup of two key volumes onto a single new backup volume. The volume had been newly-erased in Disk Utility.

As is my practice, I then ran data verification using IntegrityChecker Java. The drive froze and locked-up with anything trying to access it and could not be unmounted. Files could not be listed or viewed, etc. So I was forced to unplug it and replug it.

After it was remounted, I tried data verification again. This time no hang. But the messages were a little unusual, because WARN_INACCESSIBLE usually means file permissions errors, and that made no sense. I found that I could not open the files, 'cat' them in Terminal, or copy them. The files were toast.

...
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/LLC_2765-HighContrast.jpg 
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/Topology.gif 
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/ReidReviews-1.gif 
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/ReidReviews-3.gif 
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/ReidReviews-2.gif 
WARN_INACCESSIBLE: /Volumes/TBS_Clone/_Master/WebSiteRequirements-materials/images/DirectoryStructure-overview.gif
...

At this point I wondered if the volume had been corrupted, so I ran Apple Disk Utility, which confirmed it. Take this to heart in your own backups:

• If you don’t confirm that the data in a backup can all be read, you don’t have a confirmed backup.
• If you don’t verify that the data is 100% readable and uncorrupted, you don’t have a confirmed backup.
• Backups can be good today, and bad tomorrow.

IntegrityChecker saves your butt for all these situations, today, tomorrow, or a year from now.

Disk Utility: corrupted APFS volume

OWC Envoy Pro EX 8TB USB-C SSD: 8TB of Maxed-Out Speed for USB-C Macs or PCs

OWC Envoy Pro EX USB-C SSD

The 8TB capacity debuted in May of 2022, and may be supply constrained until September 2022. Grab one fast while they’re in stock!

MPG tested the OWC Envoy Pro EX 4TB model back in 2020 as seen in the other pages of this review

Since then, capacity has doubled to an astounding 8TB in the same pocket-sized form factor, and delivering the same outstanding performance as the 4TB model.

OWC Envoy Pro EX 8TB USB-C SSD: 8TB of Maxed-Out Speed

The OWC Envoy Pro EX 8TB SSD maxes-out the USB-C bus limits. As good as it gets for USB-C!

OWC SSD Storage

External SSD wish list • Deals on OWC

$249 SAVE $21 = 7.0% OWC 256GB OWC Atlas S Pro SDXC UHS-II V90 Media Card in All Other Categories

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OWC Envoy Pro EX 8TB SSD: speed across volume capacity

OWC Envoy Pro EX 8TB SSD: speed vs transfer size

Developer Out There Who Knows NSFileManager + Objective C, Craft a Command Line Executable?

re: IntegrityChecker Java

Looking for a developer familiar with NSFileManager (macOS) and of course Objective C and XCode. The code is technically trivial, but for me it means learning an entirely new programming language in order to access the NSFileManager APIs* (I am expert in C, C++, Java, but not Objective C). I can and will do it if need be, but it’s more time than I have for it right now, and it’s purely an optimization.

We’re talking “fun project” here and I would require the copyright to the code (necessarily so to maintain/expand), minimal or no $$$ but happy to trade subscriptions on my site or similar and of course, my thanks.

I need a command line executable that can read commands on stdin , execute each command until no more commands (EOF). IntegrityChecker Java to exec() this executable and issue the commands.

This is to work around some Java API limitations** (speed and lack of functionality)... mainly in order to get a 100X performance increase for a forthcoming feature. And it’s macOS specific for this cool new feature. Speed for this new feature is not an issue on macOS Monterey, but prior versions of macOS are 60X slower for one particular thing, naming xattr, which is a Python script on earlier versions of macOS, and thus godawful slow.

* AFAIK, C++ code cannot access the NSFIleManager APIs. But if it can, then I could write it pretty quickly. All I’d need is some help understanding how to access NSFIleManager in C++ (no Objective C used).
** JNI not appealing and has its own issues. JEP 420 not ready for prime time and doesn’t work for Apple frameworks.

IntegrityChecker Java Release 2.0.3b25

re: IntegrityChecker Java
re:data integrity
re: Validating Data Transfer/Copy Before Deleting the Source/Original Data: diglloydTools IntegrityChecker
re: Detecting Corruption / Validating Data Integrity Over Time and Across Drives and Backup/Restore
re: Reader Question on diglloydTools IntegrityChecker: “verify terabytes of content back and forth between the cloud and other local RAID drives I have”
re: Apple Core Rot: macOS Finder File Copying: Fails to Replace "dot files" When Replacing a folder = DATA LOSS
re: Detecting Data Corruption Caused by Bit Rot or Bad Drives or Software Bugs with diglloydTools IntegrityChecker

What is it?

