Trixology
General Category => General Computing/Macintosh => Topic started by: Blicj11 on March 14, 2015, 12:02:36 AM
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I discovered today that, according to WeatherCat, my iMac was sleeping. This is the fourth time this has happened to me and I am going to explain what I found and what I did.
I have my iMac set to prevent computer from sleeping. See attached screenshot. I pressed the space bar on my keyboard to restore the display and found that WeatherCat was inactive. When I clicked on WeatherCat to make it the active window, it "woke up." See attached screenshot of entries I copied from the console log. It looks to me like the iMac was asleep (or at least WeatherCat was asleep) for a wee bit longer than two hours.
To attempt a fix for the the sleeping problem, I did three things:
- I selected Restore Defaults on the Energy Saver options in Yosemite System Preferences.
- I reinstalled Yosemite.
- I adjusted the Energy Saver settings to the way I had them set in the first place (Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off).
I'll just have to wait and see if it happens again, but in the meantime, if anyone can think of something else I can check, or if I have misinterpreted the Console messages, I would appreciate your thoughts.
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Blick, are you using UPS software to automatically shutdown the computer before the UPS runs down in the event of an extended power outage? If so, your UPS software may need to be updated for Yosemite.
That's all I got. Perhaps someone else has a better suggestion.
[cheer]
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Hi Blick,
Although it should not be an issue anymore (it used to be at somepoint), you may want to try and disable App Nap to see if it has any influence?
Can easily be disabled by locating the application and pressing Command + I (or choose "Get Info" from the contextual menu). In the Get Info window, check the option to "Prevent App Nap" and you're done.
Jos
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Herb:
For several versions now, OS X does not use third-party UPS "drivers", but UPS shutdown control is built into the operating system by Apple. I called the manufacturer of my UPS to confirm. Thanks for the suggestion.
Jos:
Goeden dag, mijnheer. I think you are right, App Nap should no longer be an issue. Nevertheless, I took your suggestion anyway and disabled it. Thanks.
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Duh? What's app nap?
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Howdy Blick, Herb, Jos, and WeatherCat seekers of an OS X "bug trap. . . . " [rolleyes2]
I discovered today that, according to WeatherCat, my iMac was sleeping. This is the fourth time this has happened to me and I am going to explain what I found and what I did.
. . . . .
I'll just have to wait and see if it happens again, but in the meantime, if anyone can think of something else I can check, or if I have misinterpreted the Console messages, I would appreciate your thoughts.
I'm afraid you should be thinking along Randall's point of view . . . . (http://www.canebas.org/WeatherCat/Forum_support_documents/Custom_emoticons/green-insect-cartoon.jpg)
Do you see anything in the console log that might indicate what was happening when your computer "fell asleep?" This might actually be due to a bug somewhere and your computer effectively "responded to the crisis" by going to sleep. Another thing to check is the crash reports. If there were some programs that crashed that might point to the culprit.
Sorry, this isn't the sort of thing that is building up my confidence!
Edouard
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Hi Blick
As Jos posted if you reinstalled Yosemite then you do need to have that in the get info of WeatherCat that you have App Napp is checked or it will go to sleep if the Cat is not processing something
cheers [cheers1]
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Duh? What's app nap?
App Nap was introduced in Mavericks as an energy saver. Basically, the OS X can tell when you have an app open that you aren't looking at because it is hidden underneath another open window. If the hidden app isn't doing something active like downloading a file, the operating system slows the app down and returns it to full speed when you come back to look at it. For a short while it was an issue with WeatherCat, but Stu fixed something in the code so that WeatherCat does not take App Naps. You can read about App Nap here: https://www.apple.com/osx/advanced-technologies/
But just in case, I did disable App Nap for WeatherCat.
Edouard, you are right; I should have looked in the console log. I did look at the log, but I was filtering it only for WeatherCat. It never dawned on me to look at the unfiltered log. Next time...
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Thanks Blick! That sheds a light on the subject. How could I have gone so long without knowing? Oh well. That's just the way I roll. [roll]
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Hi Blick
Old mines forget very easy these days [biggrin]
cheers
[cheers1]
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Howdy Blick, Herb, Randall, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,
Edouard, you are right; I should have looked in the console log. I did look at the log, but I was filtering it only for WeatherCat. It never dawned on me to look at the unfiltered log. Next time...
