Scope items in Self Service by availability in software_update ?

What exactly are you looking to scope? The software updates themselves? Not sure i completely understand.

Java is a good example...if there is a patch available for your computer, we want you to be able to apply that patch using Self Service. But we want to leverage softwareupdate tool, to avoid having to add the package to JSS and scope any policies...

OK, makes sense. If you only have inventory being collected once a week, its going to be a little tricky. You could always write a script that will run 'softwareupdate -l' to look for a specific update and have that run as a daily policy or possibly as a launchagent/daemon, but the trick will be getting that Mac into a Smart Group if it returns a positive result. The API can do it, but you'd have to figure out the proper way to add a computer into a group. I remember trying that once and it wasn't quite as easy as I'd hoped.

Other than that, you'd have to rely on the built in Software Update collection process and choose the update(s) you want as criteria for your groups.

part of the logic you're looking to reinvent is built into the existing softwareupdate mechanism. once again, you have to make more work for yourself to get this functionality with casper.

munki relies on the existing update framework to do its thing. maybe you should try it.

http://code.google.com/p/munki/wiki/AppleSoftwareUpdatesWithMunki

@rockpapergoat If the OS X built in softwareupdate tool will pull updates for Apple App Store stuff without having to have someone logged on to the Mac, that would be great.

I guess that part was not clear...I'm assuming you're saying it will? What if we push FCPX to a user but their App Store was never logged in with the Apple ID used when FCPX was purchased?

Thanks,
Don

app store purchases are different. that intention wasn't clear. i assumed you meant just os updates in your post.

if you're talking about pushing apps that require purchase via the app store, then you're dealing with all the standard pitfalls with that process and should check other threads about the issue.

i agree that the disconnect between inventory collecting available updates per machine but not allowing flexibility to install individual updates based on the host's need is a shortcoming here.

Interesting... :)

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5391

@Don More than interesting. That's awesome!

@talkingmoose If you add users to _appstore group and set the defaults command, users can run App Store updates without needing admin rights, and they won't have access to anything else in App Store.

Nifty. :)

Don