When I go to the YaST GUI and run “Online Update” I get all my updates and all as well.
However, that little installer thing that runs in the system tray is always saying I need updates. If I try to run it it just give conflict errors, despite that I have all the updates through “Online Update”.
Is there some way to get the system tray installer to get “with it” so it’s up to date with what’s really going on? Maybe force it to re-build it’s understanding of the installation status from scratch or some such thing.
You cannot run two updaters at the same time. This would lead to sever problem so while you run one other updaters are locked out.
The one in the system tray only runs periodically. Most notably at boot. If it trouble to you then disable/remove it or don’t run other updaters when you first log on
I don’t run them at the same time however if one updates the system then when the other runs should see the system configuration correctly. If they are managing the system update status separately that would be a poor implementation IMHO and I would like to think the developers are smarter than that.
Or to put it another way, the online updater and the system tray updater should see the same system status from the same source of information about the system configuration.
Well depends on the options. they don’t all update from the same groups of repos. zypper is much more comprehensive if you have non standard repos enabled.
YaST > Software > Online Update does the same as zypper patch (only uses the Update repos from the “official” product).
The Update notifier should inform you on things that are to be installed using zypper update (that is all new version on all your enabled repos and that includes the zypper patch).
I do not have the notifier installed. It is a KDE thing and uses Packagekit (which I also hav not installed) and I thought that it nowadays is rather faultless, but as said, I do not use it.
I use the Online update and, because I have Packman, I run an update from Packman (the Repository View from the View button, select Packman and then while being inside the list at right, Right-click and choose Update if a newer version is available).
As long as people are describing what they do, I might as well add my choices.
I disable that updater – the one that runs in the tray. Right-click on tray and select “System Tray Settings”. Then uncheck the box for “Software Update”.
I use Yast Online update for most updates. When that finishes running, I then do
zypper up
from a root command line. That mostly updates from the packman repo, which Yast online updates usually misses (because online updates applies patches, and packman does not generate patch files).
If you try doing this, you might still get some conflicts. But you will be given a choice to solve them (“conflict resolution dialog”)
For me, it is very rare to have conflicts. If you get them often, then perhaps you did not properly switch packages to packman. In Yast Software Management, select the Repositories view. Then click on the packman repo. There should appear, near the top of that window, “Switch system packages to the versions in this repository”. You normally only need to do that once. But perhaps you have never done it.