[Sticky] Important notes regarding Big Sur and SoftRAID

Your desktop is on Big Sur? then use the beta version, it will work fine.

@numa1930

We are going to be in beta for a while, months probably. So use the beta.

The web site will be updated as soon as the b43 is released, when we have both Apple Silicon support and support for older OS releases.

The icon issue is a Big Sur bug. The icons may come back with the next update of Big Sur. We are also going to see if we can force a fix. Its purely a cosmetic issue.

It took a while to get the driver 100% reliable on Big Sur, the application needs lots of work, including a UI overhaul for APFS support. (why it will take time to get the 6.0 release out) But everything will continue to work.

@thierrycoopman

I suspect the driver is being blocked. Another case of a last minute security change in Big Sur, after final release. We did not see any of that issue during testing the beta of Big Sur, but it is possible we missed it.

Try these steps, most users who run into this problem are fixed by them.
(And remember, with Big Sur, it is even stricter on what applications are allowed to be copied from one computer to the next. Always do a clean download, rather than copy the app from one system to another.)

https://www.softraid.com/pages/support/faq/faq_imacpro_secureboot.html

(Also be sure Secure Boot is disabled, 6.0 b42 does not perform the test we apply in 5.8.4. B43 will likely check for Secure Boot.)

@numa1930

This appears to be a Big Sur bug. We are investigating. It is cosmetic only.

@softraid-support. Here's the output of the command you requested.  I also ran the diagnostic and attached the output to this post.  Thx!

sudo kextload -v 6 /Library/Extensions/SoftRAID.kext

Password:

Kext user-space log filter changed from 0xff2 to 0xfff.

Kext kernel-space log filter changed from 0xff2 to 0xfff.

Kext library architecture set to x86_64.

Executing: /usr/bin/kmutil load -p /Library/Extensions/SoftRAID.kext

Error occurred while building a collection: could not use '/Library/StagedExtensions/Library/Extensions/tap.kext/Contents/MacOS/tap' because it is not a dylib, bundle, or executable, filetype=0x00000001

@sterno

I will try to have a reply tomorrow on this. If you need to mount your volumes, disable SIP temporariy.

command r at startup, and in terminal, csrutil disable

@softraid-support.  I did try that crsutil disable previously and it didn't help.  I can give it another go, just not for the next few days as I'm away from my computer, and I can't access startup menu remotely.  While not urgent, I would be curious to hear if the error message or the logs provides any insight.  Thanks again.

@softraid-support

It could be related on the T2 chip indeed. Although I plug the drive in more than 2 minutes after boot. 

I'll try again with different boot security setting

@softraid-support

No success, followed the guide, checked that driver versions are fine etc... Drive shows up in Disk Utility or SoftRaid main app, but unable to mount. 

Nothing specific in the logs, it just 'silently' fails...

Drive is an OWC Thunderblade 8GB, works fine in Catalina on a Mac Pro 2013, but doesn't work on a MBP 13" 2018. 

The Mac Pro is deemed to be replaced by one of the new M1 Mac mini, as this is now faster than the 7 year old machine. But the Thunderblade is crucial to my workflow. 

As stated in my original post, I have installed the SoftRAID Beta on my trash can MacPro running Big Sur, and although the Thunderbay4 shows up on the SoftRAID display it registers as "unmounted" and I can not see it anywhere else.  It other words, it fails to mount.

@softraid-support. 

Hi there, good news, the drive array is now mounting.  

I asked my wife who's a software engineer (device comms) to try the SIP disable as she has access to the machine while I'm away.   That didn't fix it but she dug in and was able to find the problem...

"You had two obsolete kernel extensions that had to be taken out manually.  

The original problem, still unresolved, is that when trying use the SoftRAID Beta on my Power Mac Trash Can running Big Sur, my ThunderBay4 will not mount.  It does show up on the SoftRAID directory, but it says "unmounted" and cannot be opened or seen by any other programs.  Trying to open it on my laptop was a test that was suggested here.

The link for the beta no longer seems to work.  I have my Apple silicon mac mini coming tomorrow - any chance for a beta or release version that works?

The beta link is a permalink. It should always work.

https://www.softraid.com/sr_beta

We are working on B43. We hope to get our M1 today, it should have arrived Monday.

That is interesting information and we can dig into it.

Do you know what the other extension was?

I will make a note for other users. thanks!