macOS Sierra Tidbits: Apple File System, RAID Support, and More

[MacRumors]

Apple yesterday announced macOS Sierra, the latest version of its Mac software platform and renamed successor to OS X El Capitan. The first beta was released to developers following yesterday's keynote, providing early adopters with a closer look at what's new.

Apple File System

Apple File System, or APFS, is a next-generation file system for Apple products based upon the iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS software platforms, ranging from the Apple Watch to a Mac Pro.

APFS, which supports nearly all of the features of HFS+, is optimized for Flash/SSD storage and features strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.

Apple has posted an Apple File System Guide on its Developer Portal with technical details and other documentation.

The file system is available in pre-release beta for Apple developers on macOS Sierra and is scheduled to ship in 2017.

RAID Support

Apple has reintroduced the ability to create and manage RAID volumes in Disk Utility on macOS Sierra, pleasing a number of Mac users who were left disappointed when the functionality disappeared in OS X El Capitan.

"Anywhere" Dropped From Gatekeeper

Apple has removed the Gatekeeper option to allow apps to be downloaded from "anywhere" by default in System Preferences > Security & Privacy, resulting in a warning dialog when you attempt to open an app from an unidentified developer. "Mac App Store" and "Mac App Store and identified developers" remain selectable.

'Anywhere' option missing? Does OS X 10.12 fully disallow unsigned apps? #Gatekeeper #Sierra pic.twitter.com/yBfrhllaJA - patrick wardle (@patrickwardle) June 14, 2016

Apps from unidentified developers can normally be opened by clicking the "Open Anyway" button in System Preferences > Security & Privacy, but the macOS Sierra release notes indicate that this button does not work in the first beta. A workaround solution is to hold down the Control key, click on an application, and choose "open."

Default Text Size in Notes

Optimized Storage

macOS Sierra has a new optimized storage function that frees disk space on your Mac by automatically storing rarely used files in the cloud and keeping them available on demand. It can also help you find and remove old files you no longer use.

During its WWDC 2016 keynote, Apple briefly showed slides that indicate which types of files are stored or deleted.

Old files that are backed up to iCloud include ePub books you've read, books in iBooks you've read, old screenshots, iTunes U courses you're not using, full-resolution photos, Mac App Store apps you're not using, old presentations, old PNGs and JPEGs, old RAW files, old text files, old word processing documents, old documents, languages you're not using, played iTunes podcasts, old home videos, fonts you're not using, old Mail attachments, old illustrations, movies in iTunes you've watched, dictionaries you're not using, viewed iTunes TV shows, iTunes songs you don't listen to, old clippings, old spreadsheets, and instructional system videos.

Old files that can be found and removed include redundant Mail data, previous OS X installers, Apple Music playback caches, Safari web caches, cached iBooks animations, event logs, cached Map tiles, fault and error logs, iTunes inactive downloads, cached iBooks covers, trash after 30 days, Safari Web Cache, Configurator iOS files, Quick Look thumbnails, iTunes IPSW files, state dump logs, iBooks inactive downloads, archived Safari Reading List, persistent logs, Mac App Store inactive downloads, Xcode caches, old iPhone backups, Configurator inactive downloads, iTunes orphaned database temporary files, and TTL log files.

Siri Preferences

Share your own tidbits in our macOS Sierra: All The Little Things discussion thread.

Article Link: macOS Sierra Tidbits: Apple File System, RAID Support, and More

 

[Markoth]

Is it strange that the most exciting thing for me up there is Apple File System? This is seriously going to help fix a ton of the more... questionable parts of OS X erm... excuse me: macOS. Time Machine should benefit tremendously from filesystem-provided snapshots. Exciting times.

 

[BrodieApple]

Can someone tell an average person like me the advantages of the new file system?? Thanks

 

[SeaFox]

Hmmm, I assume there will be an easy way to disable these "optimized storage" functions. I don't want stuff being uploaded to the cloud and removed from local copy on the OS's whims really.

Also, regarding that new synchronized Documents, etc folders, not sure if that's gonna work without Apple beefing up the free iCloud storage -- and I mean at least four fold.

