stevencaufield

Q: awdl0 errors on non-awdl machine

I have a late 2011, 2.5 GHz Core i7 MBP running El Capitan 10.11.2. It runs great except for streaming Airplay to my Apple TV, particularly when trying to use the TV as a separate display. It bogs down the system, stutters and usually drops the connection altogether.  It's better on the 5GHz network than 2.4GHz, but not much. When running Airplay to the Apple TV, my console is always flooded with the following message (unnecessary info redacted):

 

AirPlayXPCHelper[102]: [WiFiManagerCore] ### Bind to fallback "awdl0" failed: -3900/0xFFFFF0C4 kA11ParamErr

 

I've done a good bit of research on this and I understand that my MBP doesn't have the hardware necessary to run awdl and I've confirmed through 'ifconfig' that there's no trace of an awdl interface on my system. I'm assuming (maybe incorrectly) that the 'bind to fallback' error pasted above is causing the Airplay performance issue, but even that issue aside, I occasionally run into other network funkiness and I've noticed that when I do the console often has error messages reflecting the lack of an awdl0 interface.

 

Clearly, using the 'sudo ifconfig awdl0 [up/down]'  command doesn't work because there is no interface to disable.  Is there some other way to faux-disable the interface altogether or somehow alert the system that it doesn't exist so as to redirect scripts and programs that need it to run in El Capitan?  Other suggestions?  I know there's a lot of people with pre-2012 MBPs that must also have this issue.  I've tried to find a fix online but any search with 'awdl' as a term is flooded with 'sudo ifconfig awdl up/down' advice for Yosemite wi-fi issues, but little else. Any assistance would be appreciated.

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Jan 28, 2016 1:12 AM

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Q: awdl0 errors on non-awdl machine

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  • by Linc Davis,Helpful

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 29, 2016 3:17 AM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 29, 2016 3:17 AM in response to stevencaufield

    1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem. But with the aid of the test results, the solution may take a few minutes, instead of hours or days.

    The test works on OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later. I don't recommend running it on older versions of OS X. It will do no harm, but it won't do much good either.

    Don't be put off by the complexity of these instructions. The process is much less complicated than the description. You do harder tasks with the computer all the time.

    2. If you don't already have a current backup, please back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. Backup is always a must, and when you're having any kind of trouble with the computer, you may be at higher than usual risk of losing data, whether you follow these instructions or not.

    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

    3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. As I wrote above, it changes nothing. It doesn't send or receive any data on the network. All it does is to generate a human-readable report on the state of the computer. That report goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. If you prefer, you can act on it yourself without disclosing the contents to me or anyone else.

    You should be wondering whether you can believe me, and whether it's safe to run a program at the behest of a stranger. In general, no, it's not safe and I don't encourage it.

    In this case, however, there are ways for you to decide whether the program is safe without having to trust me. First, you can read it. Unlike an application that you download and click to run, it's transparent, so anyone who understands the code can verify what it does.

    You may not be able to understand the script yourself. But variations of it have been posted on this website many times over a period of years. Any one of the millions of registered users could have read the script and raised the alarm if it was harmful. Then I would not be here now and you would not be reading this message. See, for example, this discussion.

    Nevertheless, if you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

    4. Here's a general summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed:

    ☞ Copy a particular line of text to the Clipboard.

    ☞ Paste into the window of another application.

    ☞ Wait for the test to run. It usually takes a few minutes.

    ☞ Paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page.

    These are not specific instructions; just an overview. The details are in parts 7 and 8 of this comment. The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. You don't need to copy a second time.

    5. Try to test under conditions that reproduce the problem, as far as possible. For example, if the computer is intermittently slow, run the test during a slowdown.

    You may have started up in safe mode. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual before running it. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

    6. If you have more than one user, and only one user is affected by the problem,, and the affected user is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

    7. Load this linked web page (on the website "Pastebin.") Press the key combination command-A to select all the text, then copy it to the Clipboard by pressing command-C.

    8. Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Click anywhere in the Terminal window to activate it. Paste from the Clipboard into the window by pressing command-V, then press return. The text you pasted should vanish immediately.

    9. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, just press return three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

    If the test is taking much longer than usual to run because the computer is very slow, you might be prompted for your password a second time. The authorization that you grant by entering it expires automatically after five minutes.

    If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

    10. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, a series of lines will appear in the Terminal window like this:

        Test started
            Part 1 of 4 done at: … sec
            …
            Part 4 of 4 done at: … sec
        The test results are on the Clipboard.
        Please close this window.

    The intervals between parts won't be exactly equal, but they give a rough indication of progress.

    Wait for the final message "Please close this window" to appear. If you don't see it within about 15 minutes, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, press the key combination control-C or command-period to stop it. Then go to the next step. You'll have incomplete results, but still something. If you close the Terminal window while the test is still running, the partial results won't be saved and you'll have to start over.

    11. When the test is complete, or if you stopped it because it was taking too long, quit Terminal. The results will have been saved to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

    At the top of the results, there will be a line that begins with the words "Start time." If you don't see that, but instead see a mass of gibberish, you didn't wait for the "close this window" message. Please wait for it and try again.

