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Does this project actually function? #2
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Originally created by @OmerFlame on GitHub (May 28, 2022).
I recently tried messing around with the source code for this project and make it conform to the different macOS Monterey limitations that exist (for example, loading the kext from /Library/Extensions and not /System/Library/Extensions) as well as successfully performed filesystem trickery to successfully copy the mount_btrfs executable to /sbin in order to make the
mounttool actually recognize thebtrfstype when specified using the-tswitch. However,getvfsbyname(btrfs, &vfs)in themount_btrfscode here always fails and says that the kext wasn't loaded when it definitely is loaded.Here is a video demonstrating this weird behavior:
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/17903236/170825563-ee6fad35-8d37-431e-b659-45c914ff6930.mov
After trying to look at the output of
getvfsbynamein a test project, I can see that the function returns an error code -1, meaning that the virtual filesystem could not be found.After seeing this happen, I started asking myself if this project actually functions. So, does it?
Nevertheless, this project seems to have a bit of potential if someone would take the job and start working on it.
@relalis commented on GitHub (May 28, 2022):
No. This is kind of a weekend project that's been backlogged all year because of more pressing personal and professional stuff; the only "feature" implemented so far, is detecting that a filesystem is, in fact, BTRFS. Generally speaking, this serves my purpose of avoiding the annoying "this disk you inserted was not readable by this computer" notification I get when macOS boots up.
You have, however, hit the nail on the head with what's missing, and the next big goals of this repo (when I get around to it, or if someone is willing to contribute): the VFS portion of mount_btrfs, and the kext. For that purpose I've been slowly working on documenting the different structs in
btrfs_filesystem.h, while copying some of the code from Apple's NTFS implementation to cut on time.I hope this sheds some light on this repo's shortcomings, and I strongly encourage anyone interested in contributing to it to do so. I will leave this issue open, until some progress is made in, at least, the VFS plugin.
@OmerFlame commented on GitHub (May 29, 2022):
I see everything now. If I knew anything or knew how to implement support for VFSes, I would've contributed, but I don't know much about this.
Closing this issue.
@taylorkline commented on GitHub (Jun 11, 2022):
@relalis would you kindly re-open this issue so that others (like me) stumbling across this project realize it's still a WIP?
@relalis commented on GitHub (Jun 12, 2022):
Done. Until a BTRFS filesystem is mountable, this issue will remain open.
@alessaba commented on GitHub (Dec 13, 2022):
This is slightly unrelated to the issue, but since the author mentioned the current purpose of the project is avoiding the "unreadable disk" alert at boot, I am going to ask here
I am new and I am not 100% sure about how to install the built kext/binaries so the prompt disappears. I am using a Hackintosh and I tried injecting the kext using Clover instead of the /L/E method, and that might be the issue, but I am not sure as to how to install the binaries properly. Do I just need to copy the mount_btrfs to /sbin like @OmerFlame said?
If you think this message is unrelated I'll open a new issue
EDIT: Actually, it seems like I am having trouble with modifying the system snapshot to install the binary to sbin. is there a proper way to do it without disabling sip, editing snapshots in recovery etc.?
@relalis commented on GitHub (Dec 31, 2022):
I haven't built a hackintosh in years to answer this with authority, so I'm afraid this would be a question better suited for the docs of your bootloader in question.
Apple changed the way Big Sur and onward load kexts and the only convoluted way I found to install unsigned kexts is to disable SIP, reboot, load the kext, and reboot, which I find even more annoying than dual-booting macOS and linux. I'm sure there's a simpler way to do it, but Apple's developer documentation is lacking on many fronts.
@OmerFlame commented on GitHub (Jan 1, 2023):
I managed to install the FS tool in
/sbinonly by modifying the system snapshot.PLEASE DO NOT REPEAT THIS ON YOUR PERSONAL SYSTEM. I performed this on a fresh macOS install devised purely for testing on my Hackintosh setup (at the time - macOS Big Sur using the OpenCore bootloader) because I had important stuff on my main install that was too valuable to lose. Snapshot modification has a nonzero chance of causing irreversible corruption to your install. I managed to make the tool be recognized by the system but the tool didn't actually work, obviously. This is the right direction, but it's extremely difficult (and perilous) to execute!