DShelbyD

Q: how to clean-install Mavericks to a fusion drive?

Because I cannot find a complete answer here or anywhere else, I seek information about reinstalling Mavericks on a 1TB fusion drive on my late 2013 iMac. I see discussions about reinstalling, backing up data, Boot Camp issues, rebuilding a fusion drive, making a fusion drive from scratch, and the like; but I do not find the level of detail I am seeking about starting over with a fusion drive. I upgraded to Mavericks from Mtn Lion and now see hints that I needed to do something special to take advantage of the properties of this drive.

 

That said, here are my questions:

 

(1) When I "Command-R" reboot to Recovery and get to the Disk Utility, I see a separate 1TB HD as an extended partition as well as a 125GB drive that is root (/), which I presume is the SSD. To accomplish the clean installation, do I format BOTH? Or will formatting only the 1TB HD suffice? Does formatting only the 1TB HD also take care of formatting the SSD? Maybe it's not advisable to format the SSD ...?

 

(2) Does the downloaded Mavericks installer loaded onto a USB stick using DiskMakerX have the capability to do this clean install properly? or is it necessary, in order to take advantage of the fusion drive properties (SSD+HD), to download Mavericks Installer after wiping the HD so that support for the fusion drive is maintained?

 

(3) Because I am curious, where does OS X (I mean the OS, not data) reside after the installation is done? on the SSD? on the HD? I ask this because I have read that "the OS remains on the SSD," but, seemingly in conflict, that the SSD is for quick access to frequently used programs and data. Both could be correct.

 

Sorry for the length of this. And thanks.

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013)

Posted on Feb 19, 2014 8:13 AM

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Q: how to clean-install Mavericks to a fusion drive?

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  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Feb 19, 2014 8:15 AM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 9 (58,729 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 19, 2014 8:15 AM in response to DShelbyD

    Why do you feel you need to re-install Mavericks on a new machine, for 99% of the users this is a total waste of time. Please state what your cause is for wanting to do so.

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Feb 19, 2014 8:16 AM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 9 (53,732 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 19, 2014 8:16 AM in response to DShelbyD

    You can find the directions I used to create my own Fusion Drive at http://blog.macsales.com/15617-creating-your-own-fusion-drive

     

    allan

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 19, 2014 10:32 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 19, 2014 10:32 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    The machine came with Mtn. Lion, and I upgraded -- perhaps incorrectly, which is what I'm trying to find out by performing a "clean" install. But regardless of my motivation, the question is about cleanly installing Mavericks on a fusion drive. Believe me, I wouldn't bother if there were not signs I need to.

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 19, 2014 10:35 AM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 19, 2014 10:35 AM in response to Allan Eckert

    Allan, thank you. I did see your article, but I didn't read it because I don't need to create a fusion drive. I already have it. What I need to know is how to install cleanly on a drive that is part SSD and part traditional HD. If that info is in your article, I will look for it.

  • by Allan Eckert,Helpful

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Feb 19, 2014 1:45 PM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 9 (53,732 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 19, 2014 1:45 PM in response to DShelbyD

    Yes. It is there.

     

    Allan

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 20, 2014 11:05 AM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 20, 2014 11:05 AM in response to Allan Eckert

    Allan,

     

    While the article is interesting for the manner of creating a fusion drive, I am reluctant to accept that a clean installation on an existing fusion drive has to use the CLI. I'm not a stranger to the CLI, but my sense is that this adds needless complexity and risk of error given the long string of alphanumeric characters to identify the drives.

     

    The OWD process does answer some of my questions: I do need to format both drives, and I do need to install by downloading a fresh OS X Mavericks after wiping the drives (Command-R boot/format/install). But it leaves unanswered whether the OS is put onto the SSD.

     

    I'm still looking for the process that fits my situation.

     

    Thanks,

    David

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Feb 20, 2014 11:09 AM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 9 (53,732 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 20, 2014 11:09 AM in response to DShelbyD

    Sorry to hear that.