    If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

    12. When you post the results, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the software that runs this website. Please post the test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

    13. This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak for themselves, not for me. The test itself is harmless, but whatever else you're told to do may not be. For others who choose to run it, I don't recommend that you post the test results on this website unless I asked you to.

    14. The linked UNIX shell script bears a notice of copyright. Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

  • by stevencaufield,

    stevencaufield stevencaufield Jan 29, 2016 3:19 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 29, 2016 3:19 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thank you VERY much for your time and assistance.  Here's the link to the results of the script you sent:

     

    http://pastebin.com/HsvGsDpx

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 29, 2016 8:42 AM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 29, 2016 8:42 AM in response to stevencaufield

    A

     

    You've installed some unsupported hardware modifications with unpredictable effects: a storage device in place of the optical drive, and memory that exceeds the specified 8 GB maximum. I can't tell you whether those modifications are contributing to the problem, but the graphics processor is intermittently malfunctioning. See also below.

     

    MacBook Pro Repair Extension Program for Video Issues

     

    B

    This procedure will delete some cache files. The files are automatically generated and don't contain any of your data. Occasionally they can become corrupt and cause problems such as yours.

    Please back up all data.

    Run this command in a Terminal window as before:

    open $TMPDIR..

    A folder with a long, random name should open. Inside it, there should be a subfolder named "C". Drag that to the Trash.

    Log out or restart the computer. Empty the Trash. Test.

    C

    You're sometimes using the third-party app "Beamer" to stream video to an Apple TV. The app is logging error messages. Only the app developer could tell you what those messages mean. As far as I know, Apple doesn't support third-party streaming to AirPlay on OS X. It only supports mirroring and streaming from iTunes. That doesn't mean it can't be done, but again, you'd have to refer to the developer for help with any problems that arise.

    D

    I suggest that you get rid of "Cocktail," which serves no purpose and may be harmful.

    Any third-party software that doesn't install from the App Store or by drag-and-drop into the Applications folder, and uninstall by drag-and-drop to the Trash, is a system modification.

    Whenever you remove system modifications, they must be removed completely, and the only way to do that is to use the uninstallation tool, if any, provided by the developers, or to follow their instructions. If the software has been incompletely removed, you may have to re-download or even reinstall it in order to finish the job.

    I never install system modifications myself, and except as stated in this comment, I don't know how to uninstall them. You'll have to do your own research to find that information.

    Here are some general guidelines to get you started. Suppose you want to remove something called “BrickMyMac” (a hypothetical example.) First, consult the product's Help menu, if there is one, for instructions. Finding none there, look on the developer's website, say www.brickmymac.com. (That may not be the actual name of the site; if necessary, search the Web for the product name.) If you don’t find anything on the website or in your search, contact the developer. While you're waiting for a response, download BrickMyMac.dmg and open it. There may be an application in there such as “Uninstall BrickMyMac.” If not, open “BrickMyMac.pkg” and look for an Uninstall button. The uninstaller might also be accessed by clicking the Customize button, if there is one.

    Back up all data before making any changes.

    You will generally have to restart the computer in order to complete an uninstallation. Until you do that, there may be no effect, or unpredictable effects.

    If you can’t remove software in any other way, you’ll have to erase and install OS X. Never install any third-party software unless you're sure you know how to uninstall it; otherwise you may create problems that are very hard to solve.

    Trying to remove complex system modifications by hunting for files by name often will not work and may make the problem worse. The same goes for "utilities" such as "AppCleaner" and the like that purport to remove software.

    E

    The test results show other issues, probably not related to the original question.

    "TCPBlock" is obsolete and doesn't work. It should be removed.

    F

    Your router is connected to another router on a local network. It should have a direct connection to the Internet.

    G

    The symbol cache is very large. It stores data used in logs and crash reports, and it may have grown because it's corrupt. The cache is created automatically, and if deleted, it should be recreated when you restart the computer. Initially, at least, it will be a lot smaller.

    I've seen one unverified report that a system became unbootable when the cache was deleted. That would have been due to a corrupt installation of OS X, but you should be prepared to reinstall if necessary. There is no reason to panic as long as you have good backups.

    Back up all data before proceeding.

    Please triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

    /System/Library/Caches/com.apple.coresymbolicationd

    Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

              Services Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

    from the contextual menu.* A folder should open with an item named "com.apple.coresymbolicationd" selected. Move the selected item to the Trash. You may be prompted for your administrator login password. Restart the computer and empty the Trash.

    *If you don't see the contextual menu item, select the line below and copy it to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:

    /System/Library/Caches

    In the Finder, select

              Go Go to Folder...

    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You may not see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

    A folder named "Caches" should open. Inside it is a subfolder named "com.apple.coresymbolicationd". Move that subfolder to the Trash, restart, and empty.

