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Re: macOS Mojave 10.14.3 Combo Update
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David Empson
Jan 26, 2019, 9:30:01 PM1/26/19
to
Chris Schram <chri...@me.com> wrote:
> Perhaps I'm just a superstitious old fool, but for years I've preferred
> using the macOS (nee Mac OS X) Combo Updater whenever possible, perhaps
> as a way to correct any 'bit-rot' that may have occurred since the last
> update. So when macOS 10.14.3 was announced, I went over to
> <https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1992?locale=en_US> to grab the current
> combo updater. But when I to install it, on the 'Select a Destination'
> screen I got "macOS 10.14.3 Update can't be installed on this disk. This
> volume does not meet the requirements for this update." Even though I
> was only attempting to update from 10.14.2, this type of operation has
> ALWAYS worked before.
The install script for the 10.14.3 combo update does not allow it to
update a 10.14.2 (or 10.14.3 pre-release) system, only 10.14.0, 10.14.1
or 10.14.3.
Specifically, it only allows installation on any of these build numbers:
18A389,18A391,18A2063,18B75,18B2084,18B2103,18B2107,18B3094,18D42
The ones starting with "18A" are a few variants of 10.14.0 (18A389 was
the release version; 18A2063 is what came on the 2018 Mac Mini, not sure
about 18A391).
The ones starting with "18B" are a few variants of 10.14.1 (18B75 was
the release version, the four digit ones are probably model-specific
ones for the 2018 Mac Mini and/or MacBook Air).
Note the distinct lack of any mention of builds starting with "18C"
which would be variants of 10.14.2. The release version of 10.14.2 is
build 18C54. Since that build number does not appear in the list, the
10.14.3 combo update refuses to install.
For comparison, the 10.14.3 delta update looks for this list of build
numbers:
18C54,18D2z,18D3z,18D4,18D5,18D6,18D7,18D8,18D9,18D10,18D11,18D12,18D13,18D14,18D15,18D16,18D17,18D18,18D19,18D20,18D21,18D21c,18D22,18D23,18D24,18D25,18D26,18D26a,18D27,18D28,18D29,18D30,18D31,18D32,18D32a,18D33,18D34,18D35,18D36,18D37,18D38,18D38a,18D39a,18D40,18D41,18D42
Note that it starts with 18C54, so the 10.14.3 delta update will allow
installation on 10.14.2. The rest start with 18D so are various
pre-release (internal or developer/public beta) and the final release of
10.14.3.
Without doing a lot more research and experimentation, I can't tell
whether the combo update actually has a technical reason to not allow
installation on 10.14.2 or pre-release 10.14.3, or whether this was just
an oversight in the distribution script. Either way it is not normal for
Apple to release an update like this, so it probably counts as a bug.
If you are running 10.14.2 and need to use a manually installed update
to get to 10.14.3, you can use the delta update instead of the combo
update.
If you are able to use Software Update, that would be an even easier
solution.
> Another Strangeness: When I tried the traditional route through the
> Software Update pane in System Preferences, It took two attempts in
> rapid succession before Mojave admitted to having the 10.14.3 update
> available.
That may just be the silly user interface glitch in Mojave's Software
Update where it initially shows an update being available, then after
you tell it to go ahead (and it has done the download but not yet
started the install), it shows it as no longer being available, then
next time you check it appears again.
> I witnessed this exact same behavior on a 2013 iMac, a 2015 MacBook Air
> and a 2017 iMac, all of which had previously been Combo Updated up
> through 10.14.2.
>
> Addendum: Just to see what would happen, I ran the 10.14.3 Combo Updater
> on one of those Macs that I had just updated earlier, and this time it
> ran all the way through without complaining. (So yes it's possible to
> combo update from 10.14.3 to 10.14.3. <insert smiley here>)
Yes, that is consistent with the distribution script in the installer,
10.14.3 is build 18D42 which is an allowed build for installation.
