Run Software Update without Admin Privileges?

[djearlybird]

How can you run Software Update in Leopard without having to type in the admin password? Is it possible?

I am in a lab setting, and my students do not have the access privileges to run the update. Is there any way around it?

 

[robbieduncan]

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]

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.

 

[belvdr]

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.

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.

 

[robbieduncan]

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.

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

 

[plinden]

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

 man softwareupdate