On macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey - you may find yourself with any of the following:
- macOS Update(s) Not Appearing in GoLive
- macOS Update(s) Not Installing in GoLive
- macOS Update(s) Not Appearing in Policy > Updates
- macOS Update(s) Not Installing in Policy > Updates
- macOS Update(s) Not Appearing Locally on Device (System Preferences > Software Update)
- macOS Update(s) Not Installing Locally on Device (System Preferences > Software Update)
A scenario that can look like this:
"macOS 12.4 (or older) devices are NOT seeing that 12.5 is available, even though the device meets the criteria."
This is due to a faulty software update utility.
The built-in macOS software update utility, known as softwareupdate, is not working as expected. Unfortunately, this mechanism is responsible for identifying, downloading, and installing ALL updates.
We rely on this utility to display accurate information in Addigy's portal (GoLive, Policy > Updates).
If you are experiencing a faulty software update utility, we highly encourage you to file an Apple Feedback. You can do so easily through the Feedback Assistant locally on your device.
Two known commands may help remediate the behavior, they are:
/bin/launchctl kickstart -k system/com.apple.softwareupdated
mv /Library/Receipts/InstallHistory.plist /Library/Receipts/InstallHistory.plist.old
The former command, kickstart, is going to reset the softwareupdate utility. The latter command, mv, will rename the InstallHistory.plist to trick macOS into generating a new .plist file.
Addigy has some alternatives for enforcing System Updates more reliably; we will highlight them below:
Note: Before attempting the below on a Production device, we highly recommend you perform the solution on a testing device
Maintenance Item + Prompting Script
Suppose you want to remove unnecessary calls to the software update utility (by no longer enforcing Updates from the Policy). In that case, you can use a mixture of our Maintenance Items and the attached prompt.sh file. You can add the script to your Saved Scripts for use with Maintenance.
Maintenance Item + Prompting Script w/ Kickstart
If you want to accomplish everything above and kickstart the software update tool, you can follow the above and replace prompt.sh with the promptkickstart.sh file. You can add the script to your Saved Scripts for use with Maintenance.
Maintenance Item + Prompting Script w/ Kickstart and w/ Plist
If you want to accomplish everything above and generate a new .plist file, you can follow the above and replace promptkickstart.sh with the promptkickstartplist.sh file. You can add the script to your Saved Scripts for use with Maintenance.
Here is an example of what the end-user will see:
macOS Public Software
If all else fails, Addigy updates its Public Software Catalog with the latest macOS Major and Minor versions. Just add this to your Policy; it will take care of downloading and installing the update for you. Note: Starting on macOS Big Sur (11.0), any device attempting to use the startosinstall CLI tool on an Apple M1 device WILL REQUIRE a Secure Token user to authenticate the installation.
Remember that if you apply this to devices with one (or more) Major macOS versions behind the Public Software title - you will upgrade the device.
macOS Public Software + Flex Policies
You can accomplish everything above and only apply it to devices that meet your set criteria via Flex Policies. For example, apply our Public Software title "Install macOS Big Sur" to only 11.X devices.