Disable automatic refreshes

[christian.isler]

hi folks,

is it possible to disable the automatic refreshes on ubuntu core?

i tried it with
sudo systemctl disable snapd.refresh.timer

but it still does automatic refreshes. at least for the kernel snap.

the automatic refreshes can be annoying if you have internet access via gsm
modem which has a limited dataplan. in this case the ubuntu core update
eats up all amount of data and there is nothing left for the application.

thanks for any hints
christian

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[davidmorales0722]

Block the internet of snap in the hosts file
Or go to flatpak

[ogra]

you can completely disable Ubuntu Core refreshes when using a brand store, it gives full control over all aspects of upgrading.

If you use network-manager on your core device you can tell it to not refresh over metered connections and you can set refresh.hold with a time/date to delay a refresh.

see:

Managing updates

Snaps update automatically, and by default, the snapd daemon checks for updates 4 times a day. Each update check is called a refresh. Updates can be set to occur on Friday at midnight, or for specific days of the month, such as only the third Monday, or even the last Friday of the month, between 23:00 to 01:00 the next day. They can even be postponed indefinitely, or for a set period of time. When, if, and how often, these updates occur can is the job of the snap refresh command. …

[Lin-Buo-Ren]

@davidmorales0722

Or go to flatpak

Flatpak doesn’t support Ubuntu Core devices IIRC

[davidmorales0722]

@Lin-Buo-Ren

Flatpak doesn’t support Ubuntu Core devices IIRC

Block the internet of snap in the hosts file… Is a valid option at least for me… If I want to upgrade some snap I just unblock it.

[ogra]

how do you know that you can update a snap though ? you wont easily get that information (snapd itself polls that info a few times a day from the url you blocked) …

given that Ubuntu Core is completely built out of snaps (kernel. bootloader, rootfs all are snaps, not only the applications) you are risking to run your OS with potentially serious gaping security holes …

the better idea is to simply pick a time window where you regulary do updates every two months via the builitn scheduler instead as described on the managing updates page above. refresh.hold allows you to hold the update until a date within the next 60 days… refresh.timer gives you the ability to pick a time where the system is idle anyway…