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How to get Recovery Partition on a new Fusion Drive?

randyharris

randyharris

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 10, 2006
155
13
I just bought a used 2011 iMac, 3.1ghz 1TB drive.

-cracked the iMac open and
-installed a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB, disk0
-replaced the 1TB with a Seagate 3TB, disk1
-ran the terminal commands to create the Fusion Drive at 99% capacity

I thought that in only taking 99% of the drive I would have room left for the Recovery Partition, but after installing Mavericks from a USB recovery drive I have no recovery partition on the iMac.

Of course I could just use a USB drive for recovery boot up needs, but I would really prefer to have it on the drive itself so that it's there when I need it.

Was I not correct in thinking that installing a clean version of Mavericks onto the Fusion drive would create the Recovery Partition?

Any way that I can setup my new Fusion Drive so that it does have the Recovery Partition?

Thanks!
 
A standard install of Mavericks does create a recovery partition. Are you sure you do not have one. Enter "diskutil list" (without the quotes) in Terminal and you should see the 650MB Recovery HD partition.

If you don't have one, you can use this tool to create one.
 
Weaselboy said:
A standard install of Mavericks does create a recovery partition. Are you sure you do not have one. Enter "diskutil list" (without the quotes) in Terminal and you should see the 650MB Recovery HD partition.

If you don't have one, you can use this tool to create one.
Click to expand...

So after I wrote that post, I re-installed Mavericks from the App Store, still no Recovery Partition. Then I also found that MagerValp utility and used it too, still no Recovery Partition! I do have a 650GB partition, but it's not labeled as it should be, and when I hold down the OPTION key when booting I see no recovery option either.
 
randyharris said:
So after I wrote that post, I re-installed Mavericks from the App Store, still no Recovery Partition. Then I also found that MagerValp utility and used it too, still no Recovery Partition! I do have a 650GB partition, but it's not labeled as it should be, and when I hold down the OPTION key when booting I see no recovery option either.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... post up the output of that diskutil list command.
 
Weaselboy said:
Hmmm.... post up the output of that diskutil list command.
Click to expand...

Code: 
Last login: Wed Dec 18 12:06:46 on console
Randys-iMac:~ randyharris$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *250.1 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         249.7 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *3.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         3.0 TB     disk1s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               650.0 MB   disk1s3
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Fusion                 *3.2 TB     disk2
/dev/disk3
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *2.0 TB     disk3
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS Offsite Mac SSD         200.0 GB   disk3s2
   3:                  Apple_HFS Offsite Media           1.8 TB     disk3s3
Randys-iMac:~ randyharris$
 
randyharris said:
… I re-installed Mavericks from the App Store, still no Recovery Partition. ... I do have a 650GB partition, but it's not labeled as it should be, and when I hold down the OPTION key when booting I see no recovery option either.
Click to expand...

So, what IS the name of that 650MB (not GB, I hope!) partition? (I see it now, "Boot OS X" )

And, despite the fact that you don't see a Recovery partition - can you boot to it anyway? Restart, holding Command-R …

You mentioned that you left space for the recovery partition. There's no need to do this, as the OS X installer creates the space during the OS X install.
Could be that your attempt at trying to "think ahead" of the installer may have left you with a small partition that can't be used by the installer. You may need to wipe your fusion drive out completely, and begin again, with an OS X install that now should now include the recovery partition.
 
randyharris said:
Code: 
Last login: Wed Dec 18 12:06:46 on console
Randys-iMac:~ randyharris$ diskutil list[/QUOTE]

I think the problem there is they way you created the Fusion disk. It appears you created the Fusion drive form the entire disk rather than just Macintosh HD, and that put the recovery inside the Fusion core storage volume. (This is what it looks like to me).

Below is how that command output from a Fusion drive should look from [URL="http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/11/fusion-drive-quick-look-our-predictions-confirmed/"]this article[/URL].

[CODE]LeeHs-Mac-mini:~ leeh$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *121.3 GB disk0
1: 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 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

Give this a look with some suggestions for a fix.
Click to expand...
 
DeltaMac said:
And, despite the fact that you don't see a Recovery partition - can you boot to it anyway? Restart, holding Command-R …
Click to expand...

Well what do you know, when I rebooted and held down Command+R it went into the Recovery boot!!! What the heck though, when I boot holding down OPTION why doesn't this show up in the list of bootable options?

----------
Weaselboy said:
I think the problem there is they way you created the Fusion disk. It appears you created the Fusion drive form the entire disk rather than just Macintosh HD, and that put the recovery inside the Fusion core storage volume. (This is what it looks like to me).
Click to expand...

I think the drive is all good...

