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Fusion Drive

Introduction

This course introduces service technicians to the Fusion Drive found on the iMac (Late 2012) and Mac mini (Late 2012).

Lesson Overview

Lesson Objectives
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:
Explain the Fusion Drive and how it works.
Identify the necessary software and hardware components needed for a Fusion Drive.
Recognize, troubleshoot and resolve Fusion Drive issues.
Audience

Prerequisites

Time Required

Service Technicians

None

20 Minutes

What is Fusion Drive?

Fusion Drive is a breakthrough storage option that combines the high storage capacity of a traditional hard drive and the high performance of flash
based storage (module or solid-state drive).
A traditional hard drive and flash storage are fused together into one single volume:

A Fusion Drive makes disk-intensive tasks faster and more efficient. Some examples include booting up, launching apps and importing photos.

Once configured, a Fusion Drive cannot be "separated" into two volumes.

What is flash storage?


Flash storage stores information using non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be electrically erased and reprogrammed as
compared to hard drives that use spinning magnetic platters and moving read/write heads. Because flash storage does not use
moving mechanical components, they are faster, lighter, and quiet compared to traditional hard drives. Flash storage can deliver up
to four times the performance of a traditional hard drive.
Apple products like the iMac (Late 2012), MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display use high-performance flash storage
modules. Apple products like the Mac mini (Late 2012) and MacBook Pro use solid-state drives, which are flash storage in a 2.5"
SATA drive module.

Fusion Drive Availability


Fusion Drive is an Apple Online Store configurable option for the following products:
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012)
Mac mini (Late 2012)

A customer must choose a 1TB or 3TB traditional hard drive to combine with 128GB of flash storage.
The computer arrives pre-configured and no setup is required.

Fusion Drive Requirements

Mac

iMac (Late 2012)

Mac mini (Late 2012)

Operating System

OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2


(12C2034) or later

Storage (1 Flash Storage Module or Drive + 1 Hard Drive)

128GB Flash storage

1TB or 3TB Hard drive

An external USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt hard drive (flash storage or traditional hard disk) cannot be used as part of a Fusion
Drive.

How Fusion Drive Works

Fusion Drive is built into OS X Mountain Lion. It automatically fuses 128GB flash storage and hard drive into one volume. No special setup or

configuration is required.
Fusion Drive automatically and intelligently manages data so that frequently used apps and documents stay on the faster flash storage, while
infrequently used items are moved to the hard drive. File transfers are transparent and take place in the background.

When shipped from Apple, everything (operating system and pre-installed iLife apps) is on flash storage. As additional data and apps are added
(through installs or migration), the flash storage will fill and the system will begin moving infrequently used apps and data to the hard drive.

Key operating system files are always kept on flash storage for fast boot times and fast sleep/wake.
The Recovery HD partition always stays on the hard drive.

Important
Fusion Drive automatically determines data placement between the flash storage or the hard drive. The user is not able to specify
data placement.

Always encourage customers to:


Backup their Fusion Drive. Time Machine is Fusion Drive compatible.
Create an external OS X Recovery Disk. Refer to Apple Support article HT4848.

Mac Partition
A maximum of one partition can be added while using a Fusion Drive. The new partition is created on the hard drive and is a completely separate
volume. It is not part of the Fusion Drive.
How to add a Mac partition:
1. Launch Disk Utility in the Utilities folder.
2. Select the hard drive and click the Partition tab.
3. Click the "+" button to add a partition.
4. Adjust the size of the new partition.
5. Click Apply.

Once the partition is added, the "plus" symbol used to add additional partitions will be grayed out.

Key Points
A maximum of one partition can be added while using Fusion Drive.
The new partition is created on the hard disk drive.
The new partition is a completely separate volume and does not inherit Fusion Drive benefits.
Flash storage cannot be partitioned.

Fusion Drive requires a special version of Disk Utility


The version of Disk Utility that comes with a Fusion Drive configured Mac is unique. Earlier versions of Disk Utility cannot be used.

