We are providing these updates to our customers who would like to know the status of SNS products before upgrading a workstation to macOS 10.15 Catalina.
Prior to upgrading, you should also verify that your other (i.e. non-SNS) software and hardware products are compatible with this new OS from Apple. (But then, if you're reading this statement you probably already know this, and you know that a backup is also recommended!!)
The following product statements cover whether or not something major is affected simply by the process of upgrading to Catalina.
February 10, 2020: We have identified a potential solution for the February 4 issue below. We have deployed modifications to affected customers who have elected to stay with Catalina, and reports are positive so far. We will continue testing and monitoring before making further announcements.
February 4, 2020: We have confirmed a networking issue in macOS Catalina, which, under certain loads can cause an SMB share to disconnect. (There are reports on the internet that the problem can present similarly with the NFS protocol, but we have not confirmed this.) The problem is not specific to EVO, nor does it appear to be limited to a particular NIC/chipset. Though the issue is not widespread and does not affect all Catalina users, it can be very disruptive. We recommend avoiding macOS Catalina until Apple has issued a fix.
Important note regarding all SNS software in High Sierra and later
macOS High Sierra introduced a new security feature that requires user approval before loading new third-party kernel extensions—this remains in Catalina. You must allow these signed kernel extensions to be used (Security & Privacy System Preferences Pane) for the SNS software you've installed. If you don't allow kernel extensions you can expect to see warning or error messages such as:
- System extension blocked
- System software from developer "Studio Network Solutions" was blocked from loading. (This will only be present in the Security & Privacy preferences pane for 30 minutes after a blocked load attempt.)
More information about this change can be found in Apple's Technical Note TN2459.
You can identify your exact OS version and build number by opening the Terminal app and running the sw_vers command to get Product and Build version.
globalSAN iSCSI Initiator
v.5.3.1.583 -- released for Catalina support
ShareBrowser Desktop Client
A build of ShareBrowser 5.0.3 that is compatible with macOS Catalina is now available; if you would like this build please contact our support team. Please note: Avid compatibility currently has limited function and will be addressed shortly after Avid releases a compatible macOS Catalina build. Additionally, Adobe's Extendscript Toolkit is not compatible with Catalina, but the integrated ShareBrowser panel available at the Adobe Exchange allows for drag and drop, which also adds tags and comments, and is supported in Catalina.
SANmp and iSANmp
SANmp and iSANmp are not compatible with macOS Catalina.
EVO Shared Media Storage System
No known compatibility issues. See February 4, 2020 note above. However, there are many different methods to connect a workstation to EVO, and some of these methods may require a third-party piece of hardware or software. Therefore...
- Backup your macOS system before upgrading!
- Review the list above to check the status of other SNS products you may be using with your EVO.
- If you are connecting directly from your workstation's built-in GbE port, then basic connectivity can be expected.
- If you are using any other NIC, Fibre Channel HBA, iSCSI initiator, or Thunderbolt adapter or chassis, specific video drivers or capture cards, etc., please confirm with the manufacturer of that product to verify compliance with those products.
- If you are using any business-critical application (which is 99.9% of EVO customers!) or similarly-critical drivers, please confirm with the manufacturer of that product to verify that their products are compliant with Apple's newest operating system.
November 6, 2019: Version 5.3.1.583 of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator with support for macOS Catalina is now released. To upgrade, launch globalSAN and click the Check for Updates button under the globalSAN logo.
October 23, 2019: A preview build of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator with support for macOS Catalina is available, and an automatic update will be pushed in the coming days. This build improves installer visibility for macOS Dark Mode users. Note that SANmp is not supported at this time, so care must be taken if using concurrent iSCSI connections.
October 9, 2019: A preview build of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator with support for macOS Catalina is available, and an automatic update will be pushed in the coming days. The only known issue in this preview build is that the install buttons may be difficult to see in macOS Dark Mode. These buttons are present even if not visible, and the button on the right side allows installation to proceed. This is being corrected for the forthcoming public release. Note that SANmp is not supported at this time, so care must be taken if using concurrent iSCSI connections.
September 30, 2019: A build of ShareBrowser 5.0.3 that is compatible with macOS Catalina is now available; if you would like this build please contact our support team. Please note: Avid compatibility currently has limited function and will be addressed shortly after Avid releases a compatible macOS Catalina build. No versions of Xtarget, or SANmp are approved for use with Catalina at this time.
September 11, 2019: A preview build of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator with support for macOS Catalina has been tested by a number of users and no major functional issues have been reported. If you would like to test this build please contact our support team. No versions of Xtarget, SANmp, or ShareBrowser are approved for use with Catalina at this time.
August 8, 2019: A preview build of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator is available with support for macOS Catalina. If you would like to test this build please contact our support team.
July 12, 2019: We are proceeding with new Catalina requirements for SNS software products. A small number of users have been running a preview-only build of the globalSAN initiator, and no issues have been found. No SNS software is approved for use with macOS Catalina at this time. Additional development, testing, and notarization is underway. Additional comments will be made in the coming weeks.
June 21, 2019: We have released an initial build of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator to a small number of testers. Additional development, testing, and notarization is underway, as is work on other products. Additional comments will be made in the coming weeks.
June 5, 2019: Apple announced macOS Catalina this week and followed with an initial developer release. We are proceeding with changes, app notarization, and testing. No SNS software is approved for use with macOS Catalina at this time. Due to the scope of work required (as well as dependencies on other non-SNS components) we anticipate we will be updating this statement again mid-late June 2019.