Actually you have the old logs available. In the Console application scroll down to near the end of the side bar and you'll start to see files with names like system.log.1.gz. On my Mac, I have files all the way down to system.log.20.gz which takes me back to March 8. If you click on any of those files you can see the messages for that day. If the event happened within the range of files you have, that would allow you to do some retrospective sleuthing.
Cheers, Edouard [cheers1]
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Thanks Edouard. I followed your instructions and did find the appropriate log. I don't know what it means, but I copied the console messages from the last good upload until I woke it up a couple of hours later. It looks to me like the iMac went to sleep. Perhaps Stu can interpret the attached.
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Have you considered resetting the SMC and PRAM?
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Thanks for the suggestion Felix. I had not thought of that. I can't see how resetting (in my case) the NVRAM would affect sleeping. However, definitely the SMC could be involved, so I have now reset it.
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Dear Blick, Felix, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,
Thanks Edouard. I followed your instructions and did find the appropriate log. I don't know what it means, but I copied the console messages from the last good upload until I woke it up a couple of hours later. It looks to me like the iMac went to sleep. Perhaps Stu can interpret the attached.
Hmm, that long string of entries that look like this:
Mar 13 12:48:18 MightyCraic-iMac kernel[0]: [0x524c51000, 0x14000]
Make me wonder if this isn't some sort of kernel panic (serious crash of the core of the operating system.) Apparently it recovered since you were able to get your machine running again. I am puzzled. Normally the logs have the words: "kernel panic" when there is one. On the other hand, spewing out a bunch of incomprehensible hexadecimal to the log files is definitely not something the kernel should be normally doing either.
I'll be interested to see what Stu thinks after he returns from the wilderness.
If it happens again, you might need to get some help from Apple. This could be some sort of a hardware problem.
Bummer dude, . . . . Edouard
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My iMac went to sleep on me again yesterday, for 2 hours.
Since this is the third time this has happened to me in the last several months, when I called Apple, they immediately elevated me to a level 2 tech agent. The only problem with this was it took me 15 minutes to convince him that you could prevent a one-year-old iMac running 10.10.2 from going to sleep. He was convinced that it was no longer possible. But after he was able to prevent his own machine from sleeping when the display went to sleep, then he was a wee bit more helpful.
In any case, the only thing he ended up telling me to do that I hadn't already tried was to check the box that says, Wake for network access. He theorized that since my VP2 console is uploading data via IP that this should prevent the thing from going to sleep and if it did go to sleep it should wake right back up.
I have tried resetting the SMC, Restoring the Defaults in the Energy Saving Preferences, and reinstalling Yosemite.
Why is your Mac going to sleep - it's changed a little bit in 10.10 - you need the 'Prevent Computer From Sleeping Automatically When The Display Is Off' tick-box ticked in the Energy Saver Prefs pane (I'm guessing you already know this :) ).
If you go to the Console.app, select 'Diagnostic and Usage Messages' then enter 'power' as the search term, it'll display all log entries to do with power related events - there may be something there that can help diagnose why.
See the attached screenshots for the last messages from the console before it went to sleep and for the current Energy Saver settings.
By the way, he told me Apple recommends you do NOT check Start up automatically after a power failure because they want you to manually startup once you know the power from the mains is stable. I told him I thought that was silly if you have a decent UPS and told him he could quote me to Tim Cook should the opportunity arise.
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Hi Blick
I know if this helps you with your problem
but on my iMac 21" running 10.10.2 I don't have that option any more since my UPS went bad ( see Attached)
So maybe could it have something to do with your UPS?
cheers
[cheers1]
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Interesting, I see exactly the same as Randall posted - a line where I can tell my Mac to sleep *Never* above the monitor settings. No help for you, indeed, but interesting.
Cheers,
Reinhard
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Randall & Reinhard:
According to Apple, in Yosemite the options you see for Energy Saver preferences depend on your hardware. If you have UPS, you get different options than if you don't. The UPS options differ and come from the UPS manufacturer. Newer iMacs (late 2013 and newer) also no longer show a separate slider for the computer sleeping. MacBooks may also show slightly different options.
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Thanks for the info, Blick - I didn't know this! My iMac (early 2009) is also connected to a UPS (APC BackUPS Pro 900) and I don't see this UPS in system preferences. But I can see it via apcagent (http://www.apcupsd.org) and in the About My Mac > System Report > USB devices.
