Start with the facts

Turn delivery, connection, and build issues into actionable steps

First verify the physical node, configuration, rental period, and credentials. Then check the network, development environment, and job logs. Every step includes inputs, validation points, and completion criteria for first-time setup, daily builds, and troubleshooting.

When you need connection instructions, start with theremote access workflow; for an existing order, include the order number and node code in your ticket.

Task Launch Checklist BUILD SUPPORT / 04
Troubleshooting sequence ready
Input Validate Recover
Machine & node Match configuration, region, and rental period to the order
Verify first
Account & session Store the address, system account, and one-time credentials separately
Then connect
Toolchain & runner Version, labels, concurrency, cache, and cleanup
Then run
Timeline & logs Use one time zone and capture key records before and after the issue
For diagnosis
Completion criteria The issue is reproducible, boundaries are documented, and logs are redacted
Six pre-delivery checks

Save a delivery baseline before your first login

Use the baseline to determine whether later changes come from the order, system settings, or the project toolchain. Record only what is necessary; never put passwords, private keys, or full tokens in team documents.

Node

Confirm the region and connection endpoint

Check that the order node code is SG, JP, KR, or HK, and record the delivery address. The node affects the access path, but network issues should not be hidden by changing project dependencies.

Validation point
Order node matches delivery node
Record
Node code, test-source network
Configuration

Verify the chip, memory, and disk

In System Information, confirm the ordered M4 or M4 Pro, memory capacity, and system-disk capacity. Record externally attached or added storage separately, including its mount location.

Validation point
Every configuration field matches the order
Record
Chip, RAM, SSD
System account

Separate administrator and job accounts

Confirm that the initial system account can sign in, then create a least-privilege account for automated jobs. Do not let a daily runner use unnecessary elevated permissions.

Validation point
The account signs in with fit-for-purpose permissions
Record
Account role; never record the password
Access credentials

Update one-time credentials after first use

Store the remote address, system username, and session credentials separately. After updating them, sign out and reconnect once to confirm that the new credentials work as expected.

Validation point
Old credentials fail and new credentials reconnect
Record
Change time and operator
Rental period

Standardize start and end times and the team time zone

Add the rental start and end times to the project calendar and note the time zone. For long-running jobs, reserve time before expiry to save checkpoints, sync artifacts, and clean up the environment.

Validation point
All team members see the same time
Record
Start and end times, time zone, owner
Security settings

Tighten access before installing tools

Check shared accounts, remote-access scope, directory permissions, and key storage. Installation scripts should be reviewable, and sensitive variables should be injected only while a job runs.

Validation point
Least privilege and access boundaries are clear
Record
Allowed sources, directories, and rotation owner
Key terms

Align on these eight terms to remove ambiguity

These terms describe resource ownership, connection methods, and the build environment. Use the corresponding names when reporting an issue so support can identify the affected layer quickly.

Physical node
The actual device and region hosting the Cloud Mac. SoarMac provides an Apple Silicon physical machine on a designated node, not an abstract shared compute instance.
Dedicated
During the rental period, one order uses the machine resources without sharing the system environment with other orders. Your team remains responsible for planning accounts, directories, and job permissions.
Non-virtualized
The system runs directly on the corresponding physical machine. When troubleshooting performance or device capabilities, check the real configuration, current jobs, and storage state rather than applying virtual-machine specifications.
VNC
A remote-session method for accessing the macOS graphical interface. It is suitable for GUI operations and visual checks, but is not file synchronization and should not replace automated-job logs.
self-hosted runner
A job executor registered with the team CI/CD platform and running on a Cloud Mac. It needs clear labels, concurrency limits, a working directory, and cleanup rules.
Build cache
Dependencies or intermediate artifacts retained to reduce repeated downloads and builds. A cache needs an identifiable key, capacity limit, and invalidation rule; do not mix it with project source files.
Signing environment
The tool versions, certificates, provisioning profiles, permissions, and job variables required for signing checks. Record their source and rotation owner, and never expose sensitive content in ordinary logs.
Session credentials
The address, username, and temporary authentication details used to establish a remote session. They are separate from project keys and repository tokens and must be stored and rotated separately.
CI/CD integration

Make runners repeatable, not just successful once

Keep the integration order fixed: registration, routing, rate limiting, caching, secrets, and cleanup. Whenever Xcode, dependencies, or signing materials change, rerun the same minimal pipeline for verification.

