Incident: Graphics Performance Issues with nVidia Quadro 4000 on Mac Pro.

Published Date: 2011-04-15

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in Mac Pro systems happened after the installation of the OS X 10.6.7 update as reported in Article 5309. Estimation: Step 1: The article was published on 2011-04-15. Step 2: The article mentions issues with OS X 10.6.7 update, indicating the incident occurred after this update. Step 3: Therefore, the software failure incident with the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in Mac Pro systems likely occurred in April 2011.
System 1. nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in Mac Pro systems [5309]
Responsible Organization 1. Apple 2. PNY 3. nVidia [Cited from Article 5309]
Impacted Organization 1. Users running nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems [5309]
Software Causes 1. The software causes of the failure incident were related to faults in the drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 for the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics card [5309].
Non-software Causes 1. Hardware compatibility issues with the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics card in Mac Pro systems [5309].
Impacts 1. Users running nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems experienced performance problems, odd graphical quirks when scrolling or viewing video, and issues with managing and running secondary displays [5309].
Preventions To prevent the software failure incident described in the article [5309], the following measures could have been taken: 1. Thorough Compatibility Testing: Prior to releasing OS X 10.6.7 update, conducting extensive compatibility testing with a range of hardware configurations, including the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics card, could have helped identify and address any potential issues before the update was made available to users. 2. Early Driver Availability: Ensuring that the latest standalone driver update for the Quadro 4000 card from nVidia was readily available before the OS update was released could have allowed users to install the necessary drivers preemptively, minimizing the chances of encountering compatibility problems. 3. Clear Installation Instructions: Providing clear instructions to users on the correct sequence of steps to follow when updating hardware drivers, such as installing the driver before the card or forcing a rebuild of the system's kernel extensions cache, could have helped users avoid issues related to driver installation order. 4. User Communication: Proactively communicating with users about potential known issues, workarounds, and solutions, either through official channels or support forums, could have helped users troubleshoot and resolve problems more effectively. 5. Continuous Monitoring and Feedback: Implementing a system for monitoring user feedback and reports post-update release could have enabled the identification of issues like the one with the Quadro 4000 card more quickly, allowing for timely responses and solutions to be provided. By implementing these preventive measures, the software failure incident related to the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics card performance issues after the OS X 10.6.7 update could have been mitigated or potentially avoided.
Fixes 1. Applying the latest standalone driver update for the Quadro 4000 card provided by nVidia, currently at release version 256.01.00f03v7, could potentially fix the software failure incident [5309]. 2. If the Mac is not showing any video after updating the OS, replacing the Quadro card with an older video card, installing the driver update from nVidia, and then replacing the Quadro card again could help resolve the issue [5309]. 3. Forcing a rebuild of the system's kernel extensions cache by running the command "sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions" in the Terminal and then restarting the computer may ensure that the new drivers get properly loaded and potentially fix the software failure incident [5309].
References 1. MacFixIt reader "Alex" [5309]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the Quadro 4000 graphics card issues on Mac Pro systems after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update seems to have occurred within the same organization, specifically with Apple and its products. The article mentions that the Quadro 4000 card is a joint effort between Apple and PNY, and it is offered as a third-party add-in card purchase not available as a standard CTO option. The issues were related to faults in the drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 for this specific graphics card [5309]. (b) The software failure incident with the Quadro 4000 graphics card on Mac Pro systems after the OS X 10.6.7 update does not explicitly mention similar incidents happening at other organizations or with their products and services. Therefore, there is no information provided in the article to suggest that this specific issue has occurred elsewhere or with products from other organizations [5309].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the design phase. The issues experienced by users with nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update were attributed to faults in the latest drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 specifically concerning this card. The article recommends applying the latest standalone driver update provided by nVidia to address these problems. Additionally, it suggests steps like replacing the Quadro card with an older video card, installing the driver update, and forcing a rebuild of the system's kernel extensions cache to ensure proper functioning of the card [5309].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The issues experienced by users with nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems were attributed to faults in the latest drivers that shipped with OS X 10.6.7 specifically related to this card. Users were advised to apply the latest standalone driver update provided by nVidia to address the performance problems and graphical quirks [5309].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in Article 5309 was related to non-human actions. The issues experienced by users running nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update were attributed to faults in the drivers that shipped with the OS X update. Specifically, the latest drivers that came with OS X 10.6.7 were found to have a couple of faults with the Quadro 4000 card, leading to performance problems, graphical quirks, and issues with managing secondary displays. Users were advised to apply the latest standalone driver update provided by nVidia to address these issues [5309].