Automatically install system updates

[vinmansbrew]

OS 10.7
I know this may be a possible touchy issue. it apparently is on apple support.
I admin a number of lab machines including macs. I use a mac server for all updates.
What I would like to do is find a way to have system updates automatically install regardless if anyone is logged in.
All labs are closed at certain times to allow things like this.
I looked at ard and I didn't see what I was looking for. I do not really want to create packages every month. I would just like 10.7 to go out at a certain time and pull updates from my server and install them with no user interaction.


if this is possible, great! if not, well I figure something else out.
If no person in their right mind would do this, explain why so I know.

Thanks!

 

[old-wiz]

Suppose you have 27 machines in the lab. You set them all up for auto-update. Tonight Apple releases an update which is bad (perfectly possible). Tomorrow, all 27 of your machines are dead. Now you have to go around and figure out what's wrong and repair 27 machines. If you update only one then test it you would at least know if it works.

Large corporations, like the one I worked at, would never allow auto-update of software from Microsoft. One bad update and we'd have hundreds of machines dead. The IT people update one machine, test it thoroughly, then distribute it internally a number at a time.

 

[Bobby.e]

You could probably set this up with ARD

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[vinmansbrew]

This is why we have about a week wait time from when apple releases to when we make the update available on your server. See we do not update all machines from apple. We download the update once, then check for issues with it, then make it available on our apple server.
Thus that scenario in pretty much removed. If it does happen, the machines can be restored in under an hour.
We do the exact same thing on our windows machines. We use a wsus server. the only time we had a real issue is when IE7 came out and it broke HP printers and faxes. Other printers were fine. And it did not happen to all hp devices.

Bobby, I did not see anything in ARD to do this. Make packages and such, yes. Maybe schedule a script to run but I would need to know the script.

So, the original question stands, can I automate this?
Really, I am open to any method which does not require me touching every machine or constantly building packages.

 

[ScoobyMcDoo]

Have you read this thread? Is was the first hit in a google search.

 

[vinmansbrew]

I had not seen that one. None of my searches came up with that one. I will read it over, thanks!

 

[Bobby.e]

Have you read this thread? Is was the first hit in a google search.

I figured ARD would work.