Fire's Source Mac OS

• One possibility would be to use the X Windows version of Source OffSite. See discussion here. There does not seem to be an official OS X client for VSS, however. That same link also discusses DynamSoft's Source Anywhere, which is a cross-platform solution written in Java.
• See the slideshow summary of the 10 best open source apps for Mac OS X.Read about the winners of InfoWorld's 2009 Best of Open Source Software Awards. That's just the foundation.
• Fire is an instant messaging client for Mac OS X (previously for OPENSTEP), that can access IRC, XMPP, AIM, ICQ, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Bonjour.All services are built on GPL'd libraries, including firetalk, libfaim, libicq2000, libmsn, XMPP, and libyahoo2.Fire supports OS X v10.1 and higher. The latest version of Fire is 1.5.6. The program is released under the GNU General Public License.

FileVault is a disk encryption program in Mac OS X 10.3 (2003) and later. It performs on-the-fly encryption with volumes on Mac computers.

Way back in OS X 10.9 Mavericks, Apple began moving away from AFP in favor of the industry-standard SMB, although it still hasn't removed support. This Mac 911 article is in response to a.

Versions and key features[edit]

FileVault was introduced with Mac OS X Panther (10.3),^[1] and could only be applied to a user's home directory, not the startup volume. The operating system uses an encrypted sparse disk image (a large single file) to present a volume for the home directory. Mac OS X Leopard and Mac OS X Snow Leopard use more modern sparse bundle disk images^[2] which spread the data over 8 MB files (called bands) within a bundle. Apple refers to this original iteration of FileVault as legacy FileVault.^[3]

Mac OS X Lion (2011) and newer offer FileVault 2,^[3] which is a significant redesign. This encrypts the entire OS X startup volume and typically includes the home directory, abandoning the disk image approach. For this approach to disk encryption, authorised users' information is loaded from a separate non-encrypted boot volume^[4] (partition/slice type Apple_Boot).

FileVault[edit]

The original version of FileVault was added in Mac OS X Panther to encrypt a user's home directory.

Master passwords and recovery keys[edit]

When FileVault is enabled the system invites the user to create a master password for the computer. If a user password is forgotten, the master password or recovery key may be used to decrypt the files instead.

Migration[edit]

Migration of FileVault home directories is subject to two limitations:^[5]

• there must be no prior migration to the target computer
• the target must have no existing user accounts.

If Migration Assistant has already been used or if there are user accounts on the target:

• before migration, FileVault must be disabled at the source.

How To Install Android On Kindle Fire (with Pictures) - WikiHow

If transferring FileVault data from a previous Mac that uses 10.4 using the built-in utility to move data to a new machine, the data continues to be stored in the old sparse image format, and the user must turn FileVault off and then on again to re-encrypt in the new sparse bundle format.

Manual encryption[edit]

Instead of using FileVault to encrypt a user's home directory, using Disk Utility a user can create an encrypted disk image themselves and store any subset of their home directory in there (for example, ~/Documents/private). This encrypted image behaves similar to a FileVault encrypted home directory, but is under the user's maintenance.

Encrypting only a part of a user's home directory might be problematic when applications need access to the encrypted files, which will not be available until the user mounts the encrypted image. This can be mitigated to a certain extent by making symbolic links for these specific files.

Limitations and issues[edit]

Backups[edit]

These limitations apply to versions of Mac OS X prior to v10.7 only.

Without Mac OS X Server, Time Machine will back up a FileVault home directory only while the user is logged out. In such cases, Time Machine is limited to backing up the home directory in its entirety. Using Mac OS X Server as a Time Machine destination, backups of FileVault home directories occur while users are logged in.

Because FileVault restricts the ways in which other users' processes can access the user's content, some third party backup solutions can back up the contents of a user's FileVault home directory only if other parts of the computer (including other users' home directories) are excluded.^[6][7]

Issues[edit]

Several shortcomings were identified in Legacy FileVault. Its security can be broken by cracking either 1024-bit RSA or 3DES-EDE.

Legacy FileVault used the CBC mode of operation (see disk encryption theory); FileVault 2 uses stronger XTS-AESW mode. Another issue is storage of keys in the macOS 'safe sleep' mode.^[8] A study published in 2008 found data remanence in dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), with data retention of seconds to minutes at room temperature and much longer times when memory chips were cooled to low temperature. The study authors were able to use a cold boot attack to recover cryptographic keys for several popular disk encryption systems, including FileVault, by taking advantage of redundancy in the way keys are stored after they have been expanded for efficient use, such as in key scheduling. The authors recommend that computers be powered down, rather than be left in a 'sleep' state, when not in physical control by the owner.^[9]

Early versions of FileVault automatically stored the user's passphrase in the system keychain, requiring the user to notice and manually disable this security hole.

