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Volume becoming partially then fully hidden somehow

I have a Drobo hard drive raid array. Twice now something has caused it to become hidden in stages:

First, it shows up grayed out and inaccessible in the left columbn of a finder window while I can still access it by double clicking on its icon on the desktop. When this happened sweveral weeks ago, it was fully visible as a desktop icon; this time the icon is grayed out on the desktop but can still be double clicked to access it.

Next, it becomes comletely hidden.

The last time this happened, after about a week it became fully hidden. Both Apple and Drobo support agonized about this and I finally repaired it by resetting the chflag from terminal to nohidden.

The same thing fixed it this time around. (it jsut went to the grayed out stage overnight)

Nevertheless, I want to figure out why this is happening.

Drobo thinks it has to be the operating system since, as far as they are concerned the drive array doesn't even have the capability to do this. I don't know if I believe them.

Apple is just mystified.

A particular mystery is the gradual nature of this, first becoming gray and unabailble from a finder window but still available from the desktop icon and then becoming totally hidden (still shows up in terminal, of course).

Is there a partially hidden (grayed out) unix flag? I can't find one.

Is there some flag that tells the finder to gray something but not fully hide it? This does happen in certain finder states with files and apps.

Would love some help figuring this out.

This happened under both Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

The drive is connected using Thunderbolt.

I am using a fairly new imac computer.

--Kenoli

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1), 24 GB RAM

Posted on Jan 16, 2014 9:49 AM

74 replies

Jun 26, 2014 2:54 PM in response to rlhyde

I'd be interested to hear how the beta fix works as well. We have to terminal the chflags workaround on our Mac Mini Server at least once a week after the shared volume "ghosts." ... Frustrating! The ghosting does seem to be triggered with large, multi-file drops to the shared volume.

philshep

Level 1

0 points

Jul 16, 2014 1:31 AM in response to stevejtrex600n

Same issue here, Mac Mini Server [10.9.3] have to go into Terminal and do the chg flag workaround every week or so - please sort!

The Internal HD is partitioned HD1 [OS] HD2 Data - HD2 becomes invisible, TM HD [USB] and Clone HD also become greyed out they invisible

Jul 16, 2014 1:07 PM in response to philshep

I just sent a reply to an email from Apple on this issue and urged them to take a look at this forum.

As I mentioned, they sent me a beta fix to test. So far, the problem has not recurred on my machine since installing the fix. I suggested that some of you may be better testers as your issue seems to occur more frequently than mine. Hopefully they may take a look at this forum.

I urge you to contact applecare directly. The reference they have been using for my issue is:

[450803] TSE: Institute for Global Communications / Shared Volume Disappears

--Kenoli

philshep

Level 1

0 points

Jul 16, 2014 2:18 PM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

Great, thanks for posting Kenoli! Is the email address on the support page?

Cheers

Phil

Aug 7, 2014 11:29 AM in response to philshep

Phil -- I don't know how all of this works, but at the risk of violating some draconian privacy policy at Apple and being blacklisted until Steve Jobs arises again from the grave, here are the support email addresses that I have gotten emails from. I would refer to case # 450803, which might mean something.

********

Be nice to them.

I suppose I could send you the patch and instructions, but I did sign a non-disclosure agreement before they would send them to me.

Here is some public info that might be useful. They think this likely has to do with the FTP file server and you can activate the FTP log in terminal like this:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleFileServer activityLog -bool true

This might let you see what is going on if you can find the event that accompanies things going gray.

--Kenoli

philshep

Level 1

0 points

Jul 18, 2014 3:35 AM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

Thanks, Kenoli

I'll try the terminal bit first, failing that I'll email Apple

Phil

Jul 30, 2014 5:47 AM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

Hi Kenoli

I've had exactly the same issue with a Rocstor Acticroc in RAID 0+1 shared on a Mac Mini server. I became aware of the issue when I launched Aperture and tried to import photos stored on the shared RAID as "managed files" to the Aperture Library. The shared volume did not show in the import window, although I could see it in Finder and access all folders and files on it. So I ran some of the script in Terminal that you suggested earlier, and low and behold came upon that "hidden" line of code next to the volume's name:

I wrote to Apple to bring my plight under their attention, and am eagerly awaiting some kind of response apart from the snotty auto reply message I got directing me to the Apple support site. I'm not even going there, since it seems like you have already established that they don't have a "cure" yet. I would appreciate it if you could post any updates you are aware of in resolving this issue.

