With the addition of the T2 Security Chip, occasional updates are required for the firmware along with a software update. These firmware updates generally require a shutdown instead of a restart to install correctly. The System Update process now reviews System Updates at a deeper level to determine if they require a restart or a full system shutdown. When an update requires ether a restart or shutdown, we will be passing the correct one based on the updates selected for deployment based on the Restart and Shutdown Settings that have been chosen based on the Policy.
While updating our System Updates Restart Settings (Now Restart and Shutdown Settings), we took this opportunity to update our UI to ensure greater clarity regarding the end user experience and add some additional functionality. Below is a screenshot of the previous UI for Restart Settings.
Screenshot of the previous Restart Settings for System Updates
The goals of this UI update were to add clarity to what the end user experience will be, organize updates from least user impact to greatest user impact, and add native macOS functionality where possible while maintaining current functionality. Here is a screenshot of the new Restart and Shutdown Settings:
Screenshot of the upcoming Restart and Shutdown Settings for System Updates
Major updates to this section of System Updates are:
- "Install ONLY updates that do not require a restart" has been changed to "Skip updates that require a restart or shutdown"
- "Restart immediately after update without prompting the user" has been changed to "Do not prompt users when installing updates which require a restart or shutdown. Users that have not saved open documents may lose their changes."
- "Skip prompt if no users are logged in and install updates that can restart or shutdown" has been added underneath the each radio that it pertains to rather than being at the bottom of the sections
- "Force restart or shutdown after update installation" has been added as an option to override the default Apple popup alert