Hi All,
I have an issue with mint update it is not working automatically. It works if I do a manual update.
I have the same version of mint 64bit this time on another PC and the auto update works fine. All update settings on both computers are the same so why is auto update not working on my 32bit system?
Any clues please. :-\
I take it there are no errors if you run:
sudo apt-get update
and
sudo apt-get upgrade
If not, try purging the mintupdate package, then reinstalling it:
sudo apt-get remove --purge mintupdate
then
sudo apt-get install mintupdate
Now you’ll have to wait for some updates to test it 
No errors so now\will have to wait and see.
It did not work I had to update manually.
Does the mintupdate application give you any clues such as error messages ?
or are you saying Mint Update works perfectly when manually invoked … just doesn’t “automagically” apply the updates ?
does the system tray icon (shield) warn of available updates ? … or are you having to manually check for available updates ?
There are no error messages.
The icon says that the system is up to date and if refreshed from the icon (right click refresh) it says the system is up to date.
If I manually run update manager from the menu it lists the updates and then installs them.
OK, as I’m understanding it … it seems mintupdate (and therefore the system tray indicator) doesn’t run with elevated privileges when autostarted at bootup, and was never meant to be a “real time” update notifier.
Running it from the menu DOES run it with elevated privileges … which is why it prompts for your password.
Here’s a response from Clem to someone else’s question -
Re: Your system is up to date.Postby clem on Wed Apr 06, 2011 12:33 pm
Well, it all comes down to one thing and one thing only: You need to refresh your APT cache to see if there are “new” updates. For this, you need to elevate yourself to root.When you click on mintupdate, it launches itself in root mode, and that’s why it asks for a password. When you type “apt update” (which is the same as “sudo apt-get update”), you’re asked for a password too… as you’re elevating yourself as root to refresh the cache. Either way, you’re refreshing your cache when you do that.
What’s important to realise here, is that mintUpdate isn’t designed to “alert” you in “real time”. It’s not a server admin tool to keep your box up to date “the minute” something is released in the repositories. Its primary function is to make it easy for people to upgrade and to prevent novice users from upgrading sensitive parts of their system (via the level system).
Note however, that if you wanted mintUpdate to find updates and alert you in real time, all you’d have to do is to create a cron job that regularly calls “apt update”. This would refresh the cache for you in the background and mintUpdate would then be able to find new updates, whether it’s in root mode or user mode.
Make of that what you will … personally I think it makes little sense having the shield tray icon then ??? … but it’s straight from the horses mouth as it were.
So if you run:
sudo apt-get update
THEN tell mintupdate to check for updates … it should display them ???
This makes no sense at all as mint up-date has settings to check automatically for up-dates.
The main pc a 64bit system checks every 4 days and if there are up-dates the icon changes to up-dates available.
So why should it be any different on the 32bit laptop?
I’m not sure it is different on the 32bit version … just somehow apt update is being run at some point on the laptop.
What happens if you wait a few days, then run:
sudo apt-get update
Now when you run mintupdate, are there updates listed ?
if so, you could set a cron job to check daily or something.
After running get up-date I refreshed the task bar icon and it shows the up-dates.
So how do we do this automatically?
OK, it would be possible to use cron to run a “apt-get update” as root, say every 30 minutes or so … but here’s the problem, it would lock the apt package cache whilst it was running the update, which would mean if you started a package manager it would throw an error.
If you want to add a cron job, open a terminal and run:
sudo crontab -e
When nano displays in the terminal, use the down arrow key to move the cursor to the end of the file.
Add a new line that reads:-
*/30 * * * * apt-get update
Now to save the file and apply the changes hit Ctrl+X
then hit Y
then hit Enter
Now every 30 minutes the command
apt-get update
will be run (as root) in the background … the package cahe will be updated … and mintudate should become aware of any new updates that are available.
Then email the Mint devs and ask them WTF they are playing at … Clems response that mintupdate isn’t supposed to be a real time update notifier doesn’t make any sense at all, what’sd the point in the tray icon then ?