     

    I thought that the procedure posted by OWC was very straight forward. I didn't have any problems whatsoever with the use of CLI.

     

    Allan

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 20, 2014 12:09 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 20, 2014 12:09 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    It is straightforward, but it does not address what I am trying to find out. If I had a machine with only an HD and wanted to fuse it with an SSD, I'd try that (maybe). Check that. If I had a machine that I could service, I'd take out the HD and use ONLY an SSD. I performed a clean install on this Macbook Air a few months ago when Mavericks came out, and had no difficulty or question about how to proceed. No problem.

     

    I just booted my iMac from a USB installation stick. Looking at the fusion drive in Disk Utility, the "startup partition," which is labeled "disk 5," cannot be erased. "disk 4" is "OS X install ESD." It cannot be modified. So it appears there is no way to wipe the SSD portion of the fusion drive. I can only install over it or upgrade it. These disk numbers do not correspond to the numbers from the CLI that I got earlier.

     

    [Sigh] I wish I had gone for the pure SSD on the iMac....

  • by Allan Eckert,

    Allan Eckert Allan Eckert Feb 20, 2014 5:18 PM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 9 (53,732 points)
    Desktops
    Feb 20, 2014 5:18 PM in response to DShelbyD

    I am totally baffled by your last comment.

     

    I say this because I was able to completely erase and then recreate the Fusion Disk in my Mac without any problems what so ever.

     

    I will admit that I did that from the CMI

     

    Allan

  • by LowLuster,

    LowLuster LowLuster Feb 20, 2014 5:33 PM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 6 (12,074 points)
    Feb 20, 2014 5:33 PM in response to DShelbyD

    What version of OS X do you want to reinstall? Mavericks or do you want to go back to Mt Lion?

    What is now installed, Mavericks?

     

    Need to know which for the proper instructions.

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 20, 2014 8:44 PM in response to Allan Eckert
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 20, 2014 8:44 PM in response to Allan Eckert

    Allan,

     

    I think you go a long way to explain the reason for my comment in your own note. Here's more:

     

    I have an Air with SSD (of course). It's blazing fast with 4 GB of memory. The iMac has 16 GB memory and is noticeably -- maybe even "considerably" -- slower. I'm disappointed in the performance of the fusion drive and the issues faced in contemplating a clean install that gave rise to my original questions. I'm now persuaded by the paucity of info on the fusion drive that the SSD is the way to go (for me!). I have buyer's regret in respect to the drive I chose. Yes, it's my own fault, my own grievous fault. Mea culpa. No one else to blame.

     

    Still baffled?

     

    Now, I've run across a thread that seems to indicate that there is nothing peculiar at all in a clean installation of Mavericks on a fusion drive with Mavericks already on it.

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/23482592#23482592

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 20, 2014 8:46 PM in response to LowLuster
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 20, 2014 8:46 PM in response to LowLuster

    The answer to that question is in the first sentence of my original post.

  • by LowLuster,Solvedanswer

    LowLuster LowLuster Feb 21, 2014 3:31 AM in response to DShelbyD
    Level 6 (12,074 points)
    Feb 21, 2014 3:31 AM in response to DShelbyD

    Post a screen shot of the Disk utility window when you are booted to OS X not the Recovery HD.

     

    A Fusion drive should should up in all disk utility windows, no matter where or how you are booting the system, as a Logical Storage Volume, as one drive, not as two independent disks.

     

    Open Terminal and type diskutil list and copy the text output and post it.

     

    It is unclear to me whether your iMac is actually booting into OS X at this time?

     

    Your original questions.'

     

    1) you shouldn't see 2 independent drives. You should see one drive and it should be listed as a Logic storage volume.

     

    2) If you downloaded Mavericks on that iMac using the and then made the install USB drive from that download then it should work on that iMac. But you might first have to reinstall Mt Lion from the Online Internet Recovery system as all new Mac's come with a special built of OS X designed specifically for the specific Mac it is being installed on. That special built contains the proper drive package for the newer hardware in newer Mac's. The Mavericks download you got from the Mac App Store may or may not include those special, new, drivers for the newer hardware. I'm unsure on that point.

