Help Desk Geek – Help Desk Tips For IT Pros

Previously, we showed you how to update Ubuntu in the post How to update the Ubuntu OS to keep your computer updated with the latest software and security updates. These updates happen automatically if you wish them to, in a similar manner to Windows Update.

By default, Ubuntu checks for updates daily. This can be annoying depending on the number of packages and programs you have installed. You can adjust how often Ubuntu checks for updates. You can use the command prompt to make this change. However, Ubuntu includes a nice graphical user interface to make changing this setting easier.

To access the tool for scheduling automatic updates to Ubuntu, select Administration | Software Sources from the System menu.

Click the Updates tab on the Software Sources dialog box. In the Ubuntu updates section, you can select for which updates the system will check. The Automatic updates section allows you to specify how often you want Ubuntu to check for updates. You can also un-check the Check for updates check box to turn off automatic checking.

There are also three choices (radio buttons) below the Check for updates check box that allow you to tell Ubuntu what to do when there is an update available. You can have the manager install updates automatically, without asking you. If you choose this first option, it will still prompt you before your computer reboots in the event that the machine has to restart for an update to take affect. Unlike Windows, which requires frequent restarts for lots of updates, Linux typically only requires a restart if the kernel is updated.

The other two options are for the system to download updates in the background and be prompted to install them at a later date, or for the system to only notify you when there are updates available, in which case the update manager will download the and install the packages when you manually update your system.

To change how often you want Ubuntu to check for updates, click the arrow on the drop-down list and select an option from the list.

Once you have finished making your changes, click the Close button to close the Software Sources dialog box.

If you have turned off the automatic updates by un-checking the Check for updates option, you can manually access the Update Manager by selecting Administration | Update Manager from the System menu.

If you turn off the automatic updates feature, don’t forget to manually check from time to time. It is a good idea to at least check for security updates every week or so to keep your system secure. You can do this using the Check button on the Update Manager dialog box.

You may also notice at the top of the dialog box, you are provided with the opportunity of automatically upgrading to a new release of Ubuntu. This is much easier than upgrading Windows to a new version!

by Lori Kaufman