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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

PRAM reset. Why?

M

Magnus Tondevold

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Why do I have to reset the PRAM on my MacPro all the time for redcine to recognize the pci x8 rather than the x4 it comes up with a warning box whining about?

Another odd thing is that I need to reset it at least twice before the error corrects.

:emote_22_yikes:
 
Expansion Slot Utility

Expansion Slot Utility

Did you check the Expansion Slot Utility, located in /System/Library/Core Services?
Try other configs and see if that helps.
 
Hi Eric,

What do you want me to check at that location? I have no files there, that I immediately can see belong to any red product.

The only reason that I know that a PRAM reset solves the issue is because it has been reported by other users, so I don't believe that I am an isolated case.

Thanks and Merry Christmas

Magnus
 
Please email your system profile to redcinex at red.
Thanks.
 
Magnus Tondevold said:
Thanks,

Hope you find a bug somehow :sifone:
Click to expand...
did you get it going?
The Expansion Slot Utility let's you select the slot config for your Mac Pro.
I thought maybe you didn't set your config for 8X.
 
Hi Eric,

Where is the Expansion Slot Utility?

I have to reset the PRAM about five time every time I have shut my MacPro down. Quite annoying!

Red support could not find the error. I have no clue.

Thanks,

Magnus
 
The expansion slot utility only exists on older Macpro systems (pre 2009 model) The most recent systems supposedly auto configure the PCI Lanes depending on what the cards request, and the utility does not show up.
 
I have seen this issue on several machines, but as it doesn't significantly diminish performance, I don't spend much time on it anymore...
 
Hei Gunleik!

Its just fairly annoying that I have to reset the PRAM 5 times every second time (or so) after system shutdown.

If there are no solutions or workaround I suppose I have to live with it. Not having the RR is not in any way an option ;-)

I will try to see if a clean install does anything for me. I got Adobe Master edition, smoke and the maya suite on here, not to mention Windows 7, so it will sort of test my patience ;-)

//M:emote_hanged:
 
PCI Slot Utility only works on 06/07 Mac Pro systems. Starting with the 2008 model, all slots have static lane assignments (16, 16, 4, 4). On '08 towers, the X16 slots are PCIe 2.0 and the X4 slots are PCIe 1.1. On the '09 and '10 towers, all slots are PCIe 2.0.

If you're having to reset your PRAM to clear PCIe configuration issues, one of the first things to check is the possibility of a problem PCIe card in your system, potentially problem software for one of your cards. Another potential issue is running Windows. Apple EFI PCIe configuration tables are stored in the PRAM. This system is not supported by Windows, which only has minimal EFI support and goes about assigning PCIe configurations in other ways. This can occasionally lead to problems when cards like to default to or attempt to claim certain settings, either via their BIOS or software drivers.

What model Mac Pro do you have? What cards do you have installed? A fresh install may or may not fix it. It's definitely something to try if you have the time.
 
I have every generation of Mac Pro and 2 red Rocket cards. Only on the older machines can you force the RR card into 8x. The other cards will sometimes go to 4x even if in a 16x slot. I used 2 RR cards and sometimes both show up as 8x, but more often 8x and 4x. Resetting the PRAM is the only fix. I have reimaged, reinstalled, started from scratch, reset the SMC, pulled RAM etc...

Resetting the PRAM isn't a big deal, good regular maint. as it is.

Why are you shutting your computer down so much? Your machine will live a LOT longer if you just let it sleep. Power cycling is hard on the power supply.
 
Matt Coats said:
Why are you shutting your computer down so much? Your machine will live a LOT longer if you just let it sleep. Power cycling is hard on the power supply.
Click to expand...

I didn't think a mac would sleep with a rocket installed. Am I wrong about this?
 
I just tried, and my machine went to sleep ok.
An alternative would be to set yours to turn off display and spin down hard drives when not in use.

Mac Pro i7 w/ 2 Red Rockets.
 
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