     

    3) Since a Fusion drive appears as one disk to OS X the files for OS X could be anywhere on either physical disk. The fusion drive system tries to fill up the SSD first so in the beginning most if not all data, OS X or whatever, will be placed on the SSD. Over time the FDS will move some data off the SSD as it sees fit. So OS files that aren't used often or at all might at some point be moved from the SSD to the rotating HDD. This is all done without any notice to the user.

     

     

    A Fusion drive system will not be as fast as some other Mac with only a SSD installed, no Fusion drive. On a FDS any data could be placed anywhere across both drives or placed on one or the other. That is totally up to the FDS, not the user.

     

    The process to do what you want is straight forward, even in that OWC article, Boot from the Recovery HD and download OS X and install it. That is once the Fusion drive has been created.

     

    At this time it is unclear, at least to me, whether your Fusion drive is really setup correctly. Posting a screen shot of a Disk Utility window when you are booted into OS X, not the recovery hd, should tell us that. But as far as I know if the Fusion drive is setup correctly it should always appear as a Logical Storage Volume. That is where 2 physical disks appear as one large volume. Not as 2 independent disks.

  • by DShelbyD,

    DShelbyD DShelbyD Feb 21, 2014 7:11 AM in response to LowLuster
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Feb 21, 2014 7:11 AM in response to LowLuster

    DiskUtility.png

    The screenshot of DU within the booted Mavericks, not Recovery.

     

    /dev/disk0

       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *121.3 GB   disk0

       1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1

       2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         121.0 GB   disk0s2

       3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3

    /dev/disk1

       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk1

       1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1

       2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         999.3 GB   disk1s2

       3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s3

    /dev/disk2

       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

       0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *1.1 TB     disk2

    /dev/disk3

       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk3

       1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1

       2:                  Apple_HFS LaCie                   499.1 GB   disk3s2

       3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             784.2 MB   disk3s3

     

    And you know what this is, per your request. It shows the OS on the SSD portion, the Recovery partition on the HD, etc. It's a little confusing because the disk reference numbers do not agree with those in the screenshot below, but that probably is because the shot below results from booting from a USB stick.

     

    Now to your comments/answers/thoughts:

     

    (1) Issue of number of drives. This is a fuzzy iPhone screenshot of DU after booting from a USB Mavericks installation stick:

     

    Command-R_DU.png

    Looks like I cannot format the SSD directly, if that is what disk5 really is. Below I mention another possibility for getting it formatted (third paragraph from the end).

     

    (2) Which source for new installation of Mavericks

     

    I agree that it's probably best not to use the USB stick I have but to use the Recovery method to download a fresh copy. I'm not sure about the reliability of the USB vs downloading, either, but there is some evidence out there (somewhere -- I've seen it but I don't recall where) suggesting it.

     

    (3) Where OS X is installed -- fusion drive portion or HD portion of the Macintosh HD:

     

    From the information given with "disk5" in the screen shot just above, it does appear that after a USB boot, DU sees items separately, including the main storage (Macintosh HD), the Recovery partition (disk4-used also for creating the USB stick installer), and OS (disk5). Some of this layout may hold true with a "Command-R" boot from the Recovery partition, and I know I've looked at it but for the moment cannot recall the information.

     

    Further, it appears the OS is on the SSD. It also appears it cannot be formatted UNLESS such formatting occurs when the target for the formatting process is "Macintosh HD." I am inclined to believe now that when I make this clean reinstallation, the new copy of OS X will be put on the SSD portion, as you state. I am aware that the moving of data back and forth from SSD to HD is outside user control.

     

    Lowluster, thank you for answering my questions in such an organized fashion (that I can follow!). I feel confident now about proceeding even though not all questions are answered definitively.

     

    Allan, I'm glad to know about fusing separately an SSD with an HD. It will be useful should I run into another user's desire to create a fusion drive. Thank you again.

     

    David

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