desktop/doc/autoupdate.rst

The Automatic Updater
=====================

The Automatic Updater ensures that you always have the 
latest features and bugfixes for your ownCloud synchronization client.

The Automatic Updater updates only on Mac OS X and Windows computers; Linux 
users only need to use their normal package managers. However, on Linux systems 
the Updater will check for updates and notify you when a new version is 
available.

Basic Workflow
--------------

The following sections describe how to use the Automatic Updater on different 
operating systems:

Windows
^^^^^^^
The ownCloud client checks for updates and downloads them when available. You
can view the update status under ``Settings -> General -> Updates`` in the
ownCloud client.

If an update is available, and has been successfully downloaded, the ownCloud
client starts a silent update prior to its next launch and then restarts
itself. Should the silent update fail, the client offers a manual download.

.. note:: Administrative privileges are required to perform the update.

Mac OS X
^^^^^^^^

If a new update is available, the ownCloud client initializes a pop-up dialog
to alert you of the update and requesting that you update to the latest
version. Due to their use of the Sparkle frameworks, this is the default
process for Mac OS X applications.

Linux
^^^^^

Linux distributions provide their own update tools, so ownCloud clients that use
the Linux operating system do not perform any updates on their own. Linux
operating systems do, however, check for the latest version of the ownCloud
client and passively notify the user (``Settings -> General -> Updates``) when
an update is available.


Preventing Automatic Updates
----------------------------

In controlled environments, such as companies or universities, you might not
want to enable the auto-update mechanism, as it interferes with controlled
deployment tools and policies. To address this case, it is possible to disable
the auto-updater entirely.  The following sections describe how to disable the
auto-update mechanism for different operating systems.

Preventing Automatic Updates in Windows Environents
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You can prevent automatic updates from occuring in Windows environments using
one of two methods.  The first method allows users to override the automatic
update check mechanism whereas the second method prevents any manual overrides.

To prevent automatic updates, but allow manual overrides:

1. Migrate to the following directory:

    a. (32-bit) ``HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ownCloud\ownCloud``
    b. (64-bit) ``HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\ownCloud\ownCloud``

2. Add the key ``skipUpdateCheck`` (of type DWORD).

3. Specify a value of ``1`` to the machine.

To manually override this key, use the same value in ``HKEY_CURRENT_USER``.

To prevent automatic updates and disallow manual overrides:

.. note::This is the preferred method of controlling the updater behavior using 
   Group Policies.

1. Migrate to the following directory::

	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\ownCloud\ownCloud

2. Add the key ``skipUpdateCheck`` (of type DWORD).

3. Specify a value of ``1`` to the machine.


Preventing Automatic Updates in Mac OS X Environments
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You can disable the automatic update mechanism in MAC OS X operating systems
using the system-wide ``.plist`` file.  To access this file:

1. Using the Windows explorer, migrate to the following location::

 	/Library/Preferences/

 2. Locate and open the following file::

 	com.owncloud.desktopclient.plist

3. Add a new root level item of type ``bool``.

4. Name the item ``skipUpdateCheck``.

5. Set the item to ``true``.

Alternatively, you can copy the file
``owncloud.app/Contents/Resources/deny_autoupdate_com.owncloud.desktopclient.
plist``
to ``/Library/Preferences/com.owncloud.desktopclient.plist``.

Preventing Automatic Updates in Linux Environments
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Because Linux does not provide automatic updating functionality, there is no
need to remove the automatic-update check.  However, if you want to disable
this check, go to ``Settings -> General -> Updates`` and un-check ``Show 
Desktop Notifications``. You may visit this tab anytime to see your update 
status.