Automatic restart after package updates

Webmin
1
SYSTEM INFORMATION
OS type and version Redhat Enterprise Linux 8.10
Webmin version 2.520

Hello dear forum members,

Is it possible to perform an automatic restart after the automatic update carried out by the scheduled upgrades in the Software Package Updates? Regardless of whether the restart is needed or not.

Is there perhaps a way to add a “Restart after update yes/no” radio button to the scheduled upgrades in the Software Package Updates section of Webmin?

Thank you in advance for your help.

2

i find this a bad idea/practice. especially for remote systems.

automatic updates is one thing, if something breaks during automatic upgrades, you still have an online system to access + fix breakage.
with automatic reboots after automatic upgrades, system might never recover from reboot.. so what do you do in case the server is located “a thousand kms” away?

if you want to do it locally, i’m sure there are ways. (debian has unattended-upgrades package where you can activate force reboot after updates - not sure about redhat).
but such a button available to everyone without a big + red + flashing (…) exclamation mark/cross/whatever next to it, might lead to very frustrating events…

just 2c.

2 Likes
3

you can configure your system to send you an email when a reboot is required.

1 Like
4

Hello,

Thanks for the replies.

I know it’s not a good idea, but in this case, the potential consequences don’t matter.

I need the restart not only when a reboot is required, but always after an update.

I can also create a cron job that restarts the system some time after the update. Only then will a reboot be performed even if no updates have been installed. It should only be an explicit reboot after an automatic update.

5

Yes, you can do it—look in to dnf-automatic package and its dnf-automatic.service service.

6

@shoulders is correct; that email tells you if any of the updates are security updates and if they are, all you need to do is login and check if a reboot is required.

This would work very well for admins who manage a single server or a few of them.

7

OK, thank you very much.
Then I will switch off the update via the webmin cron job and also do the DNF Automatic, there is the parameter:

reboot
either one of never, when-changed, when-needed, default: never
When the system should reboot following upgrades. never does not reboot the system. when-changed triggers a reboot after any upgrade. when-needed triggers a reboot only when rebooting is necessary to apply changes, such as when systemd or the kernel is upgraded.