01

Register the runner

Create the executor using the registration method required by the project or organization. Record the runner name, scope, and service-start method. Then run a diagnostic job without sensitive variables.

02

Plan labels

Labels should cover the system, chip family, Xcode baseline, and purpose, such as build, test, or media processing. Do not let a generic label route high-load jobs to a lightweight queue.

03

Limit concurrency

Start with one job to validate CPU, memory, disk writes, and the Derived Data directory, then increase concurrency gradually. When jitter appears, retain queue length and the job timeline rather than looking only at the final failure code.

04

Separate cache directories

Store dependency caches, build intermediates, and export files separately. Set capacity limits, key rules, and cleanup conditions to prevent artifacts from old architectures or toolchains being reused incorrectly.

05

Inject secrets

Expose sensitive variables only while the job runs, disable command echoing in logs, and limit which jobs can read them. If validation fails, check that the variables exist without printing their values.

06

Clean up after jobs

On exit, remove temporary files, unmount temporary volumes, stop leftover processes, and clear short-lived credentials. Cleanup should run even when earlier steps fail, with reviewable result codes retained.

Minimal validation job Tool versions → Fetch dependencies → Build → Test → Export summary
Keep Runner labels, commit ID, job time, exit code, redacted logs
Do not log Passwords, private keys, full tokens, original signing materials
Development baseline

Record versions first, then separate environment differences from project issues

A failed remote build does not necessarily mean the machine is faulty. Validate tool versions, dependency resolution, directory permissions, and signing materials separately to identify the layer that actually changed.

Check the Xcode version

Record the full version, build number, and currently selected path. Select the version explicitly in the pipeline so the GUI and command line do not use different toolchains.

Command-line tools

Check the actual paths of the compiler, package manager, and script interpreter. Do not rely only on the installation interface; job logs should output a non-sensitive version summary.

Certificates and provisioning profiles

Verify scope, purpose, and read permissions. Logs should contain only identifiers and check results, never private certificate content. After rotation, run one minimal signing validation.

Dependency cache

Cache keys should include the dependency lockfile, tool version, and architecture. When build differences cannot be explained, validate with an empty cache instead of deleting all project data.

Project-directory permissions

Confirm that the runner has the required permissions for source, cache, and export directories separately. Do not solve a single-directory issue by globally weakening permissions; record owner changes.

Storage paths

Manage system, project, cache, and delivery files separately

Disk issues usually come from mixed paths, unlimited caches, permission drift, or incomplete synchronization. First identify the data layer, then decide whether to clean up, expand, or migrate it.

System disk

Keep operating headroom

Monitor available space continuously so build intermediates do not consume capacity needed by the system. Do not use system directories as a shared team-artifact repository.

Project directory

Define ownership

A designated job account should manage source and configuration. After moving a directory, recheck permissions, symlinks, and absolute paths in scripts.

Build cache

Set invalidation rules

Separate caches by project, architecture, and tool version. Set capacity and retention cleanup rules to prevent old artifacts from affecting new jobs.

Delivery files

Clean up only after syncing

Verify exported artifacts before syncing them to team storage. Complete the export before the rental period ends and retain a handoff record.

Connection troubleshooting order

Change one condition at a time and record the result

Confirm the local network and target address first, then move to authentication and session layers. Display, keyboard, and clipboard issues are session-experience problems and should not be mixed with address reachability.

