Stop Packagekit update applet using command line

I have a few PCs that are used by average joe’s and whenever updates are available the update applet apears indicating there are updates. I usually update all these machines at the same time using zypper so in order to remove additional confusion how can I disable this? I’ve read in the forum how to stop it from starting up by going to Control Center | Startup Applications and unchecking Packagekit Update Applet. Is there a way to do this using the command line? I’m sure there is, after all this is Linux, I just need to know how. :slight_smile: Reason being is I’ll be ssh’ing into these machines to disable the update applet and don’t want to touch all the machines and click my way to stop it at startup. Figure there has to be an easier way.

Thanks in advance.

I’m unsure about this.

If I look at the file “$HOME/.kde4/share/config/kdedrc” then I see the lines:


[Module-kpackagekitd]
autoload=false

I am guessing that in a newly installed system, that says “autoload=true”, and that it says “false” for me because I have turned off the automatic startup of KPackageKit.

It should be easy enough for you to check whether the current value is “true”, change to “false” with an editor, then login to that system and see if that prevents KPackageKit from starting.

like nrickert, i don’t use kpackagekit at all so the actual location of the entry that starts it for a session is not something i can help with… however, if it is located in kdedrc there is a simple tool to change it from the command line courteously provided by the kde devs :

console login as the user to change, then

#kwriteconfig --file kdedrc --group Module-kpackagekitd --key autoload --type bool false

if the previously mentioned location/key is the right place, then this should accomplish what you are seeking.

more info about this type of edit can be gotten by

#kwriteconfig --help-all

good luck.

I guess I left out an important piece of information…I am running gnome.

I guess another option would be to set the Software Update Preference to check for updates to never. Is there a way to do that via the command line in gnome?

I am sure this is possible but I don’t know what to do. The things I try don’t remove the panel updater.

I HATE it so always just uninstall the kpackage rpm. If you are doing the updates anyway there is no need to keep it.

I don’t run KDE, I am running Gnome. Is it safe to just uninstall Packagekit? Nothing will break?

Am at a slight disadvantage here as I don’t use gnome but certainly from a kde point of view the kpackage rpm just provides an icon on the bottom right of the taskbar and the annoying checking for updates (at always the wrong time for me) and jamming up of yast. Removing kpackage (which is just the front end) doesn’t cause any problem in doing updates.

On 2011-06-22 20:36, D8TA wrote:
>
> I have a few PCs that are used by average joe’s and whenever updates are
> available the update applet apears indicating there are updates. I
> usually update all these machines at the same time using zypper so in
> order to remove additional confusion how can I disable this?

Just remove the daemon. Delete it, uninstall it. There is no other safe method.

Remove the daemon, remove all the pk applets for both gnome and kde. Taboo
them so they are not reinstalled.


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Could you provide more detail? Remove what daemon, how do I remove all the pk applets for gnome and what is taboo them so they are not reinstalled?

On 2011-06-29 15:06, D8TA wrote:
>
> Could you provide more detail? Remove what daemon, how do I remove all
> the pk applets for gnome and what is taboo them so they are not
> reinstalled?

Investigate it. I would have to investigate it myself to answer :wink:


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Can’t you just disable the bloody thing in gnome-control-center -> Startup Applications and do updates using YaST?

Don’t use it myself, but maybe you can try the command:

gpk-update-icon --timed-exit

I am not seeing it listed in “Startup Applications”. For that matter, I would like to stop parcellite and tracker from starting, but I can’t see where to turn those off, either.

If you’re running gnome, I find that a bit peculiar, since they’re all listed on my install (apart from parcellite which isn’t installed at all). Have to admit I’m using Tumbleweed though, so there might be some differences. But the Packagekit entry in “Startup Applications” was removed long before that upgrade took place.

But the tracker thing you can just remove, and it won’t harm your system (as far as I’m aware).

zypper rm tracker

Then lock it

zypper addlock tracker

I just did that, rebooted, and everything seems hunky dory.

On 2011-06-29 18:06, back space wrote:
> Can’t you just disable the bloody thing in gnome-control-center ->

Via ssh? >:-)


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

Well, that’s me told to read posts properly. In a rather smug way :slight_smile:

Well, what about simply removing the frontend for it


su -
zypper rm gnome-packagekit


PC: oS 11.3 64 bit | Intel Core2 Quad Q8300@2.50GHz | KDE 4.6.4 | GeForce
9600 GT | 4GB Ram
Eee PC 1201n: oS 11.4 64 bit | Intel Atom 330@1.60GHz | KDE 4.6.4 | nVidia
ION | 3GB Ram

On 2011-06-30 00:41, martin_helm wrote:
> Well, what about simply removing the frontend for it
>


> su -
> zypper rm gnome-packagekit
> 

That’s what I said, without the exact command. I recommended to remove
frontends and backends (daemon).


Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

No, you said - Investigate it. I would have to investigate it myself to answer :wink:

Thanks! I’ll see what happens with the next set of updates to see if the notifier quits notifying.