For a number of OS releases, Apple made both macOS software updates and Mac App Store (MAS) updates available via the MAS Updates page. I was able to use this to provide an easy way for customers to check for available software updates using Jamf Pro’s Self Service.
As of macOS Mojave though, Apple moved macOS software updates to the Software Update preference pane in System Preferences.
Opening the Software Update preference pane will automatically trigger a check for available macOS updates, so it’s possible to approximate the previous behavior by running the following command without root privileges:
open /System/Library/PreferencePanes/SoftwareUpdate.prefPane
When this command is run via the command line, the following actions take place:
- System Preferences launches
- The Software Update preference pane automatically loads
- The Mac automatically checks for macOS updates.
For folks using Jamf Pro, this command can be leveraged to provide a way for customers to easily check for macOS software updates on their own schedule. For more details, see below the jump.
As an example of how this can be used, a Self Service policy can be built which uses the command referenced above.
- Frequency: Ongoing
- Trigger: None
- Make Policy Available In Self Service
- Actions:
- Execute command:
open /System/Library/PreferencePanes/SoftwareUpdate.prefPane
Note: For those looking for the Software Update icon on macOS Mojave, it is attached to the following application:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Software Update.app
Once built, the policy should be available in Self Service for your customers to access.
Please see below for what the process looks like from the customer’s perspective.