In 2006, following a talk at the 23rd Chaos Communication Congress titled Unlocking FileVault: An Analysis of Apple's Encrypted Disk Storage System, Jacob Appelbaum & Ralf-Philipp Weinmann released VileFault which decrypts encrypted Mac OS X disk image files.^[10]

A free space wipe using Disk Utility left a large portion of previously deleted file remnants intact. Similarly, FileVault compact operations only wiped small parts of previously deleted data.^[11]

FileVault 2[edit]

Security[edit]

FileVault uses the user's login password as the encryption pass phrase. It uses the XTS-AES mode of AES with 128 bit blocks and a 256 bit key to encrypt the disk, as recommended by NIST.^[12][13] Only unlock-enabled users can start or unlock the drive. Once unlocked, other users may also use the computer until it is shut down.^[3]

Performance[edit]

The I/O performance penalty for using FileVault 2 was found to be in the order of around 3% when using CPUs with the AES instruction set, such as the Intel Core i, and OS X 10.10.3.^[14] Performance deterioration will be larger for CPUs without this instruction set, such as older Core CPUs.

Master passwords and recovery keys[edit]

When FileVault 2 is enabled while the system is running, the system creates and displays a recovery key for the computer, and optionally offers the user to store the key with Apple. The 120 bit recovery key is encoded with all letters and numbers 1 through 9, and read from /dev/random, and therefore relies on the security of the PRNG used in macOS. During a cryptanalysis in 2012, this mechanism was found safe.^[15]

Changing the recovery key is not possible without re-encrypting the File Vault volume.^[3]

Validation[edit]

Users who use FileVault 2 in OS X 10.9 and above can validate their key correctly works after encryption by running sudo fdesetup validaterecovery in Terminal after encryption has finished. The key must be in form xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx and will return true if correct.^[16]

Starting the OS with FileVault 2 without a user account[edit]

If a volume to be used for startup is erased and encrypted before clean installation of OS X 10.7.4 or 10.8: Solar scramble mac os.

• there is a password for the volume
• the clean system will immediately behave as if FileVault was enabled after installation
• there is no recovery key, no option to store the key with Apple (but the system will behave as if a key was created)
• when the computer is started, Disk Password will appear at the EfiLoginUI – this may be used to unlock the volume and start the system
• the running system will present the traditional login window.

Apple describes this type of approach as Disk Password—based DEK.^[12]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Apple Previews Mac OS X 'Panther''. Apple Press Info. Apple. June 23, 2003. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
2. ^ScottW (November 5, 2007). 'Live FileVault and Sparse Bundle Backups in Leopard'. macosx.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
3. ^ ^abcdApple Inc (August 9, 2012). 'OS X: About FileVault 2'. Apple Inc. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
4. ^Apple Inc (August 17, 2012). 'Best Practices for Deploying FileVault 2'(PDF). Apple Inc. p. 40. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 22, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
5. ^'Archived - Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4: Transferring data with Setup Assistant / Migration Assistant FAQ'. Apple support. Apple. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
6. ^'Using Encrypted Disks'. CrashPlan PROe support. CrashPlan PROe. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
7. ^'Using CrashPlan with FileVault'. CrashPlan support. CrashPlan. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
8. ^Jacob Appelbaum, Ralf-Philipp Weinmann (December 29, 2006). 'Unlocking FileVault: An Analysis of Apple's disk encryption'(PDF). Retrieved March 31, 2007.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. ^J. Alex Halderman; et al. (February 2008). 'Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on May 14, 2008.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. ^'Unlocking FileVault: An analysis of Apple's disk encryption system'(PDF).
11. ^'File Vault's Dirty Little Secrets'.
12. ^ ^abApple, Inc (August 17, 2012). 'Best Practices for Deploying FileVault 2'(PDF). Apple, Inc. p. 28. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 22, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2012.
13. ^Dworkin, Morris (January 2010). 'Recommendation for Block Cipher Modes of Operation: The XTS-AES Mode for Confidentiality on Storage Devices'(PDF). NIST Special Publication (800–3E).
14. ^'Tech ARP - How Fast is the 512 GB PCIe X4 SSD in the 2015 MacBook Pro?'.
15. ^Choudary, Omar; Felix Grobert; Joachim Metz (July 2012). 'Infiltrate the Vault: Security Analysis and Decryption of Lion Full Disk Encryption'. Retrieved January 19, 2013.Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
16. ^'fdesetup(8) Mac OS X Manual Page'. Apple. August 21, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2014.

So, you've decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac's performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we'll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.

A list of all Mac OS X versions

We'll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it's good to know the basic macOS timeline.

STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation

Given your Mac isn't new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have 'fuel' to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.

Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:

• Uninstall large unused apps
• Empty Trash Bin and Downloads
• Locate the biggest files on your computer:

Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size
Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage.
If you aren't comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic 'room cleaners'. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it's most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)

STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download

Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That's why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.

How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store

If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you'll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn't always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:

1. Click the App Store icon.
2. Click Purchases in the top menu.
3. Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.
4. Click Download.

This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.

Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer

If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.

Purchase an older version of Mac operating system

You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.

Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6
Get an email copy of Lion 10.7
Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8

The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.

How to get macOS El Capitan download

If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it's possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:

1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD.
2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update.
3. Download El Capitan here.

'I can't download an old version of Mac OS X'

If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don't expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.

But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.

After you've completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.

STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive

The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.

1. Start your Mac holding down Command + R.
2. Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).
3. Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.
4. Select external drive as a source.
5. Enter your Apple ID.

Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is 'captured' onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.

1. Boot your Mac from your standard drive.
2. Connect the external drive.
3. Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.

Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

- Firestorm Viewer - The Phoenix Firestorm Project Inc.

How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions

If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive.
Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra

Fire's Source Mac Os X

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina

Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).

Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version

If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.