Windows Partition
As mentioned in the previous section, a maximum of one partition can be created on the hard disk while using a Fusion Drive. The partition can be OS
X or Windows.
Use Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows partition:

Follow the onscreen instructions to create the partition and setup Windows.

Important
Do not use Disk Utility to create a Windows partition.
Note: Boot Camp Assistant is currently not supported on 3TB hard drive configurations.

Troubleshooting

Caution: Before you begin


Verify that the customer has backed up important files. Some troubleshooting steps may erase the contents of the Fusion Drive.
If a Fusion Drive cannot be accessed and contains important data (that was not backed up), refer the customer to a data recovery
service before performing service.

If the Mac can boot, the issue is probably software related.


If the Fusion Drive equipped Mac cannot start or exhibits disk related errors, follow the troubleshooting steps below.

Troubleshooting Steps: Part 1


1. Use Internet Recovery or an External Recovery Disk to access OS X Recovery.
Internet Recovery: Restart the Mac. Hold down Command-Option-R until the Apple icon appears.
External Recovery Disk (OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.2, Build 12C2034 or later): Restart the Mac. Hold down the Option key to access Startup
Manager. Choose the external Recovery disk.
2. Select Disk Utility from the OS X Utilities window.
3. If the Fusion Drive can be repaired with Disk Utility, you'll see a Disk icon with red lettering. Click the disk icon. Note: If the Fusion Drive cannot
be repaired, skip to Troubleshooting Steps: Part 2.

4. Repair the Fusion Drive volume by clicking Fix. After the repair is complete, the volume color will change to black.

Caution: Clicking Fix will erase the contents of the Fusion Drive (both flash storage and hard drive).

5. Quit Disk Utility.


6. The OS X Utilities window will reappear. Click Install Mac OS X to reinstall OS X Mountain Lion.

Troubleshooting Steps: Part 2


Isolate the hardware issue: hard drive, flash storage, cable, logic board.
1. Attempt to boot from Recovery HD.
(Restart the Mac. Hold down the Command key and the R key (Command-R), until the Apple icon appears. The "OS X Utilities" window should
appear.)

Recovery HD resides on the hard drive. If you are able to boot from Recovery HD, this indicates that the hard drive is functional.
However, this does not validate that the hard drive is free of defects.

2. Run Mac Resource Inspector (MRI). Check both the hard drive and flash storage.
3. Check drive cables, connections and flash storage modules (iMac, Late 2012). Are they properly seated and connected?
4. Use component isolation to determine the faulty part. Try a known good hard drive and cable first; and a known good flash storage and cable
last.

Replacing Storage

Any time the hard drive or flash storage is replaced, run Disk Utility from OS X Recovery.
1. Access OS X Recovery via Internet Recovery or External Recovery Disk.

Internet Recovery: Restart the Mac. Hold down Command-Option-R until the Apple icon appears.
External Recovery Disk: Restart the Mac. Hold down the Option key to access Startup Manager. Choose the external Recovery disk.
2. Select Disk Utility from the OS X Utilities window.
3. Click the disk icon with red lettering. An error message will appear:

4. Click Fix.
5. Quit Disk Utility.
6. The OS X Utilities window will reappear. Click Install Mac OS X to reinstall OS X Mountain Lion.

Questions and Answers

Can a Fusion Drive be used in Target Disk Mode?


Provided that the other Mac is using OS X Mountain Lion version 10.8.2 or later, a Fusion Drive can be mounted onto another Mac in Target Disk
Mode.

Can third-party disk utilities be used with a Fusion Drive?


Third party disk utilities may or may not work with a Fusion Drive. Check with the third-party software manufacturer for compatibility information.

After resetting NVRAM, my Fusion Drive starts up slowly. How can I fix this?
The reset removed the Startup Disk setting from NVRAM. Go to System Preferences>Startup Disk. Select Macintosh HD.

My video capture software reports frame drops during sustained captures. What could be wrong?
The project's capture requirements may exceed the sustained capture rate available to the Fusion Drive. Try capturing a smaller segment of the source
or reduce its resolution.

Learning Resources
Mac mini (Late 2012) and iMac (Late 2012): About Fusion Drive
OS X: About OS X Recovery
OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant

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