Reinstall to new HD

Just wanted to double check that this procedure is correct.

My Mac Mini's HD needs to be replaced, so on the new SSD:

1) Format HD
2) Install 10.12 Sierra (Can this be done in a docking station, or does it need to be installed in the Mini?)
3) Copy over Indigo 7.2 folder
4) Install Indigo 7.2

What about FTDI drivers for:
2413U PLM
RFX
Do I reinstall new ones?

Any other things I should note BEFORE I remove the original HD from service?

If it's the same computer, why not just restore from a Time Machine backup? Or clone the drive then swap them.

If it's the same computer, why not just restore from a Time Machine backup? Or clone the drive then swap them.

The HD is failing and there is corrupted data, so I would rather start fresh with everything. [Peace of Mind]

If it's the same computer, why not just restore from a Time Machine backup? Or clone the drive then swap them.

The HD is failing and there is corrupted data, so I would rather start fresh with everything. [Peace of Mind]

Ah. Good idea if you don't have a clean backup.

[jay (support)]

Deactivate: https://wiki.indigodomo.com/doku.php?id ... nother_mac

Deactivate: https://wiki.indigodomo.com/doku.php?id ... nother_mac

So after that do I somehow 'activate' the license?

What about the FTDI drivers?

[matt (support)]

You'll activate the license on first launch just by entering your Indigo Account credentials.

The 2413U and RFX both can use Apple's built-in FTDI driver, so you will hopefully be good (might have to re-select the correct serial ports in the interface config UI). There are some problems with Apple's FTDI driver on some (but not all) Macs, but if it was working before on the same Mac I doubt you'll have a problem.

The 2413U and RFX both can use Apple's built-in FTDI driver, so you will hopefully be good (might have to re-select the correct serial ports in the interface config UI).

You state driver [not drivers]. Can you tell by the following if I'm currently using two downloaded drivers or Apple's built-in?
2413U Serial Port = usbserial-A600B3AB
RFXCOM Plugin = usbserial-04XOSEF6

So I'm still unclear whether to download driver(s) or use Apple's. Can both devices share the same driver? If so, then why do I currently have two?

There are some problems with Apple's FTDI driver on some (but not all) Macs, but if it was working before on the same Mac I doubt you'll have a problem.

What? I wasn't aware that Sierra had these issues, I thought the issues started with High Sierra and now Mojave. This is why I haven't upgraded past 10.12, I don't want to deal with those issues.

[matt (support)]

The 2413U and RFX both can use Apple's built-in FTDI driver, so you will hopefully be good (might have to re-select the correct serial ports in the interface config UI).

You state driver [not drivers]. Can you tell by the following if I'm currently using two downloaded drivers or Apple's built-in?
2413U Serial Port = usbserial-A600B3AB
RFXCOM Plugin = usbserial-04XOSEF6

I'm not sure based on the serial port name.

So I'm still unclear whether to download driver(s) or use Apple's. Can both devices share the same driver? If so, then why do I currently have two?

For Sierra I would start with using Apple's FTDI driver and install the other one only if you have problems. All FTDI devices will share the same driver, but that doesn't mean they will share the same serial port name. I think you are confusing serial port names and drivers. The RFXCOM and the 2413U will always have unique serial port names.

There are some problems with Apple's FTDI driver on some (but not all) Macs, but if it was working before on the same Mac I doubt you'll have a problem.

What? I wasn't aware that Sierra had these issues, I thought the issues started with High Sierra and now Mojave. This is why I haven't upgraded past 10.12, I don't want to deal with those issues.

I didn't catch in your original post you were reinstalling Sierra. I believe you'll be fine with Apple's FTDI driver, and if you aren't you'll be able to easily install and use the other FTDI driver. One of the problems with High Sierra and Mojave is even if you install the other FTDI driver it doesn't get loaded consistently after reboot unless you manually remove Apple's driver (which is a pain). That problem doesn't exist in Sierra, so even if you need to switch over to the other FTDI driver all you have to do is run its installer.

[matt (support)]

Excellent point.

The major issue with Sierra and below is that as TLS 1.0 is turned off on various sites, then plugins will stop working. A good example is the Ecobee plugin; it requires TLS 1.2 and as such, needs High Sierra or later. If you're doing a fresh install, it might make sense to try High Sierra or Mojave. If you run into issues you cannot solve, then you can always go back to the original plan. It doesn't take that long to install High Sierra or later, install Indigo, copy everything back, activate Indigo and start seeing if you are going to have issues.

Silly me, I expected this to be a simple HD swap and be back in business.

I thought that the Indigo recommendation was to not go newer than Sierra unless you want to deal with possible issues that even the 'hacks' won't guarantee they work or reoccur.

What the heck is TLS and how does it factor into the OS decision? So if I stay on Sierra, future plug-ins or devices that I add might not work? I don't believe I have ever heard this mentioned in this forum.

My 2012 Mac Mini has one job, to run Indigo 24/7 reliably without having to patch, fix, troubleshoot problems. It also has to run iTunes and Home Sharing.

I feel like I've taken a step backward in replacing my HD, as I now have no clue what OS I should be on, or the pro's/con's of that decision.

HELP, my hard drive is dying.

What the heck is TLS and how does it factor into the OS decision? So if I stay on Sierra, future plug-ins or devices that I add might not work? I don't believe I have ever heard this mentioned in this forum.

TLS is Transport Layer Security (or something like that) and is one component of the HTTPS protocol. Sierra's version of Python only had support for TLS 1.0. Many websites are now requiring TLS 1.2. Which is only available for Python in High Sierra or later. So many of the plugins that communicate with web servers (like Ecobee) will only work on systems that support TLS 1.2.

So if you want any of those, you need to be on HS or Mojave.

[jay (support)]

So many of the plugins that communicate with web servers (like Ecobee) will only work on systems that support TLS 1.2.

So if you want any of those, you need to be on HS or Mojave.

AFAIK, there are only a few that I know of that require TLS 1.2. It is an issue for a couple, but let's not exaggerate the scope.

Unfortunately, we are dependent on Apple. When they create issues, it effects us in ways that we can't really control (like driver bugs or old SSL libraries). So, there are always tradeoffs.

Just as a data point, I have the following Mac mini I use for testing:

ss220.png (130.74 KiB) Viewed 2679 times

It's running Mojave (slowly) and doesn't have the FTDI driver issue. This was after a clean install and NO Time Machine recovery. The same for High Sierra on that Mac (clean install, no time machine recover, clean Indigo install didn't have the driver issue) and it seems to run somewhat faster than Mojave (not a big surprise). YMMV.

...I have the following Mac mini I use for testing:

...It's running Mojave (slowly)

Jay, what are you doing with your Mojave test mini that you notice a speed issue?

Yours is the:
2012
2.5
i5
10gb

Mine is the:
2012
2.3
i7
4gb

Is speed a consideration as to installing High Sierra vs Mojave?

[jay (support)]

I'm not doing anything that would be considered CPU intensive. Just opening Safari really, though booting seems also especially slow. From an Indigo performance standpoint I don't see a real difference, but I'm also not doing anything other than just tests (so I don't have a lot of plugins beyond ours). So, not sure it makes that much difference either way, but if it were me I'd probably stick to HS. It has the Python TLS fix and "feels" like it's faster.