@RobertHammen You're right.

Just to add though, that Installing All via Software Update will check for updates downloaded (if any are) as well.

So it ties in.

When I do the softwareupdate -d -a The smart group does not get populated with computers that have gotten updates downloaded.

My smart group = My Smart Group criteria is "Available updates not like 0"

So I just setup a policy using the software update payload running once a week on logout

@tcandela You need to go into your JSS under Computer Management > Inventory Collection, there is a setting called "Collect available software updates". That needs to be checked. The Smart Group criteria you're using doesn't see items downloaded into the /Library/Updates/ directory.
I know you are a Site admin from your other posts, so you'll likely need to discuss this with your full JSS admin to see if they are OK with turning that function on. Afterwards, when Macs submit inventory, they will query the SUS they are pointed to (Apple one or internal) and pull a list and count of available updates.
If your JSS admin doesn't want to turn that on, and its possible they won't since its a global setting that affects all managed Macs clients, what you can do in the interim is build an Extension Attribute that would provide a count of packages in the /Library/Updates/ folder.
Only thing is, as far as I know, Extension Attribute are also global and so probably your JSS admin would need to add it in, but it would only be running a simple script to get a count of waiting packages in that folder and not querying anything external. I don't believe EAs can be scoped to only a Site, but not 100% sure on that.

mm2270 - I never knew that, thanks. I'll talk with the Full JSS admin.

currently i created a simple policy using the software update payload, triggered @ logout, once a week, its working with no problems so far. Also used jamfhelper to notify users that a software update check is in progress ...... (just in case they find the grey screen just sitting there to be odd and they get tempted to hold the power button down to shut the computer down.)

I have the policy triggered to run at logout, looks like shutdown triggers the policy just as well.

Is it possible to have two ASUS urls?
One pointing to an internal and the other pointing to Apple world's default?

I used to run an onsite ASUS when bandwidth wasn't so "widthy" back in the mid 2000's
The major problem we had (if memory serves) was some users were away for weeks or months on end. Their machines would never update.

My shop now has some uber-duper fibre connection so downloading is a snap to what it used to be. And to have one less administrative thing to do is also nice so I now use Apple's default.

Just curious if this is possible now or if anyone has invented a workaround?

Thanks in advance as always,
-p