NI Update Service and non-administrative user

[vix]

On my Windows 7 PC I have 2 different users:

• a local Administrator user who can install application but can't navigate to the web (for security reasons)
• an User who can't install anything but can navigate to the web

I launch NI Update Service under User account and it shows a list of available updates.

I select one or more of these updates and I click on "Install" button

Is asks me for the Administrator password, but then it gives a communication error with NI...

Does it use Administrator user to download the updates?

It should use it only to install and not to download

[=Jean]

Hi Vix,

Under User account, did you try to lauch NI Uptdate Service as an administrator? 

I give you a link as well for this operation: 

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/37C460BD8962FDF2862577740072F1A3?OpenDocument

Let me know if the problem is solved with this solution. 

Have a nice day

[vix]

Yes, I tried but if I select "Run as administrator" Windows asks me for credential of an administrator account.

I enter username and password, but my administrator account can't communicate to the web and so I get the error in the attached image (comm_err.jpg).

As I wrote, I think that the problem is that NI Update Service uses the administrator user not only to install the programs but also to download them from the NI servers.

I don't think this is OK because as shown in the attached install.jpg the button with the administrator shield is "Install", but after I click on it and enter the administrator credentials, NI Update Service tries to download the selected programs.

But with my administrator user this is not allowed.

It should download them with the user that launched it (with this user it is able to find the list of available updates) and use the administrator user only to install.

Could someone from NI confirm that this is the behavior of NI Update Service, please?

[=Jean]

Hi again vix

In your case you cannot use NI Update Service. As you notice, NI Update Service needs an internet connection and to be allowed to install the updated software as well, which is impossible with both of your User and Administrator accounts.

My suggestion is to connect you with your User account and to check the available upgrades with NI Update Service. After this step visit our website at http://www.ni.com/  and research and download manually the available updates.

Then connect you as administrator to be allowed to install the downloaded updates.

If you have any further question do not hesitate.

Have a nice day

[vix]

Hi Jean

you confirmed the approach used by NI Update Service but I think that this is not the best solution.

Let me explain:

• almost every program has a built in feature to search for updates, and for this reason needs both an internet connection and the right to install updates
• almost every program requires administrator right only AFTER having downloaded the updates, before starting the installation step
• I have many different programs on my PC that work perfectly in this way
• I think (but this is a personal opinion) that for security reasons it's quite common that an administrator user is not allowed to navigate into the web; a lot of problems can arise from this situation

Do you think that this behavior of NI Update Service can be modified?

I can add a new product suggestion in the Idea Exchange forum...

[Julien_De_Freitas]

Dear Vix,

Thank you for your message. 

As Jean explained you, the NI Update Service uses this method to give you the possibility directly to download and install the latest patches.

The NI Update Service is not only one solution to download our latest patches. National Instruments suggest you other solutions to do that.

The Update Service is a whole process. When someone selects an update (or multiples updates) and clicks the Install button, Update Service evaluates wheather installing that update will cause an incompatibility on the system., If so, Update Service warns that there are incompatibilities and asks the user if he wants to view them or proceed anyway.

It the update will cause an incompatibility on the system, you will not download it and loose your time.

The other solution is to go directly on our website.

You can use your two different accounts there, one to download and one to install. 

For example if you want to use the latest patch for LabVIEW 2012, you can directly on our website download it:

http://joule.ni.com/nidu/cds/view/p/id/4350/lang/en

Regards,