Best practices / recommendations on managed updates and optional installs

[as...@siprep.org]

I have a lot of packages marked as optional installs, but I always want them updated, so I've also marked them all as managed updates. The way I'm doing this is a bit clunky, though.

Basically, I have a manifest for just managed updates and have all my other manifests include that one. Then I add every single package to the managed_updates manifest.

Anyone else coming up against this (wanting all optional installs to be managed updates)? And, if so, are you handling this similarly, or do you have other cool tricks to recommend?

[Erik Gomez]

What case are you trying to handle? Once an application is managed, it is managed...

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[Mr. Alan Siu]

Thanks, Erik. I'm not asking about managed_installs but about managed_updates for optional installs.

In other words, Skype is an optional install. If a user installs Skype 7.1 and then Microsoft releases Skype 7.2, I want Skype to automatically update to 7.2. The only way to do that (and keep it an optional install) is to make Skype a managed update.

So I've been creating a separate manifest to make all packages managed updates, but that means I have to keep constantly updating the manifest when new types of packages are added. That's why I'm asking about suggestions for alternative ways of approaching the issue.

Alan Siu

Client Systems Analyst

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/munki-discuss/FE3D7FD9-466C-4681-BEAF-3F597B338FF1%40gmail.com.

[Gregory Neagle]

On Nov 30, 2015, at 1:55 PM, Mr. Alan Siu <as...@siprep.org> wrote:

Thanks, Erik. I'm not asking about managed_installs but about managed_updates for optional installs.

In other words, Skype is an optional install. If a user installs Skype 7.1 and then Microsoft releases Skype 7.2, I want Skype to automatically update to 7.2.

If the user installed Skype using MSC.app, Munki now manages the item and will keep it updated. No need to add it to managed_updates.

The only way to do that (and keep it an optional install) is to make Skype a managed update.

managed_updates tells Munki to update software that is not in managed_installs in any relevant manifest. It can be thought of as meaning “(attempt to) update these items even if Munki did not do the original install”.

So I've been creating a separate manifest to make all packages managed updates, but that means I have to keep constantly updating the manifest when new types of packages are added. That's why I'm asking about suggestions for alternative ways of approaching the issue.

I have none, other than some sort of wrapper script you could use to add a single item to both optional_installs and managed_updates, or perhaps a script that simply read the value optional_installs and wrote it to managed_updates.

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[Mr. Alan Siu]

Thanks, Greg.

I know Munki keeps things up to date, but what I like about how it handles managed_updates is not having the user have to hit update on each item and then wait for the item to download. Managed updates seem to happen more fluidly in the background with more consistency.

It sounds as if maintaining the list manually as I have been is an okay way to do it. If I muster together a script, I'll post it up on GitHub.

Alan Siu

Client Systems Analyst

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/munki-discuss/67322667-2B73-4C62-A968-DBE5AFFB315F%40mac.com.

[Gregory Neagle]

On Nov 30, 2015, at 2:01 PM, Mr. Alan Siu <as...@siprep.org> wrote:

Thanks, Greg.

I know Munki keeps things up to date, but what I like about how it handles managed_updates is not having the user have to hit update on each item and then wait for the item to download

They don’t have to do this, unless the item is being removed from the local SelfServeManifest’s managed_installs after Munki installs it.

Items in the local SelfServeManifest’s managed_installs are treated the same (and behave the same) as managed_installs in any other manifest.

-Greg

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[Mr. Alan Siu]

Okay... that's bizarre. I could have sworn things were not automatically updating without being in managed updates, but I must have been hallucinating. I just tested it on Munki 2.4 (with Skype as a test case not in managed updates), and it worked to just update.

Thanks for your help!

Alan Siu

Client Systems Analyst

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/munki-discuss/CC4CE8AF-D749-4A54-988D-9F306329B2A5%40mac.com.

[Erik Gomez]

I would also try to use unattended install keys on as many things as you can. This will allow you to silently update optional items, so long as they aren't in active use by the user.

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[Mr. Alan Siu]

Thanks. I definitely try to do that as much as possible.

Alan Siu

Client Systems Analyst

St. Ignatius College Preparatory

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