Software Update Log File

E

ericmurphy

Registered
I noticed that Software Update does not log most of the installations it's done, i.e., they don't appear in the "installed updates" tab. Some appear, most don't, without any obvious rhyme or reason.

Anyone have any ideas why some updates will be written to the log and other not? Is it perhaps a permissions issue? Will updates only get logged if I install them as an administrator? Normally I just authenticate under a normal user account.
 
Which brings me to the question - What do you think is missing from the list?
 
Almost all of the security updates I've installed in the past year and a half. I wanted to be sure I'd installed 204-12-02, which seems to be a pretty extensive patch, but I had to trust Software Update when it said my system is up to date, because the update (and most other security updates) wasn't listed under "installed updates."
 
Yep, they're there. Forgot to look there. But why aren't they in the log? I ran repair permissions, and there did seem to be some sort of permissions issue. I guess I'll have to wait for the next Software Update to find out if that fixes the problem.
 
Here is a thought. Bring up Software Update and have it check for updates now. When it tells you there are none available, go to the Installed Updates tab and see if that Security Update is there.
 
Cheryl said:
Here is a thought. Bring up Software Update and have it check for updates now. When it tells you there are none available, go to the Installed Updates tab and see if that Security Update is there.
Click to expand...

I tried that, and the most recent entry in the "installed updates" tab is from January. So for some reason or other, the log isn't being updated. I fixed permissions, so next time I download an update (or sideload a downdate, or whatever) I'll check to see if it ends up in the log.
 
If you choose to download the image to disk and install it that way, or download it from Apple's website and install it that way, it won't show up in the installed updates tab. That one only shows updates that were done by Software Update itself.

You can check the /var/log/install.log file, but the monthly maintentance script cron runs rotates that log file. I believe that it backs up four log files by default (I've customized mine, so I'm not sure), so you'd have this months and the last four months to check with. This log file will show all installs, whether done by Software Update or with the Installer app.
 
I always let Software Update do the installs itself. If the install.log file is rotated, then things are even weirder, because the most recent updates listed in the log are from January of 2004.

Also, another thing that Sofware Update doesn't do right is check daily for updates the way I have it set. As far as I can tell, it never checks automatically. It's also set to automatically download important updates in the background, and it doesn't do that either. Unless Apple doesn't consider security updates to be important.
 
Sounds like you have a corrupt file. Go to Home>Library>Preferences. Locate and trash the com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist file. Empty the trash. Now go to System Preferences and set up your options in Software Update.
 
You shouldn't use the automatic download feature. It's best to make sure the download is going to work right. I always wait a few days and read reports at MacFixIt and other sites to see what problems, if any, a new download causes.

The security updates have caused problems for some people. Reading MacFixIt before downloading, can give you a way of correcting a problem if you should encounter one.
 
I have always found this irritating too, as I rarely use software update to download or install updates as I am on a dial-up connection on a phone line I must share with other flatmates. Hence I download the installer from Apple's site with a download client (especially the big combo updaters - which are much more reliable than incremental updates, and allow you to reinstall right up to current), then install. These installed updates are never logged in the software update log, although all the receipts are where they should be. It would be nice if Software Update was able to log these installs.
 
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