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Summary
ET&S uses this notification window to ensure that USNH managed faculty and staff Apple computers running the Mac Operating System (MacOS) are kept up to date.
This only applies to Faculty and Staff Apple Macs managed by Jamf, and does not occur on Macs in computer labs or managed by Intune.
MacOS Notification Window
Below is a sample of what the notification window looks like.
On the left side of the notification window it lists:
- Required OS Version - the version that the Mac is required to update to
- Current OS Version - the version that the Mac is running now
- Days Remaining To Update - the number of days remaining to update to the required version (days until the Required Install Date)
- Deferred Count - how many times the update has been deferred
Updating
Important: ET&S always recommends you do not store data locally on your computer and that you use OneDrive or another USNH network storage location to store your files so your data is backed up. If at any time your hard drive were to fail, ET&S and other data recovery providers may not be able to recover your data as all office computer hard drives are encrypted. To learn more about OneDrive, visit our knowledge articles on OneDrive: Accessing/Logging in to OneDrive and OneDrive: Synchronizing Files/Folders .
To update your Mac you can either:
- Click the "Update Device" button in the notification window. This opens System Preferences to the Software Update page where you then click the "Update Now" button.
- If updates were previously installed you will see a "Restart Now" button instead.
- Open System Preferences, navigate to the Software Update page, and click the "Update Now" Button.
Note: Updates can take up to an hour to complete, please plan accordingly. For more details, see Computer: Installing MacOS Updates or Version Upgrades .
Deferring Updates
To defer updates, click the I understand button at the bottom of the Update Notification window. This opens the Defer drop down menu with the following options:
- Later - Defers and closes the window until the next time it is configured to notify (see more on that below).
- One Hour - Defers and closes the window for one hour, after which time the window will notify again.
- One Day - Defers and closes the window for 24 hours, after which the window will notify again.
MacOS Update Time Frames
Updates are configured on the 1st of every month, or the closest Monday after the 1st, if the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday.
MacOS users will have two weeks to update their Macs.
- This process will always update your computer to the most current updates provided by Apple.
- There may not always be an update available for a given month for your version of MacOS.
- If there are no updates for your MacOS version that month, then you will not see any Update Notifications (unless you still need to upgrade to the current MacOS version)
Required Install Date
The Required Install Date is the date by which the update is required, and is the number that "Days Remaining To Update" is counting down to.
- "Days Remaining To Update" = Days until the Required Install Date.
The Required Install Date is always two weeks after the 1st of the Month (or two weeks after the first Monday of the month if the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday).
MacOS Update Notification Frequency
How often the update notification window appears depends on how many days are left in "Days Remaining To Update".
- 2 or more days remaining = 1 notification per day
- 1 day remaining = 2 notifications per day
- 0 days remaining (means you are past the Required Install Date) = notifications every 3 hours
Back to Deferring Updates above
Further Readings
Computer: Installing MacOS Updates or Version Upgrades
OneDrive: Accessing/Logging in to OneDrive
OneDrive: Synchronizing Files/Folders
Need additional help?
To submit a support request, please fill out the Computer and Device Support webform with as much detail as possible, or contact the Technology Help Desk team on your local campus. For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person.