  • by stevencaufield,

    stevencaufield stevencaufield Jan 29, 2016 9:54 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 29, 2016 9:54 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thank you.  All that is good advice and I will begin to implement your suggestions.  Is the thought then that the Airplay/awdl0 error is caused by these other issues identified with your diagnostic script, or is that just general advice based on the report?  Your discussion on Beamer may be the most on point, but curiously, I don't have the playback issues OR the awdl0 errors when I use Beamer, only when I use Airplay.   In fact, I downloaded the third party Beamer software as a solution to the Airplay problem initially, so I don't see how that could be causing the Airplay/awdl0 issue, which predate my installing Beamer or really any of the other items discussed above.  Thoughts?

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Jan 29, 2016 12:23 PM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 7 (29,051 points)
    Jan 29, 2016 12:23 PM in response to stevencaufield

    Hello stevencaufield,

    Is this a new development with El Capitan or have you always had this problem? El Capitan is designed for new machines. Some of its features work poorly or not at all on older machines. Most of those issues are centered around peer-to-peer wireless features like the one you are having trouble with. That log message you found isn't all that significant. It shows up in log snippets posted all over the internet for all kinds of problems.

     

    You may have already seen these links, but if not, they contain some background information and ideas.

    http://stackoverflow.com/questions/19587701/what-is-awdl-apple-wireless-direct-l ink-and-how-does-it-work

    https://medium.com/@mariociabarra/wifried-ios-8-wifi-performance-issues-3029a164 ce94#.9t40f0gyu

    https://medium.com/@mariociabarra/wifriedx-in-depth-look-at-yosemite-wifi-and-aw dl-airdrop-41a93eb22e48#.g69gcdn1x

    http://www.cultofmac.com/178460/the-real-reason-why-macs-before-2011-cant-use-ai rplay-mirroring-in-mountain-lion-feature…

     

    Some of those links refer to iOS, but since Yosemite and El Capitan are hybrid iOS/OS X versions, they probably now apply.

     

    With your 2011 machine, it works, but not well. You might want to look at AirParrot or something similar, which you seem to have already done.

     

    I don't know how many log messages you are getting and if they are really impacting your performance. If you really want to try to filter the log files, you are going to have to dig into the OS X logging mechanisms (plural). If you aren't comfortable with this level of hacking on the system, then I suggest you don't attempt it. But if you want to try, I did find the following link which seems like a good place to start: http://www.stefanseiz.com/archives/2010/03/how_to_avoid_systemlog_from_being_flo oded_on_mac_os_x.html

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 29, 2016 12:30 PM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Jan 29, 2016 12:30 PM in response to stevencaufield

    The log messages are not necessarily significant.

  • by stevencaufield,

    stevencaufield stevencaufield Jan 30, 2016 4:48 AM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 30, 2016 4:48 AM in response to stevencaufield

    Just for an idea of what I mean by "flooded" with error messages, attached is a screen cap about 30 seconds of my console when using AirPlay.  I've noticed that performance freezes, stutters or drops usually occur when I'm streaming Airplay content and something other than AirplayXPCHelper has entries on the console, which fed my rudimentary analysis that maybe there was a causal connection between the console error messages and the performance issues, or at least that the constant stream of errors was taking resources away from other processes that then cased interruptions in performance that otherwise may not occur.  Does that make sense?

    A few notes in response to questions above:

    • Airplay streaming has been finicky or impossible since I upgraded to Yosemite, but when I first started looking into the issue I didn't even know what the console was, so I can't tell you if it happened before that.  I've learned a lot in the process. 
    • I tried AirParrot and ultimately dumped it because it reached into far too many areas of the system and caused issues that ultimately led me to do a clean reinstall for El Capitan, particularly w/r/t issues it caused with CoreAudio.  I have found that Beamer is much lighter-weight and allows me to stream content from my laptop to the AppleTV without issue, which AirPlay does not.
    • I don't know if this helps, but if I am watching an mp4 in Quicktime, e.g., and I have the option to press the Airplay icon embedded in the application it streams content to the AppleTV just fine, as it does when I stream video from my iPhone.  It's only when I'm watching content in an application  that doesn't have the embedded Airplay capability (i.e., when I activate Airplay through the menu bar) that the error messages occur.   This is true even if I try to stream the exact same video from Quicktime using the embedded icon (no problem) or through the menu bar icon with my TV as an external display (skippy and console error messages). 
  • by stevencaufield,

    stevencaufield stevencaufield Jan 30, 2016 4:50 AM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 30, 2016 4:50 AM in response to stevencaufield

    Screen Shot 2016-01-30 at 07.28.05.png

  • by etresoft,

    etresoft etresoft Jan 30, 2016 8:41 AM in response to stevencaufield
    Level 7 (29,051 points)
    Jan 30, 2016 8:41 AM in response to stevencaufield

    Hello again steven,

    I wouldn't honestly call that "flooded". That is barely two messages a second. That is not going to impact performance. Whatever is actually causing the log message is certainly impacting performance, but not the log messages themselves. The logging system can display many more messages per second than that. Sometimes, the number of messages is too high for the logging system to handle and it will cut them off. You aren't anywhere near that.

     

    It sounds like you are just trying to use AirPlay Mirroring and that is a feature that has been crippled by Yosemite on an older Mac like yours. I guess that means you can only stream content purchased from the Apple iTunes ecosystem. Darn it!