By default, OS X now updates apps that are distributed through the Mac App Store (MAS). OS X Server is really just the Server app, sitting on the App Store. If the Server app is upgraded automatically, you will potentially experience some adverse side effects, especially if the app is running on a Metadata Controller for Xsan, runs Open Directory, or a major release of the Server app ships. Therefore, in this article we’re going to disable this otherwise sweet feature of OS X.
To get started, first open the System Preferences. From there, click on the App Store System Preference pane.
From the App Store System Preference pane, uncheck the following boxes:
- Automatically Check For Updates: Unchecking this box disables the download in the background option and the installation of app updates.
- Automatically Download Apps Purchased on Other Macs: If you buy an upgrade, you could accidentally install that upgrade on production servers you don’t intend to install the upgrade on.
Once disabled, you’ll need to keep on top of updates in the App Store manually. My recommendation is still to create an image of your server before each update.
