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How to fully disable automatic updates

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rsood
Posts: 2
Joined: 2021-11-26 20:03

How to fully disable automatic updates

#1 Post by rsood »

Hello,

I think I may have accidentally turned on a level of automatic updating I didn't want during a bullseye net install on my laptop. I have been getting messages such as "Install updates and shutdown?" occasionally when I try to shutdown, which seems inappropriate to me on a laptop because if I am shutting down, I probably need to be going somewhere and won't want to be spending extra time installing updates.

I did the net install over ethernet; someone mentioned in a thread I created here: https://www.linuxquestions.org/question ... ost6299886 that automatic updates may be turned on by default with this installation method.

I do want to get notifications when updates are available to install - I just don't want to be forced to install them - I want to choose when. In the thread mentioned, some people suggested it may be a PackageKit setting (I am not familiar with PackageKit or what it does, but it does seem it was installed by default). Others suggested removing gnome-software or unattended-upgrades. I did remove unattended-upgrades, but that did not solve the problem. Removing gnome-software I suspect would eliminate notifications, and thus would not be my first choice.

Does anyone know what settings of what package(s) need to be changed to disable these automatic updates?

mm3100
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Re: How to fully disable automatic updates

#2 Post by mm3100 »

Unattended-upgrades by default will only check for updates periodically, and will not download or install them. I think your issue is with PackageKit setting.

My guess is that you are using gnome. Try to change settings in Software Updates Preferences, not sure if it is outdated information, not using gnome.
https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-pack ... fs.html.en

rsood
Posts: 2
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Re: How to fully disable automatic updates

#3 Post by rsood »

mm3100 wrote: 2021-11-26 20:58 Unattended-upgrades by default will only check for updates periodically, and will not download or install them.
Are you sure about this? I thought the point of being unattended was that update installations would not require user intervention.

mm3100 wrote: 2021-11-26 20:58 My guess is that you are using gnome. Try to change settings in Software Updates Preferences, not sure if it is outdated information, not using gnome.
https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-pack ... fs.html.en
I am using gnome. gnome-packagekit is not installed, however, only packagekit is. I did find some settings for it (I think) in Software & Updates; none of that indicated anything being installed automatically though. Changed the settings to check for updates daily anyway, and kept the setting to Display [them] immediately. I assume since the options other than Display immediately are Download automatically and Download and install automatically, my current setting should not install automatically. Since I am checking for updates daily now, I guess I'll know soon.

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FreewheelinFrank
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Re: How to fully disable automatic updates

#4 Post by FreewheelinFrank »

Debian with Gnome at least now comes with updates enabled by default, "applying stable updates in stable releases and following all package updates in testing and unstable".
Head_on_a_Stick wrote: 2019-06-03 18:53
fred44nl wrote:is this a new behaviour in Buster ?
Not really, unattended-upgrades was installed and enabled by default in the GNOME desktop for stretch but only for packages from the Security Team.

For buster the upgrades are enabled for all packages:

https://www.debian.org/releases/buster/ ... d-upgrades
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=141996&p=699902&hi ... es#p699899

Release notes say:
2.2.4. Unattended-upgrades for stable point releases

Previous versions of unattended-upgrades defaulted to installing only upgrades that came from the security suite. In buster it now also automates upgrading to the latest stable point release. For details, see the package's NEWS.Debian file.
NEWS.Debian file says:
Unattended-upgrades in previous versions defaulted to install security updates only on Debian by using the label=Debian-Security origin pattern. Now it is changed to allow updates with label=Debian, which allows applying stable updates in stable releases and following all package updates in testing and unstable.

In stable releases this unlocks installation of security updates depending on package versions present only in stable updates.

Note that testing and unstable can often contain packages for which installation or upgrade performed by unattended-upgrades fails and requires the administrator to fix the system later.
Updates can be disabled directly by editing

Code: Select all

20auto-upgrades 
or in Software & Updates.

Packagekit just watches and Gnome uses it to inform of updates.

http://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2 ... dates.html
http://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/2 ... gnome.html
https://dontsurfinthenude.blogspot.com/ ... ebian.html

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