IntegrityChecker Java runs on any platform that supports the Java language*—macOS and Unix, various NAS flavors based on Unix, Windows—just about everything.

The only high performance automated solution spanning all computing platforms. It works on hard drives, SSDs, network drives, CDs and DVDs, etc.

Futhermore, so long as Java remains available, you should be able to check data integrity on your files today or next year or in the year 2035 without so much as a software update.

Why Use IntegrityChecker Java for Data Integrity?

More about IntegrityChecker and why every professional should be using it.

IntegrityChecker Java (icj) version 2.0.3b25

IntegrityChecker Java version 2.0.3b29 is now available for download. This release is a minor update but with many small fixes, improvements.

License and download page...

IntegrityChecker Java is bundled with diglloydTools. There is no separate purchase option.

Buy diglloydTools

Documentation/help

See the online help for IntegrityChecker java.

If you need support, please copy/paste the text from the Terminal window—don’t send screen shots as they are very large and frequently contain too little information.

More about IntegrityChecker and why every professional should be using it.

See the included READ_ME file for installation instructions.

Release notes

• 2022-04-29 Added various warning flags to icj_prefs controlling which things are flagged:
  warn.ILLEGAL_FILENAME=true
  warn.FILENAME_COMPATIBILITY=false
  warn.DEAD_SYMLINKS=true
  warn.FILE_CHANGED_IN_FLIGHT=false
  warn.MISSING_SUBFOLDERS=false
• 2022-04-28 'clean' command now always removes .icj_temp files, which accrue if icj is killed while writing hierarchy files.
• 2022-04-28 Added .icj_temp files to ignore list
• 2022-04-27 fixed thread-waste issue where each hierarchy file was retaining its ThreadPoolExecutor after parsing. Executor is now freed after parsing, avoiding limits on thread count and reducing memory usage.
• 2022-04-27 fixed race condition whereby .icjh files at a higher level could be written sooner than ones at a lower level, leading to erroneous albeit harmless authoritative hierarchy file locating. Fixed by setting all hierarchy files written as a group to all share the same lastModified file date.
• 2022-04-27 improved messaging when there are no hierarchy files in top level folder but there is one in an ancestor folder.
• 2022-04-25 installer overwrites icj_prefs.txt, but saves the prior version. Installer does not overwrite icj_prefs_customized.txt.
• 2022-04-25 Unified the MATCHED/RENAMED code. Also enhanced for multiple matches.
• 2022-04-25 icj_prefs.txt always look for icj_prefs_customized.txt, loading it if present.
• 2022-04-24 Added FLAG_DEAD_SYMLINKS flag for dead symlinks in icj script. Not yet available as preference.
• 2022-04-24 Miscellaneous output added to verbose mode (--output=verbose)
• 2022-04-24 Fixed a sporadic (as in never seen before!) race condition while reading hierarchy files that could sporadically result in a java.util.ConcurrentModificationException.
• 2022-04-24 Warn of file names that have cross-platform compatibility issues; Edit the NOTE_FILENAME_COMPATIBILITY flag in icj/icj.bat to toggle behavior. Not yet available as a preference.
• 2022-04-24 Detect and flag and continue with illegal filenames on Windows that might be present in macOS systems.
• 2022-04-23 Fixed a few output cases to use the correct name separator for the platform eg "/" vs "\"
• 2022-04-23 All the MATCHES for missing files are now shown, not just the first one.
• 2022-04-23 Missing/renamed file output is improved for clarity.
• 2022-04-22 improved the missing files support: (1) missing files that are found are separated from those that cannot be found, (2) the summary number reflects found files, (3) the user manual discusses how the update command gives the best information on missing/renamed files. https://diglloydtools.com/manual/IntegrityCheckerJava-update.html
• 2022-04-22 Added --save option for update command. If not specified, saving is done as it always has been. But sometimes it is desirable to examine files moved or renamed before saving changes. The verify and status command are read only, but those commands cannot deduce as much because they operated only on files already having hashes, which moved/renamed files might not yet have.
  icj update --save=prompt ...
  icj update --save=no ...
  icj update --save=yes ...
• 2022-04-22 "#include" directive in icj_prefs.txt changed to "@include" to avoid confusion with comment lines. Users making use of it should change the "#" to "@".
• 2022-04-22 Fixed bug whereby empty file count would include missing files.
• 2022-04-22 Java installer uses openjdk-18.

Reader Question: “Will DiglloydTools work with macOS Monterey?”

re: IntegrityChecker Java for Windows Now Available for Download
re: diglloydTools
re: DiskTester

Brian M writes:

Will diglloydTools work with macOS Monterey?