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
> Perhaps I'm just a superstitious old fool, but for years I've preferred
> using the macOS (nee Mac OS X) Combo Updater whenever possible, perhaps
> as a way to correct any 'bit-rot' that may have occurred since the last
> update. So when macOS 10.14.3 was announced, I went over to
> <https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1992?locale=en_US> to grab the current
> combo updater. But when I to install it, on the 'Select a Destination'
> screen I got "macOS 10.14.3 Update can't be installed on this disk. This
> volume does not meet the requirements for this update." Even though I
> was only attempting to update from 10.14.2, this type of operation has
> ALWAYS worked before.
The install script for the 10.14.3 combo update does not allow it to
update a 10.14.2 (or 10.14.3 pre-release) system, only 10.14.0, 10.14.1
or 10.14.3.
Specifically, it only allows installation on any of these build numbers:
18A389,18A391,18A2063,18B75,18B2084,18B2103,18B2107,18B3094,18D42
The ones starting with "18A" are a few variants of 10.14.0 (18A389 was
the release version; 18A2063 is what came on the 2018 Mac Mini, not sure
about 18A391).
The ones starting with "18B" are a few variants of 10.14.1 (18B75 was
the release version, the four digit ones are probably model-specific
ones for the 2018 Mac Mini and/or MacBook Air).
Note the distinct lack of any mention of builds starting with "18C"
which would be variants of 10.14.2. The release version of 10.14.2 is
build 18C54. Since that build number does not appear in the list, the
10.14.3 combo update refuses to install.
For comparison, the 10.14.3 delta update looks for this list of build
numbers:
18C54,18D2z,18D3z,18D4,18D5,18D6,18D7,18D8,18D9,18D10,18D11,18D12,18D13,18D14,18D15,18D16,18D17,18D18,18D19,18D20,18D21,18D21c,18D22,18D23,18D24,18D25,18D26,18D26a,18D27,18D28,18D29,18D30,18D31,18D32,18D32a,18D33,18D34,18D35,18D36,18D37,18D38,18D38a,18D39a,18D40,18D41,18D42
Note that it starts with 18C54, so the 10.14.3 delta update will allow
installation on 10.14.2. The rest start with 18D so are various
pre-release (internal or developer/public beta) and the final release of
10.14.3.
Without doing a lot more research and experimentation, I can't tell
whether the combo update actually has a technical reason to not allow
installation on 10.14.2 or pre-release 10.14.3, or whether this was just
an oversight in the distribution script. Either way it is not normal for
Apple to release an update like this, so it probably counts as a bug.
If you are running 10.14.2 and need to use a manually installed update
to get to 10.14.3, you can use the delta update instead of the combo
update.
If you are able to use Software Update, that would be an even easier
solution.
> Another Strangeness: When I tried the traditional route through the
> Software Update pane in System Preferences, It took two attempts in
> rapid succession before Mojave admitted to having the 10.14.3 update
> available.
That may just be the silly user interface glitch in Mojave's Software
Update where it initially shows an update being available, then after
you tell it to go ahead (and it has done the download but not yet
started the install), it shows it as no longer being available, then
next time you check it appears again.
> I witnessed this exact same behavior on a 2013 iMac, a 2015 MacBook Air
> and a 2017 iMac, all of which had previously been Combo Updated up
> through 10.14.2.
>
> Addendum: Just to see what would happen, I ran the 10.14.3 Combo Updater
> on one of those Macs that I had just updated earlier, and this time it
> ran all the way through without complaining. (So yes it's possible to
> combo update from 10.14.3 to 10.14.3. <insert smiley here>)
Yes, that is consistent with the distribution script in the installer,
10.14.3 is build 18D42 which is an allowed build for installation.
