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Middlebury Managed Mac computers have temporary deferral options for the delivery of important operating system updates to keep devices secure and compatible with current applications. Read on for the basic process as well as frequently asked questions about this process.
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- When your system is ready to update you will be getting the below prompt. You can defer the update up to 10 times, and for the following increments of time: 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, and until tomorrow.
- You may be prompted to enter a password. This will be the password that you use to log into the Mac. If you are not prompted for a password, you can ignore this step. (Recent operating systems with an Internet connection will not require a password.)
- Once your password is entered (if needed) and you have chosen to Restart Now, this progress message will open and there may be a notification sound. This window will update three times to give a generalized countdown until it is ready to restart. Each time the window updates it will produce a notification sound. You can continue to work during this process.
- Once the system is getting in its final countdown it will update the window and produce the another notification sound. During this time your system will reboot within a few minutes. It is recommended that you save your documents at this time.
- Your system will reboot now, and update to the latest macOS. This process should take between 10 to 15 minutes.
Q: What is the purpose of this update process?
A: macOS has built-in reminders and options for updating the operating system, but does not require those updates to be run. Keeping your operating system current promotes compatibility with many applications and reduces security risks.
Q: How long will it take to download and apply the update?
A: Downloading the update will happen in the background. Applying the update should take between 20 minutes to 30 minutes, but it can take longer.
Q: Is my device supported?
A: All Apple Silicon devices are supported. Intel based devices are in the process of being retired by Apple and no longer supported.
Q: What happens if I have a different issue with the update?
A: Please open a helpdesk ticket. We will be able to help!
Q: What happens if I do not have enough storage space on my system?
A: Major updates may require as much as 50GB of free disk space. We have some tips on freeing up disk space including moving data to cloud storage and deleting unnecessary applications, but would encourage you to open a helpdesk ticket before deleting important data or files of unknown origin.
Q: How does this affect the computer lab systems?
A: The computer labs are updated every summer to the latest macOS.
Q: What happens if I hit the deferral limit?
A: The system will force the process of updating to happen. It will block out the active window and desktop of the system and start the installation process of the system.
Q: What happens if I turn off my system when it hits the deferral limit?
A: When the system comes back online and login is processed, it will force the update to happen.