Remote connection troubleshooting order and ticket evidence
Symptom First step Second step Retain if still unresolved
Unable to establish a session Confirm the node, address, and local network are available; rule out corporate network-policy blocking. Retest on a known-good network without changing account and connection parameters at the same time. Node, time, source network, exact error text, and consecutive test results.
Display latency Lower resolution and color quality, and pause high-volume local uploads. Compare round-trip latency and jitter across networks to determine whether the issue persists. Node, resolution, network type, latency samples, and affected period.
Incorrect keyboard layout Check the local input method, session keyboard layout, and system region settings. Use a plain-text editor to test modifier keys, symbol keys, and shortcuts. Local system, keyboard layout, affected keys, and reproduction steps.
Clipboard not syncing Confirm that the session tool allows clipboard transfer, then test with short plain text. Reconnect the session and test again; do not start with large files or rich text. Session tool, content type, direction, and the smallest reproducible text.
Reconnect fails Fully exit the old session, wait for the connection to release, then retry with the original address. Check that the system account is still valid and avoid rapid repeated connection attempts. Disconnect reason, retry interval, exact error text, and most recent successful time.
Credentials no longer work Confirm that you are using the latest system username and session credentials, not an old record. Have an authorized owner verify the latest change and rotation time. Order number, node, username, and time of failure; do not attach the password.
Large-file transfer interrupted Use a verifiable, resumable file-sync workflow instead of relying on the clipboard. Compare source and destination file sizes and checksum results. File size, transfer direction, start time, failure stage, and checksum summary.
Service target

99.9% Availability target, verified against event records

All nodes operate normally 365 days a year. If an incident occurs, the console timeline records its start, impact scope, recovery process, and end time; compensation eligibility and calculation follow the service terms.

Last 90 days Three 30-day review windows
Actual records are based on the timeline
D−90 — D−61

Daily status, incident start time, and impact scope

D−60 — D−31

Recovery actions, progress updates, and node scope

D−30 — D−1

End time, duration, and follow-up notes

Calculation basis
Affected-service records and order timeline
Request channel
Console ticket
Required materials
Order number, node, time, and impact details
Billing review

Compare each configuration line item; do not infer charges from the total

Order charges consist of the machine tier, rental period, node, SSD add-ons, and number of Thunderbolt 5 parallel connections. Recheck the order summary after changing the period or any add-on.

A

Machine and rental period

First check SoarMac M4 Air, SoarMac M4 Plus, or SoarMac M4 Pro, then confirm the daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly period.

B

Node and add-ons

Confirm the SG, JP, KR, or HK node, plus +1TB SSD, +2TB SSD, or the number of Thunderbolt 5 parallel connections.

C

Payment record

All prices are charged in USD. Supported methods are USDT-TRC20 and Visa / Mastercard / Amex via Stripe; actual gateway availability is determined by the system.

Prepare before submitting

Give your ticket enough detail to diagnose it on the first pass

Writing only “it doesn’t work” leaves troubleshooting stuck at information gathering. Provide the facts below in order, and remove passwords, private keys, full tokens, and signing materials from logs.

01
Order number

Used to match the model, rental period, and delivery record; do not include payment credentials.

02
Node

Specify SG, JP, KR, or HK and the approximate network region where the connection was initiated.

03
Time of occurrence

Use a time zone-aware timestamp and note the first occurrence, latest reproduction, and last known-good run.

04
Reproduction steps

Describe the input, actions, expected result, and actual result step by step from the initial state.

05
Redacted logs

Keep the exact error text, exit code, and surrounding context; remove passwords, private keys, full tokens, and personal data.

Technical issues

Use a console ticket first

Existing orders, connection issues, configuration checks, and service incidents can be linked to order records, making the console suitable for maintaining the timeline.

Open the console
Pre-sales and human review

Organize context through the contact page

For product selection, bulk deployment, workflow evaluation, or issues that cannot be linked to an order, email support@soarmac.com or prepare the requested information from the contact page.

Open the contact page

Prepare the workload, then choose the right physical node

All three Apple Silicon dedicated physical machines are non-virtualized and available in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong nodes. Before ordering, confirm the workload, memory, storage, rental period, and connection path.