Cheers,
Reinhard
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Reinhard:
I am so glad you mentioned you are running the APC UPS Daemon. I've wanted to ask someone if this agent is newer (or better) than the thing they have baked into Yosemite. I have never installed their daemon. Are you running the latest version? What options does it give you? I think that if you have that agent installed, you don't see the UPS tab in OS X. See the two attached screenshots for my UPS shutdown options. How do your options compare to these?
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Blick,
I am afraid my infos are disappointing: I run the latest version of this Daemon, but it is *only* a monitor - no settings available herein. I would like to have this options you have within your system preferences. And no, if I remove this agent I don't see the UPS tab indeed. Attached a few pics of the daemon.
Cheers,
Reinhard
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Reinhard, how old is your Mac Mini?
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It is a Mid 2011 model. And yes, it is plugged into the UPS. But only the power, not the USB-signal.
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That could make a difference. OS X only knows you have UPS via the USB port. Several years ago, I used PowerChute but at some point, Apple stopped supporting PowerChute. In its place, they had APC give them some limited shutdown options that were coded into the operating system. I assume if you connected the UPS through USB the shutdown options tab would appear. This also assumes your model of UPS has USB connectivity and is, therefore, capable of having shutdown control from the computer.
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Just to clarify things:
An iMac is my main computer and therefore it is connected via USB to the UPS. The MacMini is supported with power by the UPS but as *only* dealing with WeatherCat it is NOT the main computer and therefore not connected via USB to the UPS. Maybe I will plug in the USB for testing purposes into the *WeatherMacMini* and see what happens... ::)
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Do you see the USB options and only one slider on your iMac?
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Dear Blick, Reinhard, Randall, and WeatherCat troubleshooters,
I sure don't understand what is causing your problems, but since it is still happening, have you thought to try some of those software utilities that are supposed to prevent your computer from going to sleep? Here are two free ones:
Caffeine: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24120/caffeine (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24120/caffeine)
Amphetamine: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/52683/amphetamine (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/52683/amphetamine)
Some want some money like these:
Wimoweh: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/47117/wimoweh (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/47117/wimoweh)
Sleep No More: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/46240/sleep-no-more (http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/46240/sleep-no-more)
Perhaps something else you could try is to have iTunes playing something continuously. If your computer is playing music that might also force it to not sleep.
This is really weird, but since these utilities exist, you must not be the only person with this problem.
Good luck and extricating yourself from this problem!
Cheers, Edouard [cheers1]
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Thanks for the links Edouard. I will try Amphetamine if I see a repeat of this issue. Herb, please note that I say I will try Amphetamine (a software program), not that I will try amphetamines (a drug class). I am trying to fix the problem on my computer, not the one in my head.
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Do you see the USB options and only one slider on your iMac?
Blick,
I do not see the UPS option and I see two sliders, exactly as Randall does.
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Reinhard:
The apple tech agent told me what you see there is hardware dependent - on both the iMac and the UPS. I have 2 iMacs, and the older one shows the two sliders, like you and Randall have. When I plug my UPS into it, the UPS shutdown options appear.
I read this on a post on another forum: Most current iMacs specify Pure Sinewave UPS output and some APC Back-UPS use Stepped Aprox Sinewave. You likely need the Smart-UPS range to satisfy that. Both APC and CyberPower offer models that will meet the spec.
When I look at the specs on my UPS (Back-UPS RS 1500) they say mine is "Stepped approximation to a sine wave." So that doesn't offer much help. I see the UPS options in Energy Saver on both of my iMacs but only on the most recent one do I see one slider.
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Blick, after you come down from climbing the walls, perhaps you might try just disconnecting the USB link to the UPS on a trial basis and see if your hyper-sleep problem disappears. ? Aye?
Lol! I've got 4 UPS' protecting two computers and two TVs. The two on the computers have USB connections, but I never thought to hook them up. I thought I'd have to go hunt down the company's special power management software. ? Ha! Silly me. So, it was in the modern OS the whole time, and I didn't know it. Maybe I'll play with it and see what it does.
Thanks!
[coffee]
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Herb:
Ha ha. Thanks for the laugh.
You are reading my mind (what's left of it). I am slowly coming to the conclusion that the UPS might very well be the problem. I have two UPSs, both the same model. Both are out of warranty but I replaced the battery in both of them just a couple of years ago so the batteries are good, but the firmware for shutdown built into the units is old. I will add this to my list. Thanks for the suggestion.
