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[SOLVED] Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

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[SOLVED] Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#1 Post by bryanmc »

Just started with the upgrade to bullseye. Tried searching here and on the web but can't find where to disable them. If I'm just missing the correct term, please point me in the right direction... Thanks
Last edited by bryanmc on 2021-09-17 01:21, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#2 Post by mm3100 »

For start, what DE are you using?

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#3 Post by sunrat »

Upgrades are generally for security reasons and should not be disabled. The notifications come from your DE as mm3100 hinted.
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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#4 Post by bryanmc »

Sorry... DE is Cinnamon. I check updates daily, sometimes twice a day. It's just that this popup message is annoying.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#5 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

A while back Linux Mint found that many of its users were not applying updates, so they made changes to the update manager so it would get in users' faces a bit more if they hadn't updated for months or years. I am guessing that this change entered the Cinnamon desktop in Bullseye, which is why you are seeing the notifications now when you didn't before the upgrade.

If this is so, then you should look in update manager > Preferences > options.

https://linuxmint.com/rel_uma_cinnamon_whatsnew.php

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#6 Post by bryanmc »

FreewheelinFrank wrote: 2021-09-01 19:17
If this is so, then you should look in update manager > Preferences > options.
I originally looked in the "Software and Updates" section. In the updates section, "automatically check for updates" is set to "Never". I'm sure I'm overlooking a setting somewhere, just can't seem to track it down.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#7 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

That sounds like the Synaptic window Gnome uses to set frequency of checks for updates. I am not familiar with Cinnamon, but I know Gnome, where Software & Updates changes a setting in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades namely

Code: Select all

APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "1";
(Where 1 = daily)

and I know Cinammon is based on Gnome, so I assume it uses the same back end.

If this is not set to

Code: Select all

APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "0";
(where 0 = disabled)

when you select 'Never' in Software & Updates then something is overriding Software & Updates, probably the Cinammon update manager.

Does the Preferences > Options menus exist in Cinammon in Bullseye? Have you tried the Refresh the list of updates automatically slider?

https://linuxmint.com/pictures/screensh ... rences.png

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#8 Post by bryanmc »

There isn't a Preferences>Options menu in Cinnamon, nor is there a 20auto-upgrades in apt.conf.d/. I don't have an issue with regular notifications (network up, network down etc) but I'm not sure why apt is checking the repositories without being told to. There has to be a switch somewhere I would think.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#9 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

Code: Select all

APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists
Is the switch that tells APT to check the repositories when the Systems timer runs. Is it in

Code: Select all

/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/10periodic
In Cinnamon?

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#10 Post by arzgi »

Unattended upgrades might be the one you are looking, It makes the security updates silently.

https://wiki.debian.org/UnattendedUpgrades

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#11 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

arzgi wrote: 2021-09-02 15:08 Unattended upgrades might be the one you are looking, It makes the security updates silently.

https://wiki.debian.org/UnattendedUpgrades
20auto-upgrades is part of Unattended Upgrades - the configuration file with the switches for APT to update its cache and for APT to apply updates when it is triggered by the Systemd timer. 50unattended-upgrades is the other part, with configuration settings like which updates to apply.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#12 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

I downloaded the Bullseye Cinammon live image and had a look. I couldn't see any difference between the Cinnamon setup and the Gnome set up. Certainly the new Cinnamon options menu that's in Mint is not there as you observed. I don't know why you started seeing update notifications, as Gnome has been showing these in Stretch and Buster on my Gnome 3 PC.

I checked and in the live session, /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades does exist. Software & Updates changes the entry for APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists, 0 being never.

If APT is not triggered to update itself, then you shouldn't be seeing update notifications, unless there are updates in APT's cache that you haven't applied yet.

There are two sliders in the Software menu for automatic updates and notifications of updates, but I have no idea what they do. They don't seem to affect any of the configuration files. Unfortunately, Gnome online help for the update manager is 13 years out of date and absolutely. bloody. useless.

My suggestion would be to have another look for 20auto-upgrades, make sure APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists is set to 0 and do

Code: Select all

apt list --upgradable
to make sure APT does not have any updates cached.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#13 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

FreewheelinFrank wrote: 2021-09-02 18:42 I don't know why you started seeing update notifications, as Gnome has been showing these in Stretch and Buster on my Gnome 3 PC.
Thinking about it, it's possible that you had previously turned off notifications, but that the upgrade process overwrote your configuration file with a default file with notifications on.

You might see a file with a *.ucf-old or *.ucf-dist suffix with the old config setting in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d.

https://askubuntu.com/questions/829370/ ... pt-apt-con

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#14 Post by bryanmc »

FreewheelinFrank wrote: 2021-09-02 18:42 I checked and in the live session, /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/20auto-upgrades does exist. Software & Updates changes the entry for APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists, 0 being never.
No 20auto-upgrades in apt.confd on my system. I'ce always had notifications, just never from apt.

Image

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#15 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

Well clearly you have unattended upgrades partly installed, but are missing a file, at least compared to the live session.

I have no idea why 20auto-upgrades is missing, unless you originally installed Debian Lenny when the switches were contained in /etc/apt/apt.conf, which seems a bit improbable, but I thought I would mention it just to rule it out.

https://serverfault.com/questions/22324 ... nny-stable

I would suggest adding the missing file and saving the following to it:

Code: Select all

APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "0";
See if that changes anything.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages.

#16 Post by bryanmc »

I'll give it a try... Never Lenny, started with Jessie.

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Re: Getting "software updates available " desktop messages. [SOLVED]

#17 Post by bryanmc »

Adding a 20auto-upgrades file containing APT::Periodic::Update-Package-Lists "0"; to etc/apt/apt.conf.d appears to have resolved the issue.

Thanks Frank.

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