But thanks to all for the thread! At least I now have a clear idea of what lies at the root of this problem!

Stefan

fchieli

Level 1

11 points

Aug 15, 2014 10:35 AM in response to Stefanred

I have the same exact issue:

Mac Mini Server running 10.9.4

A LaCie Big 5 connected via Thunderbolt.

La Cie configured as JBOD, 5 individual 2TB volumes.

I'm sharing Vol01

I'm sharing a directory inside Vol02

Both Vol1 and the directory have become invisible.

Running chflags no hidden fixes the issue, but this happens from time to time.

Has anyone found a solution?

I'm desperate!!!

Thank you!

Federico Chieli

Aug 16, 2014 10:49 AM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

Is anyone from Apple checking this topic?

I have mentioned before on this topic that Apple sent me a beta re-write of the Mavericks ftp server on this issue to try out. I have not had the problem return, but I had not had the problem return for some time before I installed the server so my experience is inconclusive.

I think my agreement with Apple prevents me from sharing this beta version with others, but I am surprised Apple is not interested in bringing others of you having this problem into beta testing.

I think that any of you interested should beat on Apple's door however you know how and see if they will bring you in.

If any of you want me to ask Apple to contact you, send me your contact info and I will forward it to the support person I have been communicating with.

I set my email to be available to registered users so you should be able to contact me through this forum somehow.

--Kenoli

fchieli

Level 1

11 points

Aug 17, 2014 5:34 AM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

The odd thing is I'm not using the FTP server…the service is switched off since day one.

Federico

Aug 17, 2014 11:09 AM in response to fchieli

Sorry, I misspoke. What they have worked up a beta for is the file server not the ftp server. The file server being what servesfiles in the OS would rise in suspicion as being the culprit here.

--Kenoli

hexdiy

Level 1

60 points

Aug 17, 2014 5:41 PM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

-Mind you all: this is a general reply- if and only if your greying-out/ virtually unmounting disk issues have arrived with the Mavericks upgrade, and your troubles are with Network Attached Storage, here goes:

bear in mind that Apple, with Mavericks, has left behind AFP ( Apple Filing Protocol; http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/06/11/apple-shifts-from-afp-file-sharing-to- smb2-in-os-x-109-mavericks) in favour of MS's SMB2 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Message_Block)

See the first link: Apple will continue to support AFP only for previous OS versions and Time Machine.

This topic might just point to a protocol bug. Just a hound's hunch. Trying to find a pattern. Maybe your NASs are still talking AFP to your Mavericks! Couldn't you flash them to the most recent firmware? Good luck to all!

Aug 20, 2014 11:39 AM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

I've been dealing with this issue for over a year. I'm still on 10.8 server running on a Mac Mini & Pegasus thunderbolt raid. The weird thing is only 1 or the 2 shared volume disappears. The other volume have never disappeared. I've been running the chflags no hidden command but would like a permanent fix also. Guessing upgrading to 10.9 server won't help since most of you are on 10.9 server currently.

Aug 20, 2014 11:43 AM in response to quang2550

Yeah, this is definitely an issue on 10.9 Server (well, 10.9.x with Server 3.x). It's a weird one for sure!

I was asked by Apple's bug people to test it in Yosemite, but I'm not going to install beta software on my company's primary production file server!

TheDude

Level 1

5 points

Aug 21, 2014 1:54 PM in response to Kenoli Oleari1

Me too... ****. None of the standard SetFile commands are doing anything (did the last time though).

Bump

Volume becoming partially then fully hidden somehow