Resolving Peripheral Detection Issues on Mac Pro 6,1 with OCLP and Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis

If your Mac Pro 6,1 running OCLP Sonoma detects your PCIe expansion cards and hubs in System Information but not the peripherals connected to them, the issue is likely related to USB or eSATA driver configurations, system settings, or possible limitations in OCLP patches. Here's how to troubleshoot and resolve the problem:

Step 1: Verify Hardware Functionality

1. Test Cards and Chassis on Another Machine:
   • Connect the Sonnet Echo III chassis and cards (USB3 and eSATA) to another Mac or PC.
   • Confirm whether peripherals like USB devices and hard drives are recognized. This ensures the issue isn’t hardware-related.
2. Direct Connection:
   • Test the USB3 hub and eSATA-connected drives directly on another system or bypass the chassis to verify their functionality.

Step 2: Update Firmware and Drivers

1. Update Sonnet Echo III Firmware:

   • Visit the Sonnet support page and check for the latest firmware updates for your Echo III chassis.

2. PCIe Card Drivers:

   • Ensure the PCIe USB3 and eSATA cards have the latest drivers or firmware updates. Many macOS-compatible cards rely on generic drivers, but vendor-specific updates may improve compatibility.

Step 3: Check macOS System Information

1. Inspect USB/Thunderbolt Hierarchy:

   • Open System Information > Thunderbolt.
   • Ensure the Sonnet chassis and its cards appear under the Thunderbolt hierarchy.
   • Go to System Information > USB or SATA/SAS:
     • Confirm the hub and eSATA cards appear but investigate if peripherals are missing.

2. Device Tree Check:

   • Inspect the Device Tree in System Information to trace the connectivity path of the peripherals through Thunderbolt and PCIe.

Step 4: Check OCLP USB and SATA Patches

1. Enable USB and PCIe Patches in OCLP:

   • Open the OpenCore Legacy Patcher app and review the configuration:
     • Ensure USB and PCIe patches for your MacPro6,1 are enabled.
   • Rebuild and apply the EFI configuration to your bootloader.

2. Check USB Port Mapping:

   • USB Port Mapping may be incorrect, causing devices not to appear:
     • Use Hackintool or a similar utility to verify the USB port map.
     • If ports are missing, modify the USB configuration in OCLP to include the missing USB and eSATA endpoints.

Step 5: Test with Verbose Boot

1. Enable Verbose Mode:
   • Add the boot flag -v in OCLP to enable verbose logging.
   • Boot your system and observe for errors related to USB, Thunderbolt, or PCIe during startup.
2. Check Logs:
   • Review logs in Console or using terminal commands:

     bash
     Copy code
     log show --predicate 'process == "kernel"' --info
     

Step 6: Troubleshoot Thunderbolt Configuration

1. Reset SMC and NVRAM:

   • Resetting these can fix Thunderbolt-related issues:
     • Reset NVRAM: Restart and hold Option + Command + P + R until the chime sounds twice.
     • Reset SMC: Shut down the Mac, unplug it for 15 seconds, then reconnect and power on.

2. Test Chassis on Different Thunderbolt Ports:

   • Connect the Sonnet Echo III to different Thunderbolt ports on the Mac Pro.

3. Check for Daisy-Chaining Issues:

   • If multiple Thunderbolt devices are chained, disconnect all other devices and test each chassis individually.

Step 7: Test with Another macOS Version

1. Boot from a Different macOS Installer:
   • If possible, test macOS Ventura or Monterey with OCLP to rule out Sonoma-specific compatibility issues.

Step 8: Community Support

1. Post in OCLP GitHub Discussions or Forums:

   • Describe your issue in the OCLP GitHub Discussions.
   • Include:
     • macOS version (Sonoma 14.x).
     • OCLP version (2.1.2).
     • Details of the hardware configuration.

2. Engage Sonnet Tech Support:

   • If the issue appears specific to the Sonnet Echo III chassis or its cards, reach out to Sonnet’s technical support for guidance.

Conclusion

This issue is likely caused by either a missing patch in OCLP for USB or SATA peripherals or an incompatibility between macOS Sonoma and the Sonnet Echo III expansion chassis. By systematically testing hardware, verifying OCLP settings, and updating firmware/drivers, you should be able to resolve it. Let me know if you need further assistance!