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in Article 5309 is related to hardware. The issues experienced by users running nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems were attributed to faults in the latest drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 specifically concerning the Quadro 4000 card. Users were advised to apply the latest standalone driver update provided by nVidia to address the performance problems and graphical quirks [5309].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in Article 5309 is non-malicious. The issues experienced by users with nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update were due to faults in the drivers that shipped with the update. Specifically, the latest drivers in OS X 10.6.7 had a couple of faults with the Quadro 4000 card, leading to performance problems, graphical quirks, and issues with managing secondary displays. The recommended solution was to apply the latest standalone driver update provided by nVidia to address these issues [5309].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions The software failure incident described in Article 5309 seems to align more with the category of 'accidental_decisions' rather than 'poor_decisions'. The issues faced by users with the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics card after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update appear to be unintended consequences of the update and the drivers provided by Apple and nVidia. Users experienced performance problems, odd graphical quirks, and issues with managing secondary displays, which were not intentional but rather accidental outcomes of the update and driver compatibility issues. The article provides guidance on how to address these issues through driver updates and system cache rebuilding, indicating that the problems were not due to deliberate poor decisions but rather unintended consequences of the software update and driver compatibility [5309].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the article as it mentions issues with the OS X 10.6.7 update causing performance problems, odd graphical quirks, and problems with managing secondary displays for users with nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems. These issues were attributed to faults in the latest drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 specifically related to the Quadro 4000 card, indicating a lack of professional competence in ensuring compatibility and performance with the hardware [5309]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is also present in the article. The problems experienced by users after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update, such as full-screen white flashes and screen redraws, were unintended consequences of the update. Additionally, the need to replace the Quadro card with an older video card before installing the driver update from nVidia suggests accidental issues in the update process that required a workaround to resolve [5309].
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 5309 seems to be temporary. Users experienced issues with performance problems, odd graphical quirks, and problems with managing and running secondary displays after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update specifically related to the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems. The article provides troubleshooting steps such as applying the latest standalone driver update from nVidia and forcing a rebuild of the system's kernel extensions cache to address the problems. This indicates that the software failure was not permanent but rather caused by specific circumstances related to the update and the graphics card.
Behaviour crash, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article involves crashes where users experience full-screen white flashes/screen redraws after invoking certain GPU targeted functions in applications like Photoshop CS5 and Final Cut Pro [5309]. (b) omission: The article does not mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions. (c) timing: The article does not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident involves the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, leading to performance problems, odd graphical quirks, and issues with managing and running secondary displays for users with nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update [5309]. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior in this software failure incident is related to the need for users to apply the latest standalone driver update for the nVidia Quadro 4000 card to address the faults with the drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7. Additionally, users may need to force a rebuild of the system's kernel extensions cache to ensure the new drivers are properly loaded [5309].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There is no mention of any deaths resulting from the software failure incident in the provided article [5309]. (b) harm: The article does not mention any physical harm caused to individuals due to the software failure incident [5309]. (c) basic: The incident did not impact people's access to food or shelter [5309]. (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data were impacted due to the software failure incident as users experienced issues with performance problems, odd graphical quirks, and problems with managing and running secondary displays after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update [5309]. (e) delay: Users had to deal with issues such as full-screen white flashes/screen redraws after invoking certain GPU targeted functions in software like Photoshop CS5 and Final Cut Pro, which could have caused delays in their work [5309]. (f) non-human: The software failure incident impacted non-human entities, specifically the nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in Mac Pro systems, which experienced performance issues and odd graphical quirks after the OS X 10.6.7 update [5309]. (g) no_consequence: The article does not mention any real observed consequences of the software failure incident [5309]. (h) theoretical_consequence: The article discusses potential consequences of the software failure incident, such as the need to apply the latest standalone driver update for the Quadro 4000 card provided by nVidia to address the faults with the latest drivers that ship with OS X 10.6.7 [5309]. (i) other: There are no other consequences of the software failure incident mentioned in the article [5309].
Domain information (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 5309 is related to the information industry. The issue occurred after installing the OS X 10.6.7 update, affecting people running nVidia Quadro 4000 graphics cards in their Mac Pro systems, leading to performance problems and graphical quirks when using software like Photoshop CS5 and Final Cut Pro [5309].

Sources

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