Software Update

Software Update in Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard"
Developer(s)	Apple Inc.
Stable release	4.0.2 (256) / November 9, 2009
Operating system	Mac OS X Windows
Type	System Utility
License	Proprietary
Website	apple.com/softwareupdate

Software Update is a software tool by Apple Inc. that installs the latest version of Apple software on computers running Mac OS X. It was originally introduced to Mac users in Mac OS 9. A Windows version has been available since the introduction of iTunes 7, under the name "Apple Software Update". Software Update automatically informs users of new updates. It is part of the CoreServices in OS X, found at /System/Library/CoreServices/Software Update.app, or by choosing Software Update from the Apple menu. Software Update can be set to check for updates daily, weekly, monthly, or not at all; in addition, it can download and store the associated .pkg file (the same type used by Installer) to be installed at a later date and maintains a history of installed updates.

Software Updates consist of incremental updates of the Mac OS and its applications, Security Updates, device drivers and firmware updates. All software updates require a password, as with all consequential system changes. Some updates require a system restart. Starting with Mac OS X 10.5, updates that require a reboot log out the user prior to installation and automatically restart the computer when complete; in earlier versions, the updates are installed, but critical files are not replaced until the next system startup.

[edit] Command line

All of Software Update's features are available through the command-line program softwareupdate.

The command line usage for softwareupdate in Mac OS X 10.6 is:

 usage: softwareupdate <mode> [<args> ...]  	-l | --list		List all appropriate updates 	-d | --download		Download Only 	-i | --install		Install 		<label> ...	specific updates 		-a | --all		all appropriate updates 		-r | --recommended	only recommended updates  	Per-user preferences: 	--ignore <label> ...	Ignore specific updates 	--reset-ignored		Clear all ignored updates 	--schedule (on | off)	Set automatic checking  	-v | --verbose	Enable verbose output 	-h | --help	Print this help 

Using this tool, it is fairly straightforward for lab administrators to automatically install incoming updates by adding a cron job, or using the new launchd scheduling system, the latter is recommended:
softwareupdate --install --all
(or just --recommended to be more cautious). It is prudent to set the job to run only every few days to allow for time to jump in with an --ignore if a particular update is reported to have issues by early adopters. If running as a cron job, it is also a good idea to avoid running the update while a user is logged in, especially since some updates require reboot to take effect. (softwareupdate does not reboot automatically, it merely displays a warning on its standard output if a reboot is necessary.) Remote administrators may also be interested in also using the cURL and installer command line utilities to set up their own software update system.

[edit] Criticism

Apple Software Update has been criticized for automatically installing new software on Windows when checking for updates. On March 18, 2008 Apple started offering the Safari web browser for download through Software Update. On Windows, Safari was automatically selected for installation whenever update was run.^[1] After considerable criticism, Apple modified software update to differentiate between new and updated software, although Safari remained selected by default.^[2]

In September of 2009, Apple began offering the iPhone Configuration Utility through Software Update for Windows. This appears to have been an error on Apple's part as the utility is designed for enterprise users and serves absolutely no purpose for home users. Apple removed the utility several weeks later after its presence was widely criticized by the IT community.^[3]

[edit] References