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
David Empson
Jan 26, 2019, 10:12:07 PM1/26/19
to
David Empson <dem...@actrix.gen.nz> wrote:
> Chris Schram <chri...@me.com> wrote:
>
> > Perhaps I'm just a superstitious old fool, but for years I've preferred
> > using the macOS (nee Mac OS X) Combo Updater whenever possible, perhaps
> > as a way to correct any 'bit-rot' that may have occurred since the last
> > update. So when macOS 10.14.3 was announced, I went over to
> > <https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1992?locale=en_US> to grab the current
> > combo updater. But when I to install it, on the 'Select a Destination'
> > screen I got "macOS 10.14.3 Update can't be installed on this disk. This
> > volume does not meet the requirements for this update." Even though I
> > was only attempting to update from 10.14.2, this type of operation has
> > ALWAYS worked before.
>
> The install script for the 10.14.3 combo update does not allow it to
> update a 10.14.2 (or 10.14.3 pre-release) system, only 10.14.0, 10.14.1
> or 10.14.3.
[details snipped]
> Chris Schram <chri...@me.com> wrote:
>
> > Perhaps I'm just a superstitious old fool, but for years I've preferred
> > using the macOS (nee Mac OS X) Combo Updater whenever possible, perhaps
> > as a way to correct any 'bit-rot' that may have occurred since the last
> > update. So when macOS 10.14.3 was announced, I went over to
> > <https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1992?locale=en_US> to grab the current
> > combo updater. But when I to install it, on the 'Select a Destination'
> > screen I got "macOS 10.14.3 Update can't be installed on this disk. This
> > volume does not meet the requirements for this update." Even though I
> > was only attempting to update from 10.14.2, this type of operation has
> > ALWAYS worked before.
>
> The install script for the 10.14.3 combo update does not allow it to
> update a 10.14.2 (or 10.14.3 pre-release) system, only 10.14.0, 10.14.1
> or 10.14.3.
> Without doing a lot more research and experimentation, I can't tell
> whether the combo update actually has a technical reason to not allow
> installation on 10.14.2 or pre-release 10.14.3, or whether this was just
> an oversight in the distribution script. Either way it is not normal for
> Apple to release an update like this, so it probably counts as a bug.
download link for the 10.14.3 combo update has changed from the one I
got a few days ago.
The faulty combo update's download link was:
<http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/macos/041-31310-20190122-BBE902D6-D788-11E8-B555-8E91F34A5CAA/macOSUpdCombo10.14.3.dmg>
The revised version came from here:
<http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/macos/041-32279-20190124-BBE902D6-D788-11E8-B555-8E91F34A5CAA/macOSUpdCombo10.14.3.dmg>
Note from the UUID in the pathname the third element looks like a date
(20190122 changed to 20190124) suggesting it was fixed two days later. I
happened to download it on 2019-01-23 NZ time, which would have been
2019-01-22 US time, so I got the original version.
The original version of the combo update installs macOS 10.14.3 build
18D42 and allows installation on these build numbers:
18A389,18A391,18A2063,18B75,18B2084,18B2103,18B2107,18B3094,18D42
The revised version of the combo update installs macOS 10.14.3 build
18D43 and allows installation on these build numbers:
18A384a,18A389,18A391,18A2063,18B45d,18B50c,18B57c,18B67a,18B73a,18B75,18B2084,18B2103,18B2107,18B3094,18C31g,18C38b,18C48a,18C52a,18C54,18D21c,18D32a,18D38a,18D39a,18D42,18D43
The extra build numbers it accepts include pre-release builds of 10.14.0
and 10.14.1, pre-release and final build of 10.14.2, pre-release builds
of 10.14.3, and both the first and second public release of 10.14.3.
The delta update appears to have NOT been updated again, so it still
installs 10.14.3 build 18D42, therefore the combo update is a slightly
newer build (I haven't done a comparison to work out what changed). The
delta update allows installation on a wider range of pre-release builds
of 10.14.3 than the combo update.
I don't have time to do a Software Update now for comparison but will do
later.
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
David Empson
Jan 26, 2019, 10:45:09 PM1/26/19
to
18D42.
The full installer for 10.14.3 I downloaded two days ago also installs
build 18D42. That means the revised 10.14.3 combo update is the odd one
out (it installs build 18D43).
--
David Empson
dem...@actrix.gen.nz
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