RME macOS drivers explained - DriverKit and System Extensions

With the announcement of DriverKit and System Extensions in 2019, Apple has introduced new security features and important changes. These changes affect the way RME can develop drivers for existing and future macOS platforms. In this video, RME explains the main differences between the old RME drivers and the newly released DriverKit drivers, both of which can be found on the RME website.

Prior to Mac OS 10.15 Catalina, all drivers ran as kernel extensions with some access to kernel-level functions. For security and stability reasons, Apple has decided to remove the Kernel Extension Framework. Drivers will now run as system extensions. System extensions are similar to kernel extensions, but run in userspace.

Apple has also announced that the previous kernel drivers for USB and PCI Express devices will no longer be supported by macOS. Manufacturers will therefore be forced to develop driver kits to ensure that their devices are compatible with all future versions of macOS.

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