Gnome Software not notifying nor downloading updates

[lusciousblue (Raquel Montanana)]

Hi,
I just started using Fedora 40 this past weekend, and even though I’ve some Linux experience I’m completely novice with regards to Fedora.

Today I opened Gnome-Software and in the updates window told me that I have several updates available.

Running pkcon get-updates I see that 2 of those updates are marked as security updates.
My understanding is that security updates should be downloaded immediately and prepared to install on reboot, however I don’t receive any notifications, and when I shutdown the PC it does not install any updates.

This is the result of executing gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.software

org.gnome.software allow-updates true
org.gnome.software check-timestamp int64 1715863567
org.gnome.software compatible-projects ['GNOME', 'KDE', 'XFCE']
org.gnome.software download-updates true
org.gnome.software download-updates-notify true
org.gnome.software enable-repos-dialog true
org.gnome.software external-appstream-system-wide false
org.gnome.software external-appstream-urls @as []
org.gnome.software filter-default-branch true
org.gnome.software first-run false
org.gnome.software flatpak-purge-timestamp int64 1715872555
org.gnome.software free-repos @as []
org.gnome.software free-repos-url ''
org.gnome.software install-bundles-system-wide true
org.gnome.software install-timestamp int64 1715699196
org.gnome.software installed-page-show-size true
org.gnome.software nonfree-software-uri 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_software'
org.gnome.software official-repos ['anaconda', 'fedora', 'fedora-debuginfo', 'fedora-source', 'koji-override-0', 'koji-override-1', 'rawhide', 'rawhide-debuginfo', 'rawhide-source', 'updates', 'updates-debuginfo', 'updates-source', 'updates-testing', 'updates-testing-debuginfo', 'updates-testing-source', 'fedora-modular', 'fedora-modular-debuginfo', 'fedora-modular-source', 'rawhide-modular', 'rawhide-modular-debuginfo', 'rawhide-modular-source', 'fedora-cisco-openh264', 'fedora-cisco-openh264-debuginfo']
org.gnome.software packagekit-historical-updates-timestamp uint64 1715699196
org.gnome.software packaging-format-preference ['flatpak:fedora-testing', 'flatpak:fedora', 'rpm']
org.gnome.software prompt-for-nonfree true
org.gnome.software refresh-when-metered false
org.gnome.software required-repos ['fedora', 'updates']
org.gnome.software review-karma-required 0
org.gnome.software review-server 'https://odrs.gnome.org/1.0/reviews/api'
org.gnome.software screenshot-cache-age-maximum uint32 2592000
org.gnome.software security-timestamp int64 0
org.gnome.software show-nonfree-ui true
org.gnome.software show-only-free-apps false
org.gnome.software show-only-verified-apps false
org.gnome.software show-ratings false
org.gnome.software show-upgrade-prerelease false
org.gnome.software update-notification-timestamp int64 1715699277
org.gnome.software upgrade-notification-timestamp int64 0
org.gnome.software.auth account-id ''

Executing sudo journalctl --since today -u packagekit.service I see lots of Failed to get cache messages. Anyone knows if that message is expected or if I need to do something to fix it? I haven’t been able to find anything online.

May 16 18:50:30 raquel PackageKit[1440]: resolve transaction /2066_aeecddda from uid 1000 finished with success after 1>
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for amd-gpu-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for amd-ucode-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for atheros-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for brcmfmac-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for cirrus-audio-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for crypto-policies
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for crypto-policies-scripts
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for djvulibre-libs
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for fastfetch
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for gnome-text-editor
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for intel-audio-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for intel-gpu-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for iwlegacy-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for iwlwifi-dvm-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for iwlwifi-mvm-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for libertas-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for linux-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for linux-firmware-whence
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for mt7xxx-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for nvidia-gpu-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for nxpwireless-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-core-libs
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-core-libs
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-graphics-libs
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-plugin-label
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-plugin-two-step
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-scripts
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-system-theme
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for plymouth-theme-spinner
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for qt5-qtbase
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for qt5-qtbase-common
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for qt5-qtbase-devel
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for qt5-qtbase-gui
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for realtek-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for systemtap
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for systemtap-client
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for systemtap-devel
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for systemtap-runtime
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for texlive-lib
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for tiwilink-firmware
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for totem
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for totem-video-thumbnailer
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for google-chrome-stable
May 16 18:50:30 raquel packagekitd[1440]: Failed to get cache filename for yyjson
May 16 18:50:30 raquel PackageKit[1440]: get-details transaction /2067_ddbebedd from uid 1000 finished with success aft>

Can anyone clarify if this is the expected update behaviour in Fedora or help me with this? Thanks.

[hamrheadcorvette (hammerhead corvette)]

Welcome to Fedora

You did take quite a unique route to update packages.

@lusciousblue

Gnome-Software

The GUI has an update button,

The package manager on Fedora is dnf. So if you wanted to update your packages from the Terminal you would do sudo dnf update .

@lusciousblue

Running pkcon get-updates I

Is doing this related to previous experience?

[lusciousblue (Raquel Montanana)]

Hi,
Yes, seeing that button is how I noticed there were updates available

However my understanding is that it should have downloaded the security update automatically and notified me for installation, prompting me to install them when shutting down or rebooting the PC. However it is not doing any of those two things.

I have no notifications in the notification centre

And when I shutdown or reboot my PC, I don’t get the option to install any updates.

Ideally I don’t want to be checking the GUI manually every day to see if there are security updates.

Is doing this related to previous experience?

I’ve been digging in previous posts to see if anyone else had similar experience and one person asked to check that command to check if packagekit was correctly listing the updates. It was just to check.

[catanzaro (Michael Catanzaro)]

Guess: do you have low power mode enabled? That stops it from downloading updates.

[lusciousblue (Raquel Montanana)]

Hi,
No, I have Balanced mode.

According to the Gnome Software maintainer my understanding was indeed wrong and it doesn’t download all security updates automatically, only the ones that are marked as critical severity, so I think I was just too paranoid about Gnome Software doing its job.

I think I will just keep an eye in the following days to see if it works as expected.

[hamrheadcorvette (hammerhead corvette)]

@lusciousblue

According to the Gnome Software maintainer

Thanks for the update on this. Not many people are used to updating through Gnome Software Center so this info is valuable.

[catanzaro (Michael Catanzaro)]

@lusciousblue

According to the Gnome Software maintainer my understanding was indeed wrong and it doesn’t download all security updates automatically, only the ones that are marked as critical severity, so I think I was just too paranoid about Gnome Software doing its job.

It will automatically download all updates whenever it’s time to update.

It’s time to update if (a) two weeks have past since the last update, or (b) a critical-severity update is available. Whether an update is a security update has no bearing on this. (Security updates occur almost every day, are not more urgent than non-security updates of equal severity.)

[lusciousblue (Raquel Montanana)]

Coming from Ubuntu where the distinction is between security/non-security, I just assumed Gnome Software worked the same. Definitely a misunderstanding on my side.

Thanks everyone for clarifying.