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I have an older (late-2011?) iMac and a newer APC model (Back-UPS BR1300G FW:863.L2 USB FW:L2). I have always had the separate "Computer sleep" and "Display sleep" options in either the Power or UPS tab. If I can find it, I'll be happy to upload the extension/app/framework/etc., however, I can't find anything, appropriate, with "APC" in the name. [banghead] Of course, different models may need different code. Still, I'll look at the APC site for any suggestions. Frankly, Apple is beginning to get my goat with the way they remove things that many of us still use/need. Of course, they told us what the 'future' would be when they dropped "Computer" from their name...
...later (after eating the last helping of my first soup/stew cooking event): Unfortunately, it appears that Apple accepted info from APC and rolled it into the OS. That's why I can find no APC specific files. The only thing at the APC site for my model is for Windoz. On the incredibly small chance that you might find something, try this link to the <APC Product Support page (http://www.apc.com/site/support/us/en/)> and enter your model number. [computer]
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I have an older (late-2011?) iMac and a newer APC model?
Hey, hey, HEYYY! ? That's not an older model. That's the newer of my two! That's my ? N E W ? iMac (mid 2011). The OLD iMac is a 24" and it's early 2008.
[headbang]
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As the original poster in this thread, I am sharing an update to my original problem. My late 2013 iMac insists on going to sleep periodically, even though I have all of the settings properly established to prevent this. Although appreciated, none of the suggestions posted here have solved the issue. I tried them all. Several calls to AppleCare have not resulted in any additional understanding of why this happens or how to prevent it. They did ask me to upload a dozen files for them to study. In the meantime, Edouard once again came to the rescue of a fellow WeatherCatter, which is why he is called Edouard the Magnificent. He recommended I consider using an application to keep my machine awake. He made several suggestions, which I researched and eventually decided to try one. It is a small app called Amphetamine. I have been using it for several weeks and it seems to have done the trick. It's a free app, available in the Mac App Store and I like it. It has a nice set of user preferences and is designed to prevent your computer from sleeping either indefinitely, or for user specified time periods. It is quite a bit more flexible than Yosemite's all or nothing control.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704?mt=12
Now, if I can just figure out why this iMac crashes about every three weeks. It's probably not getting enough sleep.
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LOL! That's funny!
Glad you have the sleep issue resolved, Blick! Still, there is the uncertainty inherent in any electronic device that doesn't behave as it very well should. If you've covered all the software potential vectors, then what remains is a strong possibility that you have a hardware issue. The same issue that buggered your sleep control may also be periodically pulling the rug out from under your processor. I don't suppose you have the extended warranty?
Are you monitoring the temperatures inside?
http://temperature-monitor.en.softonic.com/mac/download
If you've got an open ticket on the issue with Apple, you can keep sending them the crash log until somebody presents you with a plan.
Hopefully, it wont involve any giant wooden badgers.
[tup]
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Dear Blick, Herb, and WeatherCat sys-admins,
Edouard once again came to the rescue of a fellow WeatherCatter, which is why he is called Edouard the Magnificent. He recommended I consider using an application to keep my machine awake.
Sorry to be playing the same song, but the only possible reason you could have been having a problem like this is - yet another OS 10.10 bug. Did you have this problem before you upgraded to Yosemite?
Now, if I can just figure out why this iMac crashes about every three weeks. It's probably not getting enough sleep.
In the old days, I would try to go as long as possible without rebooting my Mac. Being used to UNIX, that's the mindset UNIX sys-admins have. Our home server running Snow Leopard can easily run for months unattended. After I upgraded to Mavericks basically I was forced to reboot at least once a month, otherwise things would stop working. I haven't been able to get my MacBook Pro to run a month without rebooting in a - very long - time.
I like many of the feature of Yosemite as well, but I easily could have lived without them in order to get a more stable computer. For the many converts to Mac OS from Windows, this all may seem perfectly normal. It really falls on the Mac faithful to call Apple to task for this sort of thing. Steve Jobs would never have tolerated this sort of sloppiness in a flagship Apple product.
*Heavy sigh* . . . . (http://www.canebas.org/WeatherCat/Forum_support_documents/Custom_emoticons/pout.gif)
Edouard