Automatic installation |
  
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Automatic installation |
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You can configure the DataClient to install all available updates automatically without any user interaction. You can define a schedule for the DataClient to check for available updates and to download and install them. It is recommended to specify a time when the system is usually not being used, e.g. at night or during lunch break. If applications are still opened at the time of the automatic update, they cannot be updated.
The automatic installation works independently from the fact whether a or which user is logged in. It is sufficient that the system is switched on. The automatic installation can also be executed if a user without sufficient rights is logged in because the installation is executed independently from the user logged in. The configuration of the automatic installation requires administrator rights.
To be able to activate the automatic installation, the update server, a user name, and the corresponding password have to be stored. If you have already updated your system with the DataClient, these settings are already available, unless you explicitly prevented the password from being stored. You can check and modify the above mentioned data in the category server of the program settings.
To activate the automatic installation of new updates, you proceed as follows:
1. Call up the settings Schedule updates auf.
2. Activate the option Automatically install new updates.
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Activating the automatic installation |
3. Define when and how often you want to check for new available updates:
•Enter a date for next check on
•Select the interval for checking for updates
•Enter the time when the updates are to be checked and installed
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Defining the update plan |
4. Click on the Accept button to store the modified settings. If the settings are incorrect or if it is not possible to activate the update notification, an error message will be displayed.
The automatic installation is executed by a system service. When activating the automatic installation, that system service is automatically installed and launched. When deactivating the automatic installation, it is automatically stopped and uninstalled. The system service works independently from the user logged in.
The activities of the system service are logged at different points:
•Event log of the operating system: records the state of the installation during each update
•Installation log of the DataClient: logs each installed package with installation date and version number
•Application protocol of the pCon.update system service: contains the partial steps executed during an update. It is located by default in the directory c:\ProgramData\EasternGraphics\pCon.update\DataClient\log.
While checking for new updates, downloading, and package verification, the application programs can be used as usual. As soon as the installation starts, the user is prompted to exit the concerned application programs.
You cannot launch the DataClient during the entire process of the automatic update (checking for updates, download, package verification, and installation). A corresponding error message is displayed. You should restart the DataClient Assistant only when the update process is finished. In case of need, you can abort the process.
Normally, you should not abort the automatic installation. If you want to disable the automatic installation, launch the DataClient Assistant and select the respective function (see above).
If it should be necessary to abort the automatic installation, use the function of your operating system for the administration of system services. There, you can abort the service pCon.update. Usually, you can exit the service risklessly. This usually does not result in an inconsistent installation state of your system. If you abort the update process while the download or the package verification are taking place, you then have to download all updates again later. When aborting an installation, the installation of the begun package will still be finished and all other packages will be discarded. The discarded packages need to be downloaded again later. Since the updates are installed according to their dependencies (i.e. a package is only installed if all required packages have already been installed), the abortion after the ongoing package results in a consistent state.
You can restart the aborted system service later either by using the operating system function or by activating the automatic updates in the DataClient.
Once the the automatic installation is activated, on the DataClient's Welcome page the current state of the automatic installation is displayed. Thereby you always have the opportunity the determine, when the last update was done and whether it was successful or not.
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State of the automatic installation |
If an update is not possible at the specified time (e.g. because the system is shut off), the DataClient will try later to execute the update. The exact behavior of the DataClient in different cases is listed in the table below:
System state at the planned time |
Behavior of the automatic update |
New updates are available |
The new updates are installed and a corresponding message is entered in the event log of the operating system. The time of the next update will be postponed by the specified interval. |
No new updates are available |
A corresponding note is entered in the event log of the operating system. The time of the next update will be postponed by the specified interval. |
System is shut off |
The update will be executed as soon as the system is switched on again. |
System is hibernating |
The update will be executed as soon as the system is switched on again. |
Another user is logged in or no user is logged in |
The update will still be executed at the specified time. |
No internet connection is available |
The update is retried again after some minutes. This is usefully especially if the update is started directly after system startup, but the network connection needs still some time to setup. This is happens most notably if a WLAN connection is used. The time intervalls, after whose the the update is retried, are: 2nd try after 5 minutes Even if the update server can not be connected after 60 minutes, a corresponding message is entered in the event log of the operating system, the update is stopped and tried again after one day.The error counter (see below) is incremented only in the last mentioned case. |
Updates are supposed to be installed, but applications are still open |
A dialog will be displayed prompting the user to close the applications. If the user refuses, the update will be paused. By default, this pause lasts 30 minutes. At its end, the user will be prompted again to exit the application. The default settings allow such pauses up to five times, after that the update will be aborted and postponed by one day. |
An interactive update is available (updates requiring a user interaction) |
A dialog is displayed indicating the user the availability of an interactive update and prompting him to install it with the DataClient Assistant. No updates will be installed (no non-interactive ones either). The time of the next automatic update will be postponed by one day. If the user should not have installed the interactive update by then, he will be prompted again to do so. |
A DataClient update is available |
The DataClient update is automatically installed, too, without a user interaction being necessary. The system service is automatically updated as well. |
The operating system is shut down during an automatic update |
Shutting down the operating system during the download results in an abortion of the download. All updates need to be downloaded again later. When shutting down the system during the installation, the installation of the package already begun will still be completed and all other packages will be discarded. The discarded packages need to be downloaded again later. Since the updates are installed according to their dependencies (i.e. a package is only installed if all required packages have already been installed), the abortion after an ongoing package results in a consistent state. |
Errors have repeatedly occurred during the update |
If errors occur repeatedly (e.g. no internet connection available), an error counter is incremented. In case of successful installations, the error counter is set to zero. If the error counter passes a maximum limit (default value is five), an error dialog will be displayed and the automatic updates will be deactivated. This is to make user that the user is informed in any case if the error state persists. |
