In Both Places... Why Not?

[wstrohm]

What are the consequences, if any, of having identical kext files present in both /Library/Extensions and EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other (forgetting the upcoming MacOS)? Question applies to all versions of MacOS, particularly High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina.

 

[Feartech]

What are the consequences, if any, of having identical kext files present in both /Library/Extensions and EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other (forgetting the upcoming MacOS)? Question applies to all versions of MacOS, particularly High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina.

it keeps the kexts in cache when installed to /L/E

this post has some info for you:

[Guide] Booting the OS X installer on LAPTOPS with Clover

Overview One of the first challenges you'll face in installing OS X to your laptop will involve getting the OS X installer to boot from USB. This guide is for those wishing to use Clover (and in fact the only bootloader supported here). Both installing using Clover UEFI and Clover legacy are...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[MacMan]

What are the consequences, if any, of having identical kext files present in both /Library/Extensions and EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other (forgetting the upcoming MacOS)? Question applies to all versions of MacOS, particularly High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina.

The recommendation that Feartech posted is old.

Based on the changes Apple has implemented since then, MultiBeast now only installs kexts in Clover. So I would recommend to only use EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/.

Keeping a copy in both can lead to confusion and possible issues with version not being the same.

 

[Shiitaki]

The recommendation that Feartech posted is old.

Based on the changes Apple has implemented since then, MultiBeast now only installs kexts in Clover. So I would recommend to only use EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other/.

Keeping a copy in both can lead to confusion and possible issues with version not being the same.

Actually, it can cause kernel panics having them in both places because it could load both copies of the same kexts. Clover has a setting to not load the same kext twice, depending on the setting you use.

Once I discovered I could just dump them all in /EFI I never looked back. Been doing it for years now, nice to see everyone else finally realized how good of an idea it is.

Apple has made changes to improve security and so you need to put them in /EFI.

 

[wstrohm]

Just for one data point here, I have helped a neighbor running MacOS 10.15.5 on a Skylake Hack I built (my "Mini ITX 2" below). He uses an Apple Magic Keyboard. It requires three "Brcm" kexts for Bluetooth to work wirelessly. I have found that the keyboard works with all three kexts in both /Library/Extensions and EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other, but it does NOT work with them only in the EFI partition. This may be a unique situation.

[Edit: 06-26-2020 - If the 3 Brcm kexts were only in the EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other folder and not in /Library/Exensions, in addition to needing "Yes" selected in the "Inject Kexts" box, in my case it was necessary to have the "inject" box checked in the USB section of the "Devices" page in Clover Configurator. That worked.]

 

[Feartech]

Just for one data point here, I have helped a neighbor running MacOS 10.15.5 on a Skylake Hack I built (my "Mini ITX 2" below). He uses an Apple Magic Keyboard. It requires three "Brcm" kexts for Bluetooth to work wirelessly. I have found that the keyboard works with all three kexts in both /Library/Extensions and EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other, but it does NOT work with them only in the EFI partition. This may be a unique situation

BrcmFirmwareRepo.kext would belong in /L/E only
BrcmFirmwareData.kext would belong in clover/kexts/other only

 

[wstrohm]

BrcmFirmwareRepo.kext would belong in /L/E only
BrcmFirmwareData.kext would belong in clover/kexts/other only

Something very odd is going on here. Now nothing works with the following three files in /Library/Extensions:
BrcmBluetoothInjector.kext
BrcmFirmwareData.kext
BrcmPatchRAM3.kext

From an article by RehabMan in 2015, I concluded that this combo should work. However, if I look at the info.plist inside of BrcmFirmwareData.kext, I see it was written for MacOS 10.14 (Mojave). Is there an update for 10.15 somewhere?

The System Info readouts (jpgs zipped below) show all the good stuff for hardware except that the firmware version number for the BCM94352 card we are using shows "v14 c4096,"and RehabMan wrote that if the number "4096" appears, it means the firmware has not been updated on the card. So apparently these three files, where they are, just don't do the job. Other Bluetooth devices (non-Apple) apparently work fine, and I did see the Magic Keyboard connected wirelessly and working one time, with all three files installed in both locations, as I wrote above. But no more.

If anyone has figured this out (I will try Feartech's placement next) I would greatly appreciate a working answer to this.

 

[Feartech]

Something very odd is going on here. Now nothing works with the following three files in /Library/Extensions:
BrcmBluetoothInjector.kext
BrcmFirmwareData.kext
BrcmPatchRAM3.kext

From an article by RehabMan in 2015, I concluded that this combo should work. However, if I look at the info.plist inside of BrcmFirmwareData.kext, I see it was written for MacOS 10.14 (Mojave). Is there an update for 10.15 somewhere?

The System Info readouts (jpgs zipped below) show all the good stuff for hardware except that the firmware version number for the BCM94352 card we are using shows "v14 c4096,"and RehabMan wrote that if the number "4096" appears, it means the firmware has not been updated on the card. So apparently these three files, where they are, just don't do the job. Other Bluetooth devices (non-Apple) apparently work fine, and I did see the Magic Keyboard connected wirelessly and working one time, with all three files installed in both locations, as I wrote above. But no more.

If anyone has figured this out (I will try Feartech's placement next) I would greatly appreciate a working answer to this.

keep them all in clover

make sure to do:

The New Beginner's Guide to USB Port Configuration

Important Update: June 2023 From Big Sur 11.3 on the built-in OpenCore XhciPortLimit quirk no-longer worked as described. This became a known "bug", though in reality it was Apple changing their internal code, making a simple "peek and poke" to keep it operating, a difficult task. However, with...

www.tonymacx86.com

use hackintool to also check and update your kexts

 

[wstrohm]

All three kexts (v 2.5.3) are now in EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other, none in /Library/Extensions. No help. IORegistryExplorer shows the Broadcom BCM 94352Z Bluetooth/WiFI card active on USB port HS08. When the Magic Keyboard is plugged in and working normally, it appears on USB port HS10. I want to state again that this setup worked fine on MacOS 10.5.3, and worked for me ONCE (wirelessly on Magic Keyboard) under MacOS 10.5.5, before the Security Update that changed the build code to 19F101. I plan to run the 10.15.5 Combo Update and hope that it will revert Catalina to the original 10.15.5 build number (19F96?) Maybe that will fix the problem.

 

[wstrohm]

The problem was my ignorance. Fixed now. Moving the three kexts to EFI/CLOVER/kexts/Other was not enough. I also had to open config.plist, go to "Devices," and in the "USB" area check that tiny "inject" box. Weird, since I already had "Yes" selected in the Inject Kexts box.