 

[djbuddha]

As much as the intentions of this new file system is to make things easier / more secure .. If Apple half bakes this like it has many other things lately, it could be a disaster. BUT .... I feel like they're going to give this a lot of attention if ALL their devices are going to be running it. Let's hope it's beneficial.

 

[meaning-matters]

It's amazing what Apple has done on software side!

 

[star-affinity]

Been curios about when a new file system would be released. Good news I think! The old HFS+ has been around for quite some time now…

 

[Jacquesvw]

.

 

[swingerofbirch]

Couple of questions:

I don't know a lot about file systems, but I believe I heard before that OS X has a limitation where only one file can be written to the file system at a time. That doesn't quite sound right now that I say that, but I feel like I've heard something to that effect. And I've noticed things like Time Machine not backing up or Spotlight not indexing if I'm doing something like recording video to the hard drive. Is this related to the current file system? And will the new one allow multiple things like that to happen at once?

Completely different topic: With all this stuff being backed up to the cloud, what are everyone's guesses about Apple increasing the standard 5 GB free storage space? Or maybe keep it as is and hope more people will subscribe?

 

[Jacquesvw]

.

 

[mw360]

I can imagine the panic regarding apps from 'anywhere' but I have seen a couple of vendors including in their installation instructions the steps to disable Gatekeeper, which obviously leaves naive users vulnerable after that. Removing the permanent options seems sensible to thwart that.

 

[Markoth]

Can someone tell an average person like me the advantages of the new file system?? Thanks

Well, for one thing, your data should be a lot safer with this new filesystem. Also, the ability to clone files and directories will let you instantaneously make copies of files. Those copies will appear to be completely separate files, but thanks to this new filesystem, the copy won't take up any additional space until you actually make edits, and even then, the space taken should be roughly equal to the space of the edits you made, and not the entire file. This is a huge win for many workflows.

Snapshots will allow for time machine to operate much more efficiently. Assuming the snapshots work as they do on other filesystems, it will allow Time Machine to basically tell the filesystem to "remember the data as it is now", without taking any additional space until data is added or modified. This will be a much better way to implement snapshots than the current method..

Fast directory sizing will allow OS X to compute the size of the data in a folder MUCH faster! As many of us know, large folders can take OS X awhile to compute... Always been a pet peeve of mine.

There are other great additions, but these are the ones I thought I could explain simply. Hope I did a decent job...

 

[kildraik]

Time machine backups not supported.

Incompatible with fusion drives.

Incompatible with startup disks.

Files cannot be used with FileVault.

Case-sensitive only file names.

But wait! Nano-second time stamping, and it works with your Apple Watch!

Remember if you synced your iPhone to a Windows device, you'd have to erase everything to format for PC use? Is this what will happen with files created under APFS?

"Send over that session!"

"Sorry, Patrick. You have to buy a new Mac to open it!"

Edit: I know it's not up for official release yet, just random thoughts.

This is all great. Good times.

 

[Markoth]

Time machine backups not supported.

Incompatible with fusion drives.

Incompatible with startup disks.

Files cannot be used with FileVault.

Case-sensitive only file names.

But wait! Nano-second time stamping, and it works with your Apple Watch!

Remember if you synced your iPhone to a Windows device, you'd have to erase everything to format for PC use? Is this what will happen with files created under APFS?

"Send over that session!"

"Sorry, Patrick. You have to buy a new Mac to open it!"

They're not allowing it to do a whole lot, simply due to the fact that this is a very early version, and the filesystem is a very fundamental part of an OS. Beta filesystems are never fun to use (especially as a boot partition), and I'm betting this is no exception. Apple is smart playing it safe, especially given the wave of users coming in July to the beta.

 

[Apple-Guy]

Euhm.. could you like, not touch my files and move them elsewhere? Okay? Thanks.

 

[navaira]

I wonder if iCloud will use matching like it does with Apple Music.

"So you had a file called newdesign.psd – guess what, this guy from India had one too! They're different sizes, different Photoshop versions, but who cares? We saved you space. THANK US"

 

[GaryMumford]

RAID support is back Yippee...
Oh Wait, MacPro 2009 not supported... Boooo

 

[Mums]

Hmmm, I assume there will be an easy way to disable these "optimized storage" functions. I don't want stuff being uploaded to the cloud and removed from local copy on the OS's whims really.

