Write failure: Inappropriate ioctl for device on macOS

[ilyabreev]

Creating file 1.h2w ... Write failure: Inappropriate ioctl for device
Creating file 2.h2w ... 0.00% -- 512.00 Byte/sAssertion failed: (fw->blocks_per_delay > fw->processed_blocks), function get_rem_chunk_size, file libflow.h, line 89.

[AltraMayor]

Is this repeatable with the same drive? Is this repeatable with other drivers?

What version of F3 are you using? Which version of your macOS?

From your report, I can only infer that something went wrong at the operating system or hardware level, and F3 was caught off guard for not knowing how to recover from this failure.

[ilyabreev]

Let me give you the information you requested.

Is this repeatable with the same drive?

Yes

Is this repeatable with other drivers?

Yes

What version of F3 are you using?

8.0
installed from homebrew

Which version of your macOS?

Tried on Ventura 13.0 and Monterey 12.6
Tried both Intel and M1 archs.

f3write utility created file 1.h2w with 512b of data then tried to create 2.h2w and then failure occurs.

[AltraMayor]

Does it mean that f3write is not working at all? For example, can't you just run f3write . on a folder on your hard drive? You can stop f3write anytime by pressing CTRL+C.

[laposheureux]

I'm experiencing the same issue also on Ventura 13.0. I just brew installed f3 right now:

(base) aaron@ ~ % f3write /Volumes/Untitled
F3 write 8.0
Copyright (C) 2010 Digirati Internet LTDA.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

Removing old file 1.h2w ...
Removing old file 2.h2w ...
Free space: 233.11 GB
Creating file 1.h2w ... Write failure: Inappropriate ioctl for device
Creating file 2.h2w ... 0.00% -- 512.00 Byte/sAssertion failed: (fw->blocks_per_delay > fw->processed_blocks), function get_rem_chunk_size, file libflow.h, line 89.
zsh: abort      f3write /Volumes/Untitled

I have this same problem with multiple micro SD cards across multiple readers. One card is a 256GB AmazonBasics card (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TJZDJ4D/) and one is a Samsung 64GB EVO select card. One reader is from CableMatters (https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Reader-Black-Memory/dp/B01KXWIHZY/) and one is the built in one from Apple on a 16" M1 Macbook Pro using an adapter (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B76FDJ9R/). They all fail the same way.

F3 can write to any random folder just fine:

(base) aaron ~ % f3write ~/Desktop/Test/
F3 write 8.0
Copyright (C) 2010 Digirati Internet LTDA.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

Free space: 820.28 GB
Creating file 1.h2w ... OK!                   
Creating file 2.h2w ... OK!               
Creating file 3.h2w ... OK!               
Creating file 4.h2w ... OK!                       
Creating file 5.h2w ... OK!                       
Creating file 6.h2w ... OK!                       
Creating file 7.h2w ... OK!                       
Creating file 8.h2w ... OK!                       
Creating file 9.h2w ... 0.98% -- 3.00 GB/s -- 3:37^C

And macOS has no trouble writing to these SD cards.

[laposheureux]

I've been experimenting with it a bit. If the SD card is formatted as FAT or ExFAT, it fails, but f3write succeeds if it is formatted HFS+.

[nschum]

I'm seeing the same problem on an external ExFAT SSD with Ventura on an M1 Pro.
Notably, f3write worked two weeks ago on the same disk and file system (before upgrading to Ventura). I don't think I did any other updates since that time.

[ilyabreev]

It seems like a problem with FAT32 and ExFAT devices.

[zeha]

Note Ventura uses a new implementation for FAT and ExFAT, apparently completely undocumented.
https://threedots.ovh/blog/2022/06/quick-look-at-user-mode-file-systems-on-macos-ventura/

[rogerioth]

I'm experiencing the same on macOS Ventura (on both macOS M1 and M2):

F3 write 8.0
Copyright (C) 2010 Digirati Internet LTDA.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

Removing old file 1.h2w ...
Removing old file 2.h2w ...
Free space: 114.57 GB
Creating file 1.h2w ... Write failure: Inappropriate ioctl for device
Creating file 2.h2w ... 0.00% -- 512.00 Byte/sAssertion failed: (fw->blocks_per_delay > fw->processed_blocks), function get_rem_chunk_size, file libflow.h, line 89.
[1]    27256 abort      f3write /Volumes/NO\ NAME

After formatting the drive to another filesystem, it started working again.

[thelukasssheee]

I am in the same boat here:

MacOS Ventura 13.0.1 on Macbook Pro M1, fresh install of f3 from brew version 8.0.
Trying to test a USB thumb drive.

With ExFat and FAT f3write errors out in same way as mentioned above.

But HFS+ does not properly work, either. f3write does not throw an error, but write speeds are much slower (50kB/s) than a regular drag & drop file copy on this specific thumb drive (10MB/s).

So Ventura must have definitely changed quite a few things.

[roach31]

I'm running Sonoma 14.5 (23F79), with f3 from homebrew. I'm also using a USB to SATA adapter from Anker.

If my 14 TB drive is formatted as ExFAT (using MacOS Disk Utility) f3write thinks there is only 750 GB ("Free space") available on the disk, and only writes that # of files. Finder correctly sees the 14 TB available.

"f3write /Volumes/Untitled/
F3 write 8.0
Copyright (C) 2010 Digirati Internet LTDA.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

Free space: 750.56 GB
Creating file 1.h2w ... OK! "

etc etc until it hits the 750 GB limit.

If I reformat my drive as APFS, f3write correctly sees "Free space: 12.73 TB" and works fine.

"f3write /Volumes/Untitled/
F3 write 8.0
Copyright (C) 2010 Digirati Internet LTDA.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.

Free space: 12.73 TB
Creating file 1.h2w ... OK! "

etc etc