Three different XProtects, and one of them now duplicated – two sets of data in two locations, updated by two different systems from two different services. Which is which, and what gets updated when.
Software Update
With yet another macOS security update to 26.6.2 due shortly, why do the download sizes of these updates vary so widely?
A macOS update has just been announced, but your Mac can’t seem to find it. Here’s what to try next, so you can bring your Mac up to date. Includes details of log entries during a normal check.
The commands to use with softwareupdate to download and install different types of update and complete macOS installers. And how to deal with XProtect in Sequoia and later.
For nearly 12 minutes, the progress bar was stuck at 98.6% complete and “about 5 minutes remaining”, and on many older Macs those lasted even longer. Did the update get stuck?
Why isn’t the progress bar for macOS updates better? Why can’t it estimate the whole time remaining to complete an update?
During a macOS update, the progress bar tells you each of the phases as they’re completed. This explains how you can track progress and make more sense of what’s happening.
How a Content Caching Server can be used to supply an update. Preflight checks are extensive, and lead on to other preparation. Finally the boot chime is muted, and the Mac rebooted to allow installation.
How Software Update settings obtains a list of available updates, and the variants that should contain. How mobile asset catalogues are checked, and preparations made to download the update.
How SilentKnight came about, and how it knows – most of the time – which version of XProtect and other security data your Mac should be using.
The Eclectic Light Company 