Code: 
Randys-iMac:yenc-0.3 randyharris$ diskutil coreStorage list
CoreStorage logical volume groups (1 found)
|
+-- Logical Volume Group 0EA574ED-0BFA-45D7-AC33-12C1AFA3856A
    =========================================================
    Name:         Fusion
    Status:       Online
    Size:         3249448599552 B (3.2 TB)
    Free Space:   32440745984 B (32.4 GB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume A51298F3-F482-4AC6-A8CB-D91E25A5A179
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    0
    |   Disk:     disk0s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     249715376128 B (249.7 GB)
    |
    +-< Physical Volume 53473223-ACEA-4EB2-8244-2C8424349974
    |   ----------------------------------------------------
    |   Index:    1
    |   Disk:     disk1s2
    |   Status:   Online
    |   Size:     2999733223424 B (3.0 TB)
    |
    +-> Logical Volume Family 055C5D6D-11A7-4BBF-8B31-8B796BD2BE95
        ----------------------------------------------------------
        Encryption Status:       Unlocked
        Encryption Type:         None
        Conversion Status:       NoConversion
        Conversion Direction:    -none-
        Has Encrypted Extents:   No
        Fully Secure:            No
        Passphrase Required:     No
        |
        +-> Logical Volume DB04A908-EF66-41AA-8BB2-A57E121A910A
            ---------------------------------------------------
            Disk:                  disk2
            Status:                Online
            Size (Total):          3211121770496 B (3.2 TB)
            Conversion Progress:   -none-
            Revertible:            No
            LV Name:               Fusion
            Volume Name:           Fusion
            Content Hint:          Apple_HFS
 
Weaselboy said:
I think the problem there is they way you created the Fusion disk. It appears you created the Fusion drive form the entire disk rather than just Macintosh HD, and that put the recovery inside the Fusion core storage volume. (This is what it looks like to me).

Below is how that command output from a Fusion drive should look from this article.

Give this a look with some suggestions for a fix.
Click to expand...

Interesting.

I followed the guide for creating the Fusion Drive at this site.

Maybe it results in what I am seeing.

Does anybody have reference to a guide for setting up the Fusion Drive such that it will show the Recovery Partition in a 'list' command AND it shows up when booting while holding the OPTION key?

I don't mind starting from scratch in order to get it setup that way.
 
Could be some difference between the "factory" image for the fusion drive, and homemade "replicas".
I am not convinced that it's worth the effort to force the Recovery Partition to appear in the Option-boot screen, particularly now that you know how to boot from it...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
 
randyharris said:
Interesting.

I followed the guide for creating the Fusion Drive at this site.

Maybe it results in what I am seeing.

Does anybody have reference to a guide for setting up the Fusion Drive such that it will show the Recovery Partition in a 'list' command AND it shows up when booting while holding the OPTION key?

I don't mind starting from scratch in order to get it setup that way.
Click to expand...

If you read the comments on that page you linked, it looks like others that followed that procedure have the same issue.

I found the comments below in this walkthru that claim your behavior is normal. :confused:

jj0yf2s.png


Found this article also saying the same thing.

It is odd yours is not labelled Recovery HD like it should be though. The steps in the OWC walk thru seem to have it labelled correctly.
 
Sorry missed that, looks like they show the same commands that I used.

Well it works so I shouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't be bothered to redo if find a better procedure.
 
randyharris said:
Sorry missed that, looks like they show the same commands that I used.

Well it works so I shouldn't worry about it, but I wouldn't be bothered to redo if find a better procedure.
Click to expand...

Did you make the Fusion drive with blank drive and then install, or did you have the install there already and afterward made the Fusion? I wonder if that makes a difference. It would seem the best route would be start from blank drives to make the Fusion then install. That's my thinking anyway.
 
I installed a virgin 250GB SSD and a virgin 3TB HDD. Booted off a recovery USB and did the terminal work to create the Fusion, and then did a clean install of Mavericks from the USB, then did another Mavericks install from the App Store.
 
It has been awhile, but as I recall I first used CCC to clone my old boot disk to a new SSD which created the recovery partition (I also created a SSD Windows partition at this time). I then created a DIY Fusion drive using both Drive_ID and Partition_ID (D#S#) when building the CoreStorage array. It all works fine. :)


I thought that a OEM Fusion drive put the recovery partition on the hard disk (I don't have a OEM Fusion to look at, mine are all DIY).



-howard
 
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hfg said:
It has been awhile, but as I recall I first used CCC to clone my old boot disk to a new SSD which created the recovery partition (I also created a SSD Windows partition at this time). I then created a DIY Fusion drive using both Drive_ID and Partition_ID (D#S#) when building the CoreStorage array. It all works fine. :)


I thought that a OEM Fusion drive put the recovery partition on the hard disk (I don't have a OEM Fusion to look at, mine are all DIY).



-howard
Click to expand...

Maybe that's the ticket, install onto one of the drives before creating the Fusion Drive.
 
