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+---
+title: Unattended Updates
+author: troglobit
+date: 2026-10-05 13:00:00 +0200
+categories: [howto]
+tags: [upgrade, immutable, automation, rauc]
+image:
+  path: /assets/img/immutable-layout.svg
+  alt: Infix A/B partition layout, the foundation for unattended updates
+  show_in_post: false
+---
+
+Picture forty switches spread over a dozen substations.  A new release
+has just come out, and somebody has to log in to every one of them, run
+`upgrade`, and reboot in a service window.  Most of the time that
+somebody would rather let the switches do it themselves.
+
+Infix v26.09 introduces support for unattended updates.  A unit follows
+a release feed on a schedule you set, and when a newer release shows up
+it installs it and either reboots or waits for you.  You don't need a
+script on the outside or a management agent to keep alive.
+
+![](/assets/img/immutable-layout.svg){: #fig1 width="700" }
+_**Figure 1**: The A/B layout from [Immutable by Design][immutable].  An
+upgrade writes the slot you are not running from and only then flips
+the boot order._
+
+What makes this possible is the layout in Figure 1.  An upgrade,
+manual or not, goes to the inactive slot, so the release you are
+running stays untouched in the other one.  If the new release does not
+work out, `set boot-order` takes you back to it with a reboot.
+Automatic fallback, where the bootloader notices a failed boot and
+switches back on its own, is in the works.
+
+### Getting Started
+
+The factory configuration already follows the Infix releases on GitHub
+and comes with two [schedules][schedule], `nightly` and `weekly`, both
+at 03:00.  So all it takes is pointing the feature at one of them:
+
+```
+admin@example:/> configure system
+admin@example:/config/system/> set software unattended-update schedule weekly
+admin@example:/config/system/> leave
+```
+
+By default the unit installs the new release and then waits for you to
+reboot it.  To have it reboot right away instead, so the whole update
+happens inside the window:
+
+```
+admin@example:/config/system/> set software unattended-update reboot immediate
+```
+
+Until automatic fallback is in place, save that for units you can
+easily reach if a release does not boot.
+
+If you would rather only hear about new releases, point `check-update`
+at a schedule instead.  It reads the same feed and leaves a notice at
+the next login and on the WebUI dashboard, but installs nothing.
+
+### Your Own Feed
+
+The update source is a plain RSS or Atom feed, so following a fork, a
+staging channel, or a feed of your own is a matter of changing
+`update-url`.  Any static web server will do, with the feed and the
+`.pkg` files laid out the same way GitHub does it.  The
+[documentation][docs] has an example feed.
+
+That also gives you staged rollouts for free.  Put a few canary units
+on a feed that gets the release first, and move the rest over a week
+later.
+
+### Checking the Status
+
+`show software` tells you which schedule drives what, and how the last
+check and install went:
+
+```
+admin@example:/> show software
+...
+Software updates
+  Source       : https://github.com/kernelkit/infix/releases.atom
+  Check        : nightly (daily at 03:00)
+  Unattended   : weekly (sunday at 03:00), reboot manual
+  Last check   : 2026-09-30T03:00:12Z, latest v26.08.1, up to date
+  Last install : 2026-09-28T03:02:41Z, installed v26.08.1, reboot pending
+```
+
+The details end up in `/var/log/messages`, and the same status is in
+the operational datastore for anything that polls over NETCONF or
+RESTCONF.  NETCONF and RESTCONF notifications for update events are
+coming soon, so a management system will not have to poll at all.
+
+### Staying Current
+
+Configure it once, and every unit keeps itself on the latest release,
+on your schedule and through your feed if you want one.  The
+substations stay current, and the service window is somebody's quiet
+Sunday night instead of a road trip.  Try it on a unit or two, then
+let the rest follow.
+
+[immutable]: /posts/immutable-by-design/
+[schedule]: https://kernelkit.org/infix/latest/schedule/
+[docs]: https://kernelkit.org/infix/latest/upgrade/#hosting-your-own-feed