Run Software Update without Admin Privileges?

You can just cancel the admin prompt in SL and it will check for updates but as almost all updates install software that effects all users of the machine/the system as a whole the rightly require admin rights to install...

djearlybird said:

Not sure if I was clear in my previous post...

I want to be able to have a non-admin user to be able to install the updates that are found in Software Update. Currently when they try to install the updates, the admin username/pw need to be entered.

Click to expand...

That's not possible. Under the hood, you have nothing more than Unix files and permissions. If an update needs to perform actions in a directory or on a file not owned by that user, you need higher permissions to do that. This is nothing more than a gui for the command sudo, which allows you to escalate your privileges momentarily.

djearlybird said:

I want to be able to have a non-admin user to be able to install the updates that are found in Software Update. Currently when they try to install the updates, the admin username/pw need to be entered.

Click to expand...

This is simply not possible: the updates alter fundamental system software so must get admin-level authorisation.

If you're in charge of multiple Macs in a lab, the easiest thing to do is run an update service on OS X Server, but it's going to cost you. Buying one of the new Mini Servers is one way of doing it but you could also buy OS X server and put it on a dedicated Mac.

I haven't read the following myself in any detail (I don't need to do this) but I believe it's documented here http://images.apple.com/server/macosx/docs/System_Imaging_and_SW_Update_Admin_v10.5.pdf.

Edit: Actually, you should look into the command line tool - softwareupdate. You should be able to set up a daily task to automatically check and install updates as an admin user.

For more details open Terminal and type