Migrating from old hardware to new Apple Silicon Macs

[MacInWin]

Given that there may be users, new and old, who got new hardware for Christmas, here is an excellent summary of the changes from that old hardware and macOS to the new.

Making the leap from Mojave to Apple silicon

Coping with 64-bit code, APFS, the different CPU, the SSV, System Settings, Recovery Mode, and how to get the best from migration and sharing in iCloud.

eclecticlight.co

Even veterans may want to read it just as a refresher. For example, I had forgotten that because the new Apple Silicon machines run from a snapshot of the SSV that reinstalling macOS to fix things is not as needed as it used to be. The SSV is verified by Apple on every bootup. If the snapshot is invalid, it gets replaced. In effect, it "reinstalls" automatically if it detects any issue. That's just one change. Howard lists more.

 

[MacInWin]

Also, the SMC is reset at each cold boot, which is handy to remember. I don't think Howard mentioned thata in the article, but instead of a key combination, on an Mx Mac, just shut down, wait 5 seconds and boot from cold and the SMC is reset.

 

[RadDave]

Also, the SMC is reset at each cold boot, which is handy to remember. I don't think Howard mentioned thata in the article, but instead of a key combination, on an Mx Mac, just shut down, wait 5 seconds and boot from cold and the SMC is reset.

Hi Jake - now for the SMC reset, just a regular boot (not hold down until entering 'recovery mode'); does this also mean NVRAM, if applicable (vs. the weird Intel 4-key combo)? Also, I usually do not reboot computers unless a problem might warrant the procedure - should M-series computers be rebooted on a routine basis?

Having read the link above and other sources about how the macOS is handled under APFS, are bootable backups worth the effort anymore - on my new M2 laptop and M3 iMac, I'm doing TMs and CCCs (just the data volume), all on SSDs (APFS) - should I make changes in my routine? And I hope others will 'chime in' - thanks. Dave

P.S. just changed my Mac Specs - seems refreshing!

 

[MacInWin]

Hi Jake - now for the SMC reset, just a regular boot (not hold down until entering 'recovery mode'); does this also mean NVRAM, if applicable (vs. the weird Intel 4-key combo)? Also, I usually do not reboot computers unless a problem might warrant the procedure - should M-series computers be rebooted on a routine basis?

I would say a cold boot once in a while might be useful, but not required unless it shows some strange behavior. In this article, Howard Oakley says this

Are we running out of panaceas?

We used to reset the Desktop, the SMC, and NVRAM, install the Combo updater, or perform a clean install. Now there’s only Safe mode left.

eclecticlight.co

Apple silicon Macs don’t have a discrete SMC that can be reset, neither is their NVRAM intended to be reset. The SSV has made most attempts to perform a clean install pointless, and their cleanest install involves DFU mode and wiping absolutely everything, which is a bit too serious to become a popular panacea.

So, from that it would appear that we just don't need to worry about SMC or NVRAM in the Mx Mac.

Having read the link above and other sources about how the macOS is handled under APFS, are bootable backups worth the effort anymore - on my new M2 laptop and M3 iMac, I'm doing TMs and CCCs (just the data volume), all on SSDs (APFS) - should I make changes in my routine? And I hope others will 'chime in' - thanks. Dave

I know there are those who cannot accept that change. I don't want to argue with anybody about it, but I don't have any bootable backups any more. That's all I'll say.

Let the war begin...(without me).

 

[RadDave]

I would say a cold boot once in a while might be useful, but not required unless it shows some strange behavior. In this article, Howard Oakley says this

Are we running out of panaceas?

We used to reset the Desktop, the SMC, and NVRAM, install the Combo updater, or perform a clean install. Now there’s only Safe mode left.

eclecticlight.co

So, from that it would appear that we just don't need to worry about SMC or NVRAM in the Mx Mac.


I know there are those who cannot accept that change. I don't want to argue with anybody about it, but I don't have any bootable backups any more. That's all I'll say.

Let the war begin...(without me).

Thanks Jake - that last comment in bold makes me happy - Dave

 

[Jimmysb]

I know there are those who cannot accept that change. I don't want to argue with anybody about it, but I don't have any bootable backups any more. That's all I'll say.

Jake, first let me say I am NOT here for the war. In another thread somebody is having problems making a bootable drive, or at least getting it to work. I only have one computor, so if I have some sort of issue with my OS, are you saying I will never need to resort to a bootable drive to get me out of trouble.

 

[IWT]

I don't have any bootable backups any more.

Neither do I or my wife. I have Time Machine, of course; and CCC but use the latter as an extra backup of all my current data, settings, and so on. In other words I have foregone the bootable element.

I do have additional, separate Backups of Photos, Music and critical documents.

Ian

 

[Jimmysb]

Neither do I or my wife. I have Time Machine, of course; and CCC but use the latter as an extra backup of all my current data, settings, and so on. In other words I have foregone the bootable element.

I do have additional, separate Backups of Photos, Music and critical documents.

Ian

I also do that, especially with photos that are not replaceable, so TM, external hard drive, and cloud back-ups for photos.

 

[MacInWin]

Jake, first let me say I am NOT here for the war. In another thread somebody is having problems making a bootable drive, or at least getting it to work. I only have one computor, so if I have some sort of issue with my OS, are you saying I will never need to resort to a bootable drive to get me out of trouble.

