[Casper] Software Update - laptop labs, progress indicator

[Thomas Larkin]

There is also a softwareupdate binary from the command line.  You could create a policy to run or do it via ARD admin 

$ softwareupdate 
usage: softwareupdate <mode> [<args> ...] 

-l | --listList all appropriate updates 
-d | --downloadDownload Only 
-i | --installInstall 
<label> ...specific updates 
-a | --allall appropriate updates 
-r | --recommendedonly recommended updates 

Per-user preferences: 
--ignore <label> ...Ignore specific updates 
--reset-ignoredClear all ignored updates 
--schedule (on | off)Set automatic checking 

-h | --helpPrint this help 


If you have a SUS set up you can say run all approved updates from the SUS and such.


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Thomas Larkin
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>>> Matthew Butch <matt at pennmanor.net> 04/02/09 9:52 AM >>>
What we have been doing is just pulling them off the cart, running Casper Remote on them and telling them to "Install all available updates". Its a pain, but it seems to be the best way to do it. 



For the progress bar, we have a Unix command to run Software Update as sudo which allows non-admins to install them. This is set as a Self Service policy (the last tab allows running commands). The command is: 



sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/Software\ Update.app/Contents/MacOS/Software\ Update 



It gives them a nice UI to run them. We've had good feedback about it, and it saves us from forcing them. 



-Matt 





On Apr 2, 2009, at 10:22 AM, Clinton Blackmore wrote: 




Greetings.

How do you handle software updates on laptop labs?  We have carts of  
laptops in our schools, and, if they are not being used by a student,  
they are charging in the cart.  That doesn't provide for a nice way to  
update them after hours without pulling each machine out of the cart,  
and yet, I don't really want to pop up a message to a student saying,  
"Your computer is going to reboot now.  Deal with it!"

Also, when you use the GUI tools to do software update, the machine  
logs out and you get a nice progress indicator showing that updates  
are installing.  Is there any way to do that from the command line?   
(Yes, I know one can install updates, and Casper handles it nicely,  
but can I get the progress bar?  We had some machines set to update,  
and then found they had kernel panicked.  We wondered if a user  
noticed the machine became sluggish and forced it off.)  More  
generally, how do you convey to users that updates are in progress?

Cheers,
Clinton Blackmore

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Matthew Butch 

Technology Support Analyst 

Penn Manor School District 

717-872-9500 x 2385 

http://www.pennmanor.net 



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