LM19 automatic updates for public access

[cereal_killerxx]

I'm in the process of setting up public access laptops for a library system using Linux Mint 19. I need to fine tune some of the settings for automatic updates if possible.

1. Can updates be installed in the background with no pop-ups or user interaction?
2. Can I tell Linux Mint 19 to automatic download and install updates in the background but not to automatically restart?
3. Can I set schedules for updates (example: The second Tuesday of every month)?
4. Will automatic updates still work during a guest user session?
5. Can I delay critical updates a certain number of days?
6. Can I disable Linux Mint from updating to Linux Mint 20 or a new build?

[gm10]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

[smurphos]

To give you a clue - ignore the GUI update Manager for this.

Checkout the command mintupdate-cli --help & take a look at this thread for scheduling it using cron (using the mint 18.3 version of this command - beware there are some changes in syntax) - viewtopic.php?f=47&t=250688

The specific questions...

1. Yes
2. It doesn't automatically restart anyway
3. Yes - using cron
4. Yes - you set up the crontab for the root user.
5. Yes - see the mintupdate-cli --help output. You can different schedules for different levels and types of update with cron.
6. This never happens without admin user interaction in any case

[cereal_killerxx]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

Clearly you're having a bad day. I hope it goes better.

[Hoser Rob]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

Agree 100%. You expect volunteers to help solve problems on your paid job that you clearly are not qualified to do? Do you think anyone with enough knowledge to solve this is going to feel any different???

[catweazel]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

Agree 100%. You expect volunteers to help solve problems on your paid job that you clearly are not qualified to do? Do you think anyone with enough knowledge to solve this is going to feel any different???

At the risk of turning this into a chat thread, I also agree. It cheeses me off no end when this happens.

[rene]

At the risk of turning this into a chat thread, I also agree. It cheeses me off no end when this happens.

It doesn't necessarily me, and mostly because I don't see mention of "paid job" in this nor a quick scan of OP's other threads. I.e., would y'all feel better if he's a volunteer with Windows but no Linux experience, setting this up on Linux due to licensing cost for a, say, primary school or (asylum) reception centre?

Which he clearly may not be. But that's sort of my point...

I see the questions themselves have been answered

[JerryF]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

The OP said nothing about being a computer technician nor getting paid for the job.

[smurphos]

The OP said nothing about being a computer technician nor getting paid for the job.

He did state he was a computer technician and works for a library system in his first post/topic. Could be a volunteer of course. To be fair to both gm10 has helped him out quite a lot already but 'technician' in a job title these days could mean a lot of things and certainly to me doesn't necessarily imply specific skill, experience or qualifications beyond being 'good with computers'.

[Moem]

Can I disable Linux Mint from updating to Linux Mint 20 or a new build?

No. But there is no need. Mint does not upgrade by itself.
Note that a jump to a newer version is an upgrade, not an update. Upgrades are never automatic.

As for the other questions, I concur that simply looking at the settings of the Update Manager would answer most of them, so please do that first and then come back in case questions remain.

[gm10]

Note that a jump to a newer version is an upgrade, not an update. Upgrades are never automatic.

Well, if we're arguing semantics, the distinction between updates and upgrades isn't that clear cut. The terms are often used interchangeably. All package management tools (apt, dpkg, synaptic, aptitude, etc.) call every installation of a higher version of an already installed package an upgrade (a lower version is a downgrade), whereas an update refers to getting the latest version of resource files (repository manifests). All the Mint tools, on the other hand, refer to both of these actions as updates.

[JerryF]

The OP said nothing about being a computer technician nor getting paid for the job.

He did state he was a computer technician and works for a library system in his first post/topic. Could be a volunteer of course. To be fair to both gm10 has helped him out quite a lot already but 'technician' in a job title these days could mean a lot of things and certainly to me doesn't necessarily imply specific skill, experience or qualifications beyond being 'good with computers'.

I have yet to see the original post say that cereal_killerxx is a computer tech.

Original post:

I'm in the process of setting up public access laptops for a library system using Linux Mint 19. I need to fine tune some of the settings for automatic updates if possible.

1. Can updates be installed in the background with no pop-ups or user interaction?
2. Can I tell Linux Mint 19 to automatic download and install updates in the background but not to automatically restart?
3. Can I set schedules for updates (example: The second Tuesday of every month)?
4. Will automatic updates still work during a guest user session?
5. Can I delay critical updates a certain number of days?
6. Can I disable Linux Mint from updating to Linux Mint 20 or a new build?

[Moem]

the distinction between updates and upgrades isn't that clear cut. The terms are often used interchangeably.

Fair enough, but I've never seen any Mint tool referring to going from 18.x to 18.x+1 or from 18.x to 19 as an update. Only ever 'upgrade'.

[smurphos]

I have yet to see the original post say that cereal_killerxx is a computer tech.

Different topic JerryF - viewtopic.php?p=1497754#p1497754

[rene]

I suppose cereal_killerxx himself is off cooking dinner for those twenty hungry orphans in Zambia that he's setting the library system up for in the first place...

[JerryF]

I have yet to see the original post say that cereal_killerxx is a computer tech.

Different topic JerryF - viewtopic.php?p=1497754#p1497754

Ah, ok. My psychic hat is in the cleaners.

[JerryF]

Oh come on, you say you're a computer technician, you're getting paid for this job, yet your questions are getting ever more basic to a point where I'll just say either pick up a book and learn how to do Linux or cut us in on the pay. This may come over as rude but many of those questions above are answered even by looking at Update Manager's settings.

Agree 100%. You expect volunteers to help solve problems on your paid job that you clearly are not qualified to do? Do you think anyone with enough knowledge to solve this is going to feel any different???

He may be a qualified computer technician, but very new to Linux and Mint.

I don't understand why a few of you are jumping down his throat?

[Moem]

Mod note:
This is a tech support forum. Can we stop talking about people in this thread, and start/keep talking about automatic updates? And if there is nothing more to say about that, it's also okay to go and do something else.

[cereal_killerxx]

I apologize for posting here about something job related. I wasn't trying to start any drama. I was having difficulties finding some of this information. I've had a lot of anxiety lately. Thanks everyone for the answers provided.