No Java! Not Now!
Java has a way of wanting to be updated in the middle of something really important. Am I right? On top of that, updates can typically cause issues and we don’t want end users managing that update process. We would rather do it on our timeline, seamlessly, and without the client having to deal with constant nagging about updates.
Our Solution
To disable the Java Auto Update on a fleet of Macs I had to do the following three things:
- Issue a Defaults write command
- Add a deployment.config file
- Add a deployment.properties file
Defaults Write
Looks like this is where Oracle is going, thank God, but they aren’t there yet. Anyways, issue this command to update the global Java preferences plist.
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sudo /usr/bin/defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.oracle.java.Java-Updater JavaAutoUpdateEnabled -bool false |
Again, I’m not sure this is doing anything yet, but can’t hurt and it really looks like it is where Java is trying to go.
The Deployment.config File
I also had to create the file “/Library/Application\ Support/Oracle/Java/Deployment/deployment.config” and put the following contents into it:
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#Tue May 13 20:51:30 CDT 2014 deployment.system.config=file:///Library/Application\ Support/Oracle/Java/Deployment/deployment.properties deployment.system.config.mandatory=true |
The Deployment.properties File
I also had to create the file “/Library/Application\ Support/Oracle/Java/Deployment/deployment.properties” and put the following contents into it:
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#Tue May 13 20:51:30 CDT 2014 deployment.macosx.check.update=false deployment.macosx.check.update.locked deployment.expiration.check.enabled=false deployment.expiration.check.enabled.locked deployment.security.level=MEDIUM deployment.security.level.locked deployment.console.startup.mode=HIDE |
Final Note and Caveat
After creating both files with the contents above and issuing the defaults write command was I able to get the update Java checkbox in the Java preferences panel to be unchecked. Do note that Java is a moving target and may make changes that make this solution no longer work, so your mileage may vary. But, I’m hoping this information will help everyone out there in the meantime.
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