Incident: Finder Crashes in OS X Mavericks Due to Google Drive Sync.

Published Date: 2013-11-05

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Google Drive causing Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks happened in November 2013 [23122].
System 1. Finder windows and desktop in OS X Mavericks [23122]
Responsible Organization 1. Google's desktop client for its online Google Drive service [23122]
Impacted Organization 1. Users who upgraded their systems to OS X Mavericks [23122] 2. Google Drive users who were experiencing Finder crashes and desktop switching issues [23122]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was the Google desktop client for Google Drive, specifically the way it appended sync icons to folders, which led to crashes in Finder in OS X Mavericks [23122].
Non-software Causes 1. Hardware compatibility issues with OS X Mavericks upgrade [23122] 2. Synchronization process between Google Drive and Finder [23122]
Impacts 1. Finder windows and desktop items disappeared and reappeared repeatedly, causing inconvenience to users [23122]. 2. The system switched to the desktop or Finder windows from other running applications without user action, disrupting user workflow [23122]. 3. Users experienced repeated crashes of Finder after upgrading to OS X Mavericks, affecting system stability [23122].
Preventions 1. Ensuring thorough compatibility testing between the Google Drive desktop client and the OS X Mavericks operating system before releasing the software update [23122]. 2. Implementing proactive monitoring and feedback mechanisms to quickly identify and address any emerging issues post-release, such as the crashing of Finder windows and desktop items [23122]. 3. Conducting a detailed risk assessment and impact analysis on potential software conflicts or bugs that could arise due to the interaction between the Google Drive client and the OS X Mavericks environment [23122].
Fixes 1. Uninstall Google Drive from the system by following the steps provided in the article [23122]. 2. Disable the placement of sync icons in Finder by unchecking the option in Google Drive Preferences [23122].
References 1. Apple Support forum threads [Article 23122] 2. Google Drive development team [Article 23122]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to Google Drive causing Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks is specific to Google's desktop client for its online Google Drive service. Users who upgraded to OS X Mavericks experienced Finder crashes and desktop issues due to the way Google Drive appends sync icons to folders [23122]. Google acknowledged the issue and released an update to address the problem for affected users [23122]. (b) There is no information in the provided article about a similar incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in Article 23122 is related to the design phase. The issue with Finder crashing in OS X Mavericks was attributed to Google's desktop client for Google Drive. Specifically, the problem was caused by the way Google Drive appended sync icons to folders, leading to crashes in Finder. Google acknowledged the issue and released an update to address the problem [23122]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 23122 is also related to the operation phase. Users experienced Finder crashes and desktop items disappearing due to the malfunctioning of Google Drive's desktop client after upgrading to OS X Mavericks. The operation of the system was impacted by the issue with Google Drive, leading to repeated crashes and disruptions in the user experience [23122].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system The software failure incident related to the Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks due to Google Drive can be categorized as both within_system and outside_system: (a) within_system: The issue of Finder crashing in OS X Mavericks was caused by the way Google Drive's desktop client appended sync icons to folders, leading to the instability of the Finder process [23122]. (b) outside_system: The root cause of the Finder crashes was attributed to Google's desktop client for its online Google Drive service, specifically version 1.12, which was interacting with the OS X Mavericks system in a way that triggered the crashes [23122].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was primarily due to non-human actions. The issue was related to Google's desktop client for Google Drive causing crashes in Finder on systems running OS X Mavericks. The problem stemmed from the way Google Drive appended synchronization icons to folders, leading to the Finder process crashing and relaunching repeatedly [23122].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to software. The issue with Finder crashing repeatedly and the system switching applications randomly in OS X Mavericks is attributed to Google's desktop client for Google Drive. The problem arises when Google Drive synchronizes and appends sync icons to folders, causing Finder to crash [23122].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in Article 23122 is non-malicious. The issue causing Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks was attributed to Google's desktop client for Google Drive. The problem arose from the way Google Drive appended sync icons to folders, leading to the crashing of Finder. Google acknowledged the issue and released an update to address the problem, indicating that the failure was not due to malicious intent but rather a technical flaw in the software [23122].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions The software failure incident related to the Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks after upgrading appears to be more aligned with the category of accidental_decisions. The issue stemmed from the way Google's desktop client for Google Drive appended sync icons to folders, causing the Finder to crash. This was not a deliberate poor decision but rather an unintended consequence of how the software was interacting with the operating system [23122].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the article. The issue with Finder crashing in OS X Mavericks was attributed to Google's desktop client for Google Drive. It was identified that the way Google Drive appended sync icons to folders was causing the crashes in Finder. This issue was not intentional but accidental, leading to the software failure incident [23122].
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the Finder crashes in OS X Mavericks caused by Google Drive's desktop client can be categorized as a temporary failure. The issue started happening days after users had upgraded to Mavericks, indicating that it was not a permanent failure introduced by all circumstances [23122]. Additionally, Google responded to the problem by issuing an update to Google Drive that addressed the crashing issue, suggesting that the failure was temporary and could be resolved by specific actions [23122].
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is related to crashes. Users who upgraded their systems to OS X Mavericks experienced the Finder process crashing repeatedly, causing Finder windows and desktop items to disappear and reappear [23122]. (b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident is specifically related to the Finder process crashing repeatedly after users upgraded to OS X Mavericks, potentially caused by Google's desktop client for Google Drive appending sync icons to folders in a way that crashes Finder [23122].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence delay, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There is no mention of any deaths related to the software failure incident in the provided article [23122]. (b) harm: The article does not mention any physical harm caused to individuals due to the software failure incident [23122]. (c) basic: There is no indication that people's access to food or shelter was impacted by the software failure incident described in the article [23122]. (d) property: The software failure incident primarily affected the functionality of the Finder in OS X Mavericks due to Google Drive's desktop client, causing crashes and instability, but there is no mention of people's material goods, money, or data being directly impacted [23122]. (e) delay: Users experienced disruptions in the functioning of their systems, particularly with the Finder process crashing repeatedly and desktop items disappearing and reappearing, which could have caused delays in their work or activities [23122]. (f) non-human: The software failure incident impacted the functioning of the Finder in OS X Mavericks and was related to the Google Drive desktop client, affecting the synchronization process and causing crashes, but there is no mention of non-human entities being directly impacted [23122]. (g) no_consequence: The article discusses the consequences of the software failure incident, including Finder crashes, desktop items disappearing and reappearing, and system instability, indicating there were observed consequences [23122]. (h) theoretical_consequence: The article mentions potential consequences of the software failure incident, such as system instability, Finder crashes, and disruptions in the synchronization process caused by Google Drive's desktop client, which were observed by users [23122]. (i) other: The article does not mention any other specific consequences of the software failure incident beyond those related to system instability, Finder crashes, and disruptions in the synchronization process caused by Google Drive's desktop client [23122].
Domain information (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to the information industry. Specifically, it involves Google's desktop client for its online Google Drive service, which is used for the production and distribution of information [23122].

Sources

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