MPG: I’m using it on macOS Monterey on my 2019 Mac Pro. I also used it with the 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max, with no issues. Indeed, the SSD speed tests for the MBP M1 Max were done with diglloydTools DiskTester. I am unaware of any macOS Monterey-specific issues.

Apple is likely to break the old APIs used by diglloydTools (DiskTester, MemoryTester, IntegrityChecker) at some point, but from what I can tell, there is no way to rewrite it for full functionality, so when it’s done it’s done. But for now it works great, as always.

As for IntegrityChecker, I strongly recommend migrating ASAP to IntegrityChecker Java, which is faster and more capable, and cross-platform, running on just about any macOS, Windows, Linux/*nix, NAS, etc.

More about IntegrityChecker and why every professional should be using it.

IntegrityChecker Java is bundled with diglloydTools. There is no separate purchase option.

Buy diglloydTools

Reader Comment: Prices for 2018 Mac mini RAM have dropped radically

Rich S writes:

Just a heads up that the prices for 2018 Mac mini RAM on your ad have dropped radically. I just used your link to buy 64GB for my 2018 mac mini for about $270. It made a big difference. I’m printing a museum show for a client and the files average 1GB or more. The extra RAM lets me have several open at once in photoshop, plus Lightroom, and my other work apps, and not run into any RAM-related slowdowns.

MPG: the 2018 Mac mini has two memory slots, so buy the 2-module kits. The iMac 5K has 4 slots and the iMac 4K has 2 slots*.

The M1-based iMac and Mac mini cannot be upgraded; memory is soldered-on.

Memory for Mac mini, Intel-based iMac

Memory wish list • Deals on OWC

$270 SAVE $74 = 21.0% OWC 64.0GB (2x 32GB) OWC 2666MHz DDR4 PC4-21300 260-Pin SO-DIMM… in All Other Categories

$130 SAVE $46 = 26.0% OWC 32.0GB (2x 16GB) OWC 2666MHz DDR4 PC4-21300 260-Pin SO-DIMM… in All Other Categories

Apple Studio Display: the Technological Dumpster Fire that Crashes Just Like iOS and macOS, and Bricks Itself

re: Apple Studio Display

Opening up the shiny new Apple Studio Display, it worked fine right out of the box, meaning it synced up. Well, sort of—the default resolution was an inappropriate scaled 1920 X 1080 for its 5120 X 2880 pixels. But it could be changed to 2560 X 1440 for 2:1 scaling, its ideal resolution, same as an iMac 5K.

So it had some issues but was basically working OK. As shown below, I had it set up and working.

Apple Studio Display and two others in extended desktop mode

Below, poor choice of scaling as the default. But see next screen shot.

Apple Studio Display: setting the optimal 2:1 scaling

Apple Studio Display: setting the optimal 2:1 scaling

Apple Core Rot has been a musty background odor for years now, an expired rat decomposing between the sheet rock. The last thing I need is a display that is a flaky computer. Just the display functionality for me, please. I don’t need an M1 chip in my display running some flaky version of iOS.

Brickware update for Apple Studio Display

Apple Studio Display

Apple.com: What’s new in firmware updates for Apple Studio Display... since when does a display need “stability improvements”?

Presumably the coin-operated reviewers out there all have zero problems. An implicit requirement for all aspiring for review gear in the future. Standard industry practice.

Woe to the user who dares update the firmware!

After the firmware update the Studio Display is now bricked. No number of restarts can cause it to be recognized by the 2019 Mac Pro. Back into its box to be returned to the research lab from whence it came.

Technological design regression: a display that crashes

0, PRSM_ST_PANIC - Misc(2)
ASSERTION FAILED: target/j327/psu_standby.cpp:265
0, PRSM_ST_PANIC
RTKit: RTKit_iOS-1827.102.1.release - Client: AppleSMCFirmware-2796.102.2.j327.REL
!UUID: 85deddef-7504-3596-83c7-2cd593c30d09
Time: 0x00000006899f24c5

Below, after the firmware update and its associated display OS crash: no more Apple Studio Display, no matter how many restarts.

UPDATE: I was able to connect the display to the 2019 iMac 5K and have it sync up. Why won’t it work on the 2019 Mac Pro? Maybe it’s the same old display sync bugs I’ve dealt with for years now?

But it gets worse: having this shiny Apple turd even connected results in display sync screwed up for one of the working displays, speckles all over another, bootup hangs... nice work Apple! What a $&#$&$#& clown show.

