Run software update in non-admin account?

Open the Software Update preferences pane in System Preferences.

Did some research on this the other day, to see if i could get Software Update to run in the middle of the night like Windows can do.

Software Update requires Root powers, so when you give it your Admin Password your opening a sudo window of 5 minutes for it to complete it's task.

Software Update doesn't check for updates while in Standard User becuase Standard Users supposedly can't do anything about it anyway and it would be a obvious distraction. "Mommy the computer....!!!"

Apple should have a option in Software update preferences to let certain Standard Users know a Software Update is ready just for the purpose your explaining. I run in Standard as well.

I ran some Software Update commands via the Terminal for a launchd just to see what I could do.

Apprantly one can DOWNLOAD updates automatically with launchd in Admin, but not install them because of the need for sudo.

I just misssed a perfect opoortunity (todays update) to run a launchd to do automatic downloads of Software update, then see how to go about installing them afterwards. So fsck me, I'll have to wait now. (unless i use my other machine! ahhh!!)

Anyway the program you want is this little gem: Lingon

it's on Sourceforge (grab the image)

Ok so that takes care of the Software update downloads (man softwareupdate in Terminal for commands)

/usr/sbin/softwareupdate --download --all

Will do the automatic downloads, now it's just a script away to let you know ( a nice pop up window) that you have something in your folder where the Software Update just downloaded into.

That's the next question is where that is and how to run it. 😀

I guess I should say it's possible to do a launchd and install the SoftwareUpdates automatically in Root User.

Wonder how one would agree to terms of use and such? Or will it just install it?

Guess I'll have tto find out. 😀

Software Update isn't installing via launchd in Root User while in another account.

I even put the com.me.AutoSoftwareUpdate in the System Daemons.

I don't know if it's Mandatory Access Control getting in the way or if it's a bad command, or if I have to actually be logged in Root User to have it work.

I do know running a wifi sniffer on another Mac I get a short burst of traffic at the schedualed launchd time and then nothing.

I think the best would be to do the auto download and then script a notice with AppleScript.

Do some more work on it tommorow. 🙂

You can have your cron / launchd or what ever you end up using just run softwareupdate -di

Sorry, make that softwareupdate -dia download install all there are some other options, see softwareupdate -h for details

Your post reminded me i had some pending updates to run 😀 so here's some sample output

# softwareupdate -dia

Software Update Tool

Copyright 2002-2009 Apple

Downloading Security Update 2011-003

Verifying Security Update 2011-003

Waiting to install Security Update 2011-003

Checking packages…

Installing

Waiting for other installations to complete…

Validating packages…

Writing files…

Removing old files…

Optimizing system for installed software…

Moving items into place…

Running package scripts…

Registering updated applications…

Writing package receipts…

Installed ProKit Update

Installed Security Update 2011-002

Installed Snow Leopard Font Update

Installed Security Update 2011-003

Installed iTunes

Installed Safari

Done.

You have installed one or more updates that requires that you restart your

computer. Please restart immediately.

I haven't found a way for Software Update to auto-notify me from a non-admin account.

What I did was subscribe to Apple's Security Announce e-mail list. Apple sends me an e-mail whenever they issue a security patch. When I get the e-mail I know to run Software Update.

1. If you use launchd, you can run that as root and the daemon will run in the background and you'll be up to date without even worrying
2. If you want to do it manually as a regular user you can allow your normal user the use of sudo for a specific command

if you're going to use #2, then run the following on your admin account

sudo visudo

Where it says

# User privilege specification

root ALL=(ALL) ALL

%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

Add

yourUserHere ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/softwareupdate

the NOPASSWD is optional.

But, here's this in aciton with a standard user called tst

$ su tst

Password:

bash-3.2$ whoami

tst

bash-3.2$ id tst

uid=502(tst) gid=20(staff) groups=20(staff),403(com.apple.sharepoint.group.2),61(localaccounts),12(everyon e),402(com.apple.sharepoint.group.1)

$ sudo softwareupdate -dia

Software Update Tool

Copyright 2002-2009 Apple

Done.

The id part is just so you can see it's not a admin, and well there aren't any updates pending on my machine

No it wont prompt you to restart, you would have to do some searching for the text and then maybe have it email you. Still, I dont think a big deal if you're used to shutting down your computer every day.

Here's some reading material on launchd

http://www.macgeekery.com/tips/all_about_launchd_items_and_how_to_make_one_yours elf

http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/ man1/launchctl.1.html

http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/ man5/launchd.plist.5.html#//apple_ref/doc/man/5/launchd.plist

Does Lingon work with Snow Leopard?

Lingon is back under active development, and there is a recent version available exclusively at the Mac App Store for $4.99.