Never is a very long time. However, in your Mac Mini M1 in your profile, there is what is known as the Sealed System Volume (SSV) that has an encrypted, hidden, verified, copy of the entire system files, verified by Apple through hashcodes. Hence the name "Sealed." At the system first boot a snapshot is made of that verified SSV and the system boots from that snapshot. After that, at each boot the hashcodes for that snapshot are calculated and compared to that of the SSV. If there is a difference, a new snapshot is made and verified and the system boots from that snapshot. In essence, the system checks itself every time it boots. Only Apple can make changes to the SSV, through the update/upgrde process, so the SSV is the "official" version of the OS. Any changes any software/malware you may run will only affect the snapshot, and that adulteration will be detected and removed at the next boot. That process makes it highly unlikely that the OS itself will ever get you into "trouble" as you say. Malware can still cause problems for you, as long as it doesn't try to touch the snapshot files in any way. But that limitation makes any malware fairly easy to find and remove without having to resort to booting from an external drive.

But what about a hardware failure? Well, in the Apple Silicon machines the "drive" is actually storage that has been allocated to perform the function of a drive. If that storage gets damaged, it is unlikely that the system, even if it were to boot from an external, will function properly as that same storage is also allocated to be "memory" in the AS Machine. COULD it happen that ONLY the drive storage would be bad, but the "memory" storage be just fine? Sure, but it's unlikely. Basically, if the storage fails, the logic board needs replacement.

Now there is one use-case for a bootable backup, sort of, that I can imagine. If an AS machine fails for the drive storage going bad, and if you have another AS Mac handy, you could boot that spare machine from the external bootable from the dying machine and be functioning again fairly quickly. However, if you DO have that spare, to me it would be just as easy to boot it from its own system and restore from a non-bootable backup to that spare. The latter would take a few minutes longer for the restore, but the net performance would be better because it would be operating from internal storage at faster speeds once it was restored. And how many of us have a spare Mac sitting around like that?

Based on all of the above, I've decided I don't need/want bootable backups any more. I use TM, CCC, and Chronosync to make data backups and duplicates of my data. If my MBP fails, I'll take my backups to another machine (most likely my wife's machine) while I wait for the MBP to be repaired/replaced. That's MY logic. But everybody gets to do whatever they want/feel a need for.

 

[Jimmysb]

@MacInWin many thanks for that in depth explanation, and I (nearly) fully understand the logic, I cannot fully trash my drive, and hardware failure is beyond my control, so no bootable backup for me, just data backups, which everybody does anyway

 

[RadDave]

@MacInWin many thanks for that in depth explanation, and I (nearly) fully understand the logic, I cannot fully trash my drive, and hardware failure is beyond my control, so no bootable backup for me, just data backups, which everybody does anyway

Just curious about the backup rates these days which has been improving over the decades - the cloud-backup company Backblaze does periodic polls - quoted below is from 2019 (Source), now showing that 20% of users do NO backups as of the poll year vs. 35% back in 2008 - looking at their takeaways below I'm a little surprised at those using the cloud vs. external drives. I suspect that in 2024, that 20% rate will drop further?

The so-called 3-2-1 backup strategy has been around a while, i.e. suggesting 2 backups on-site (different media) and one off-site - still valid? For my 2 new 'holiday' Macs, I guess that is close to the method I'm using; TM + CCC on SSDs (actually I do duplicates, so 4 SSDs/computer) and both using Backblaze cloud backup; also as others have mentioned, even extra backups for super important data, such as personal pics and music.

So, just a FYI post - Dave

Key Takeaways From Our Latest Poll​

• Four in five Americans who own a computer (80 percent) have ever backed up all the data on their computer, which is up from roughly three-quarters (76 percent) in 2018.
• 9 percent who own a computer back up their computer once a day or more often.
• Among those who have ever backed up all data on their computer, nearly three in five (58 percent) use the cloud as the primary method to back up all of the data on their computer, 38 percent use an external hard drive, and just 5 percent use network-attached storage (NAS).

.

 

[MacInWin]

Dave, if you are running a business, the 3-2-1 strategy is still a good approach. The idea is to keep a fairly recent backup off-site, in case of some disaster to the site that would destroy not only the system, but any backup kept on the site. Think of a business and a building fire, for example. At one time in the past I ran a large govermnent data center. We sent offsite 24 reels of tape every day and kept another 48 reels of the same data in two places within the center. The copies rotated every week, so there were basically 7 sets of 24 off-site and 7 sets of 48 on-site in two locations in the facility. Each week the oldest was brought from off-site to be written over with the newest data.

Today it's much easier to do off-site by storing a backup or copy in the cloud. So the strategy today would be to keep one copy in the cloud, and two local, using two different backup methods. That's what I do. I have a cloud backup of my iDevices, which are synced through iCloud to my MBP and a second system in my home. If there is a disaster that destroys my house, the critical stuff is stored in the cloud, and my synced data (pictures, etc) are in iCloud. I've even set up the legacy access for my children in case the disaster includes me and my wife.

My children (inheritors) have all of my current passwords and a document from me that I update periodically with access for all of my accounts and systems.

I use TM for the local backups, along with CCC for additional backups. I also use iCloud to hold backups for my iDevices, in addition to the sync process. The desktop and portables are no longer needed for business, so I don't have an off-site storage for anything but my picture collection at this time.

Yes, I'm paranoid. But there are two types of computer users--Those who have lost data when a drive failed and those who WILL lose data when a drive fails. I'm in the former group and have the scars.