At best the tray icon always saying you’re up to date will confuse new users … at worst they’ll listen to it and never apply updates.
Interesting thread on the topic here:
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=103740
I have opted to run update manager at start-up so it checks once a day in root. In 32 bit Link Mint Maya - MATE it is not working.
Thus people who just use a computer will never get any updates.
However In 64bit Link Mint Maya - MATE is working fine set to every 2 days and no problems.
Would seem mint just do not want to fix the problem.
It’s more like they’re denying there is a problem, even though Mint users see it as a definite regression … so much for being more “community driven” than Ubuntu.
It’ll be interesting to see if it’s “fixed” in Mint 14 ?
Anyone tried Mint 14 yet ?
As a matter of interest my task bar shild on the main PC 64bit system just changed seems there are up dates.
This is the read out from the information list of the check mint update made.
++ Launching mintUpdate in user mode
++ Testing initial connection
++ Connection to the Internet successful (tried to read http://www.google.com)
++ Starting refresh
++ Auto-refresh timer is going to sleep for 0 minutes, 0 hours and 4 days
++ System is up to date
++ Refresh finished
++ Starting refresh
++ Found 4 recommended software updates
++ Refresh finished
So if it is not real-time then why is it real-time on the 64bit version?
Anyone got an email for mint…
++ Starting refresh ++ Auto-refresh timer is going to sleep for 0 minutes, 0 hours and [b]4 days[/b]
Maybe it DOES automatically find updates, but only every 4 days … have you tried leaving the other PC for more than 4 days ?
But if this is the case, Clem’s comments seem to make even less sense :o
The timer allows you to set any time between 1 min and 7 days for the refresh.
So yes the comments make on sense as the 64bit version is giving real-time information.
Now this is strange switched on my laptop and the mint update icon on the task bar said I had an update…
++ Launching mintUpdate in user mode
++ Testing initial connection
++ Connection to the Internet successful (tried to read http://www.google.com)
++ Starting refresh
++ Auto-refresh timer is going to sleep for 0 minutes, 1 hours and 0 days
++ Found 1 recommended software updates
++ Refresh finished
++ MintUpdate is in tray mode, performing auto-refresh
++ Auto-refresh timer is going to sleep for 0 minutes, 1 hours and 0 days
++ Starting refresh
++ Found 1 recommended software updates
++ Refresh finished
Now there were a lot of system updates on Tuesday may be they fixed it… watch this space…
No they have not fixed this problem and we have since had an update for mint update. This did not fix the issue they should not fix it in a short term release. Mint 13 is a long term release and will be in use for many years so the issue needs to be fixed.
How do they expect users who just want to switch on and forget it to switch to Linux if the system is not updated automatically?
This also means as I found out today that Peppermint 3 dose not update automatically as it uses mint update.
Personally (in Peppermint) I remove mintupdate and install update-manager (as used in Ubuntu) for a couple of reasons.
a) mintupdate is IMHO overly cautious, and doesn’t consider things like kernel updates as important … so doesn’t do them unless specifically told to do so.
b) I like to do my updates when I want to do them, not when the system wants to … so if anything goes wrong I know what caused it.
Ubuntu’s update manager doesn’t automagically get updates, but that’s the way I like it.
How do they expect users who just want to switch on and forget it to switch to Linux if the system is not updated automatically?
C’mon … even if you have to click with the mouse a couple of times, it still beats the hell outa Microsofts effort and updates everything at once from one place … and even with NO updates it’s still more secure than Windows
That said, Mint users seem to have an expectation that mintupdate will do things automagically for them, and AFAIK it used to, so quite why they changed it without explanation is beyond me.
I will try out the update manager you mentioned in Peppermint thanks for the info.
Whilst I agree that people with an interest in what happens under the hood of there computer switch off auto update even in Windows the average person has little interest and wants it all done in auto.
The point is that update works just fine in 64bit version so I do not understand why it should not work in 32bit version a mystery.