Also, regarding that new synchronized Documents, etc folders, not sure if that's gonna work without Apple beefing up the free iCloud storage -- and I mean at least four fold.

Yeah this sounds like iTunes Match all over again --- except much worse!

 

[MacHiavelli]

When talking about privacy during wwdc, Craig said much was reliant on the silicon used in iOS and Mac devices.

Looking at all the convergences between the different OSes, I think Craig must have been referring to future Macs having ARM silicon. Also helps to explain why so many Macs that can run El Cap today have been excluded from running Sierra.

And the new APFS (in 2017) and storage refinements all point to the end of spinning HDDs and the end of Intel-based Macs.

Time will tell, but the writing on the wall seems pretty clear now.

 

[MH01]

Raid support. Excellent

 

[kildraik]

As many of us know, large folders can take OS X awhile to compute... Always been a pet peeve of mine.

There are other great additions, but these are the ones I thought I could explain simply. Hope I did a decent job...

Lol... That nervous moment you select "Get Info," and have time to make lunch before you can find out how much junk you've been hiding in deep (forgotten) folders.

And you did, that's about as far as my understanding was. The cloning reminded me of what goes on behind the hood in a DAW.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Ironically they've dropped OS compatibility for a load of Apple computers which would actually use RAID. Like the '09 Mac Pro, and a load of other MacBooks which can get the ODD swapped out for a second drive bay.

 

[ScottishCaptain]

**** that.

No option to install apps from "anywhere"? Mandatory binary code signing? No thanks.

Christ, I hate Windows 10 as much as the next guy, but not even Microsoft requires signed binaries on x86_64. What's next, people are going to find out that csrutil is missing and SIP is now mandatory to boot?

-SC

 

[8692574]

When talking about privacy during wwdc, Craig said much was reliant on the silicon used in iOS and Mac devices.
Looking at all the convergences between the different OSes, I think Craig must have been referring to future Macs having ARM silicon.

I say what? There is a silicon chip in Macs and it is called Intel .....and I seriously doubt a high executive li him would "forget" to keep a secret.

Also helps to explain why so many Macs that can run El Cap today have been excluded from running Sierra.

How are the 2 related? I mean if Sierra is runnng on Mac that have Intel....don't see the connection there.

Some older machine (running intel )are unsupported because the new one will have an ARM chip, and yet the one in between (again intel chip) will be able to run such os...

So what is it an ARM version or an Intel version?? or a hybrid..... and if it is a hybrid why it makes sense for some machine not to be supported..

Hmmm, I assume there will be an easy way to disable these "optimized storage" functions. I don't want stuff being uploaded to the cloud and removed from local copy on the OS's whims really.

Also, regarding that new synchronized Documents, etc folders, not sure if that's gonna work without Apple beefing up the free iCloud storage -- and I mean at least four fold.

This, even forgetting about the tiny space in iCloud, say i have a file wich i use very little, and to save space it is uploaded to the cloud and removed from my hd, I then go in a trib and have NO internet how do I access that file, that kindly was removed without me knowing to save space?.... am I stuck with a chromebook?

 

[beebarb]

When talking about privacy during wwdc, Craig said much was reliant on the silicon used in iOS and Mac devices.

Looking at all the convergences between the different OSes, I think Craig must have been referring to future Macs having ARM silicon. Also helps to explain why so many Macs that can run El Cap today have been excluded from running Sierra.

And the new APFS (in 2017) and storage refinements all point to the end of spinning HDDs and the end of Intel-based Macs.

Time will tell, but the writing on the wall seems pretty clear now.

If they drop Intel Macs, I'm out.

I have multiple VMs I run, and having to wait until ARM outperforms Intel, and the instruction translation isn't ass?
Uh... no thanks.

Even though four of them are Windows VMs I'll probably migrate the VMs to VMWare, and run them on a Windows desktop should Apple switch to ARM on the desktop.
A Windows 10 VM on Windows 10 seems dumb, but hey, I'll have no choice if that happens.

Not to mention the apps I use compiled for x86/x86_64 that are no longer updated.
Some of them like SIDPLAY I wish were, I haven't found anything else to play Commodore 64 SID files which allows me to properly manage the HVSC library.