It is very important that applications are updated in a timely manner and patched for potential security vulnerabilities. Applications are updated in several ways depending on the capabilities of the application and the tools available from our computer management systems. The most common methods are highlighted below.
To the extent possible, UWEC Windows computers will receive a notification about the available updates through Software Center when application updates are pushed. While these updates are voluntary for a period of time, they will become mandatory depending on the security risks involved. It is recommended to update the software when notified, as updating them later may interrupt your work.
Software Center
Software Center is where required application and OS updates can be viewed and installed, here is how you can open Software Center:
- If you search your start menu for Software Center and open it, we can check the status of any required application updates
2. Once in Software Center make sure you are in the Applications section in the upper left, then click the word required to see a list of applications that will be required by LTS to be installed/updated on your computer. These apps can include apps you may have installed yourself (Firefox in our example) or LTS mandated apps.
Some applications are automatically installed and updated in the background by LTS and are not applications the computer user directly interacts with or would be affected if the application needed to quit during install. These tend to be security tools and resources which are updated in the background by the application itself or as a computer policy that does not require interaction from the computer user.
Click on Firefox to see more details on that application install.
3. Once the Firefox listing opens you can see the application says "past due - will be installed". If you take no action the applications will be updated during our "maintenance window" which occurs from midnight until 6am each day. If the software requires a reboot after installation the computer will automatically reboot during the maintenance window.
If you click the Install button, the application will install immediately. When the application is done installing it may ask you to reboot but will not force a reboot outside the "maintenance window" period.
Note: Some applications may force existing copies of the program that are running to exit during upgrade. Example: You update Firefox in Software Center, existing Firefox windows may close. Please make sure to save all work before updating relevant applications in Software Center
4. These steps are specifically for "Required" apps that LTS forcibly installs or updates on your computer. To see a full list of all available applications in Software Center and steps for users to self-install (with no administrator rights needed), please see this KB article
Special Case: Adobe Applications
Adobe has its own application update process through the Adobe Creative Cloud application. Please refer to this KB for more information