Apple Studio Display —  AWOL

The Apple Studio Display is a science fair project unfit for prime time. No professional in their right mind should even consider it for at least some months until Apple gets their act together. And what happens if you get it working, and then some future firmware update bricks it as described here... rush out and buy a replacement? And what if it is prone to crashes in everyday use, even if it shows up and syncs properly?

IntegrityChecker Java for Windows Now Available for Download

re: IntegrityChecker Java
re:data integrity
re: Validating Data Transfer/Copy Before Deleting the Source/Original Data: diglloydTools IntegrityChecker
re: Detecting Corruption / Validating Data Integrity Over Time and Across Drives and Backup/Restore
re: Reader Question on diglloydTools IntegrityChecker: “verify terabytes of content back and forth between the cloud and other local RAID drives I have”
re: Apple Core Rot: macOS Finder File Copying: Fails to Replace "dot files" When Replacing a folder = DATA LOSS
re: Detecting Data Corruption Caused by Bit Rot or Bad Drives or Software Bugs with diglloydTools IntegrityChecker

IntegrityChecker Java runs on any platform that supports the Java language*—macOS and Unix, various NAS flavors based on Unix, Windows—just about everything.

As far as I know, this is the only high performance automated solution spanning all computing platforms. It works on hard drives, SSDs, network drives, CDs and DVDs, etc.

Futhermore, so long as Java remains available, you should be able to check data integrity on your files today or next year or in the year 2035 without so much as a software update.

Why Use IntegrityChecker Java for Data Integrity?

More about IntegrityChecker and why every professional should be using it.

IntegrityChecker Java is bundled with diglloydTools. There is no separate purchase option.

Buy diglloydTools

IntegrityChecker Java (icj) version 2.0.3b7

License and download page...

IntegrityChecker Java version 2.0.3b7 is now available for download. This release is a minor update with tweaks for cross platform support for Microsoft Windows—no functionality changes.

You can now fully interoperate between macOS/Linux/NAS/Windows/etc.

Documentation/help

See the online help for IntegrityChecker java.

If you need support, please copy/paste the text from the Terminal window—don’t send screen shots as they are very large and frequently contain too little information.

More about IntegrityChecker and why every professional should be using it.

See the included READ_ME file for installation instructions.

IntegrityChecker Java for Windows: How To Install Java

re: Why Use IntegrityChecker Java for Data Integrity?

IntegrityChecker Java runs on any platform that supports the Java language*—macOS and Unix, various NAS flavors based on Unix, Windows—just about everything.

This page discusses how to install Java on Windows, needed for IntegrityChecker Java to run.

* Java should not be confused or conflated with a totally different language, JavaScript.

Installing Java on Windows

First, test if java is installed by opening a command prompt and typing:
java --version

If not installed, or the version is older than version 17, then proceed with installation.

Strongly recommended is the Microsoft build of Open JDK. If not installed or an older version, it is best to get the latest build. As of April 2022, jdk-17.0.2+8.

There are other ways to install Java but direct download is easiest on Windows 10

Download, then unzip the download. Ccopy the JDK folder into C:\Program Files as shown.

JDK installed into C:\Program Files

IntegrityChecker Java for Windows: How To Set the Path Variable

re: Why Use IntegrityChecker Java for Data Integrity?

The Path variable tells the system in which directories to look for commands when using the command prompt.

IntegrityChecker Java runs on any platform that supports the Java language*—macOS and Unix, various NAS flavors based on Unix, Windows—just about everything. This page discusses how to set the Path variable on Windows systems.

* Java should not be confused or conflated with a totally different language, JavaScript.

Setting the Windows Path variable

For IntegrityChecker Java on Windows, the Path variable must be set for the Java install, and for 'icj'.

1. Open System Properties.
2. Click Environment Variables...
3. Selectd Path then click Edit...
4. Click Browse... to add each path.

Continues below for how to test that it’s working.

 

Windows System Properties

If there are older paths present to an older version of (for example) Java, you might also need to Delete the path for the older version.

       

Editing the Windows Path environment variable

3. Test it

Open a new command prompt window, then type the desired command. For example, the commands icj and java:

C:\Users\lloyd>icj
# icj 2.0.3b5 2022-04-13 17:00
# (c)2020-2022 DIGLLOYD INC. All Rights Reserved.
Valid license required.  https://diglloydtools.com
# 2022-04-12 21:42:10 {USER=lloyd homeDir=C:\Users\lloyd OS=Windows 10 amd64 }
Available commands:
... 
C:\Users\lloyd>java --version
openjdk 17.0.2 2022-01-18 LTS
OpenJDK Runtime Environment Microsoft-30338 (build 17.0.2+8-LTS)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM Microsoft-30338 (build 17.0.2+8-LTS, mixed mode, sharing)