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As fate would have it, my Brother In Law just bought a 2011 iMac off Craiglist and I'm going to install an SSD for him and create a Fusion drive with the stock 1TB drive and a Samsung 840 120GB EVO. So I used my external drive caddy to install Mavericks onto the SSD, and it does have the Apple Recovery partition on it. Will be curious to see after fusing the two drives as a fusion drive, to see if it shows the Apple Recovery partition.

stay tuned!

(cable needed to hook up the SSD en route.)
 
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The answer to having a recovery partition is to have one on at least one of the drives then create the fusion drive from the SSD and only the non-recovery portion (/disk1sX) of the spinning drive. That leaves the recovery partition untouched.

I'm trying to do this same this right now.

SSD = disk0
HDD = disk1 (with paritions Mavericks on disk1s1 and Recovery HD on disk1s2)

diskutil cosreStorage create Fusion disk0 disk1s1 should create the logical volume of the SSD and only the partition of the HDD that is NOT the Recovery HD.
 
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randyharris said:
So after I wrote that post, I re-installed Mavericks from the App Store, still no Recovery Partition. Then I also found that MagerValp utility and used it too, still no Recovery Partition! I do have a 650GB partition, but it's not labeled as it should be, and when I hold down the OPTION key when booting I see no recovery option either.
Click to expand...

I can confirm from experience your system is fine for a DIY fusion. I've been playing around with Fusion drives for almost a year now between two computers. A 2012 iMac and a 2009 Mac mini, both with DIY fusion drives. Both machines have the recovery partition but it gets labeled "Boot OS X" when created by the install process. And though the partition doesn't show when booting into the OPTION boot list, both machines boot into the recovery partition with CMD+R.
 
Reinstall to Recover Recovery Partition

If a recovery partition is not viewable when booting by holding the command-key, then it doesn't have anything on it or does not exist.

BOOT OSX is not a likely a recovery partition. Check the size. Mine has a BOOT OSX on my SSD and it's only 149MB. That's not big enough. It should be called Recovery HD and be about 640MB to 1GB in size. On my HDD, I have a 640MB partitioned Mavericks named Recovery HD.

The solution is to reinstall OSX onto either the SSD or the spinning HDD (if you've already lost the recovery partition) BEFORE forming the fusion drive.

If you already have a fusion drive, delete it (google how using terminal) and start over. Fusion drives groups (as they are called) cannot be dynamically resized to add a recovery partition. Reinstalling Mavericks on your fusion drive group did not create the recovery partition because it couldn't. Unfortunately, it also didn't tell you during the install process. It's probably buried in a log somewhere.

Afterward reinstalling mavericks on your separated partition, fuse the proper SSD volume ONLY with the proper HDD volume ONLY as noted in my post above using terminal (not with the whole drive that contains the recovery partition, but only the diskXsY partition that is NOT the recovery partition.). That essentially repartitions the two separate disk partitions into the fusion drive across the SSD and the HDD without affecting the Recovery Partition itself.

Then you initialize the fused drive and either reinstall Mavericks or restore your backup onto it.

I just did this last night. I know it works. My 2011 i7 MBP loads stuff faster than ever before and is a joy to use again. Now I just need a little more RAM.

Also: Partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition partition
(just in case I didn't use it enough above).
 
marzer said:
I can confirm from experience your system is fine for a DIY fusion. I've been playing around with Fusion drives for almost a year now between two computers. A 2012 iMac and a 2009 Mac mini, both with DIY fusion drives. Both machines have the recovery partition but it gets labeled "Boot OS X" when created by the install process. And though the partition doesn't show when booting into the OPTION boot list, both machines boot into the recovery partition with CMD+R.
Click to expand...

Eriamjh1138@DAN said:
If a recovery partition is not viewable when booting by holding the command-key, then it doesn't have anything on it or does not exist.
Click to expand...

You are mistaken. Read the post just above yours and my posts and links in the thread.
 
Hmm. My iMac with Factory Fusion drive has a Boot OSX drive on the SSD and a Recovery HD on the HDD. It doesn't show it when it boots with the option key. CMD-R boots.

I found this:'Boot OSX' folders appearing in OS X

On nonstandard filesystems such as RAID disks (including those used in an Apple Software RAID setup through Disk Utility), the system will create the main storage partitions, but in addition it will create a small partition called "Boot OSX" in which it stores the boot loader for OS X along with a copy of the system kernel and its configured extensions in a multi-extensions cache (mkext cache).
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Eriamjh1138@DAN said:
Hmm. My iMac with Factory Fusion drive has a Boot OSX drive on the SSD and a Recovery HD on the HDD. It doesn't show it when it boots with the option key. CMD-R boots.
Click to expand...

I understand, but for some reason the "homegrown" Fusion setups seem to come out differently as described in the blog post I linked and detailed by marzer in his post.
 
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