[Casper] Software Update - laptop labs, progress indicator

[Miles Leacy]

Sitting in a cart powered off or asleep seems to be the main problem here.
 You can use MCX (via scripting or WGM) to schedule a boot/reboot/wake time.
 If you schedule this during off-hours, and then have a software update
policy following closely behind, this should solve the issue, assuming the
machines are connected to your network while in the cart.
At one school I worked with, we had a closet built with a secure lock,
ventilation, power and ethernet.  The laptops went into this closet over the
weekend where they could sit on the network and receive any maintenance or
updates.

----------
Miles A. Leacy IV

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2009/4/2 Thomas Larkin <tlarki at kckps.org>

>  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.
>
>
>
> ___________________________
> Thomas Larkin
> TIS Department
> KCKPS USD500
> tlarki at kckps.org
> blackberry:  913-449-7589
> office:  913-627-0351
>
>
>
>
>
> >>> 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
>
>
>   Apple Certified Macintosh Technician
>
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>
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>
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