Scheduling pfSense Updates?

[CaseyE]

Hello,

Is there a way to schedule a firmware update to occur at a specific time?

If get an email around noon that says a pfSense update is available, I cannot update it then because everyone in the office is using the internet. I'd like to schedule an update to occur at 1AM when nobody will be here, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to do this.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to do this in pfSense, either through the GUI or through a cronjob/command line?

Thanks

[Gertjan]

What about 'exceptionally' activate the web access to the net - and login from 'anywhere' and and start the upgrade ?
If all goes well, you'll be reconnected after a couple of minutes.
If not : you better be at your work a little bit earlier ;)

[KOM]

What about 'exceptionally' activate the web access to the net - and login from 'anywhere' and and start the upgrade ?

Probably because he'd rather not be up at 1am.

[kpa]

Schedule an unattended upgrade on security equipment? WHOA….

[bennyc]

The fine line between ‘brave’ and ‘reckless’….  ;D

[Gertjan]

@KOM:

..
Probably because he'd rather not be up at 1am.

He'll decide do upgrade earlier :)
He will be knowing if he needs to get up really earlier in the morning ….

[G.D. Wusser Esq.]

@kpa:

Schedule an unattended upgrade on security equipment? WHOA….

I think we just found the new Most Interesting Man in the World.

But, that is how things are supposed to work. Will they ever?..  8)

[gerdesj]

@: Gertjan KOM kpa bennyc G.D. Wusser Esq.

Well you kids are all very clever but the OP asks a reasonable question and does not deserve opprobrium in response.  We are all encouraged to update all computer systems as soon as possible.

Now pfSense is a firewall and has only recently got away from the monolithic "firmware" approach to distribution and yet still enforces a reboot for nearly all updates (it's early days yet though.)

I can't see what is wrong with a naiive expectation of regular, automated updates.  This is the 21st century and it is not beyond the wit of man to do this.  It will happen when it moves up the priority list.  For example: recently 2.3_1 was merely a ntp update and that could easily have been done on a schedule (if it had also restarted ntpd)

Perhaps one of you bright lads might like to start committing code instead of taking the piss.

So, @CaseyE: sorry, not really at the moment but maybe soon.  You could run a cronjob and a script to click on the buttons or run the upgrade via the shell if you are feeling adventurous.

[bennyc]

Well hello and thank you Mr. Gerdes for your reply. Quick to jugde us you are. (Never the less, you also use "naiive" & "adventurous" when referring to his question….)

Auto-updating of some equipment is generally not a good idea, even in this era. I saw some humor in the situation, which reflected in my reply, which was given free, unpersonal, polite enough. No hard feelings....

Lighten up. And calm down. Glad you want to be the better guy, but your post is provocative, even a tad aggresive to people hanging around here much longer than you & I do  ::)

[kpa]

@Jon Gerdes, been there and done that and mean contributing to FreeBSD in form of PRs and patches, my contributions are not insignificant either.

[KOM]

Perhaps one of you bright lads might like to start committing code instead of taking the piss.

::)