Configuring Individual Macs

The next step is to configure individual Macs to take their updates from the local update server. This can be done automatically during the mass deployment of Parallels Desktop by modifying the appropriate deployment configuration option. Please see Configure Deployment Configuration Options for the complete info (see the description of the Software Updates section of the configuration file).

If you have an existing Parallels Desktop installation that was not configured for automatic updates during deployment, then read on to learn how to do it manually.

Note: The information provided here applies only to Parallels Desktop installations that were NOT configured to use automatic updates during the mass deployment process.

To configure Parallels Desktop automatic updates, you need to modify the Parallels Desktop property list file on a Mac as follows:

1. Find the com.parallels.Parallels Desktop.plist file located in the Library/Preferences subfolder in the user's home folder. This is the Parallels Desktop property list file that contains the user-specific information.
2. Open the file using the Property List Editor application (included with Xcode).
3. Set the update policy by modifying the Application preferences.VolumeLicenseUpdatePolicy property. If the property doesn't exist, add it to the file specifying its data type as String. Set the property value using one of the following options (see also the Notes subsection below):
   • "Parallels" — when this value is set, the updates will be downloaded from the Parallels update server via the Internet. The value is case-sensitive.
   • Complete URL of the parallels_updates.xml file residing on your local update server. For example, "http://10.0.0.1/pdfm/v8/en_us/parallels/parallels_updates.xml". When the URL is specified, the updates will be obtained from the local update server.
   • "None" — automatic updates are disabled. The value is case-sensitive.
4. Specify how often Parallels Desktop should check for updates. This is done by modifying the Application preferences.Check for updates property. If the property doesn't exist, add it to the file specifying its data type as Number. Specify the property value using one of the following options:
   • 0 — Never
   • 1 — Once a day
   • 2 — Once a week
   • 3 — Once a month
5. Set the automatic download option. Find the Application preferences.Download updates automatically property. If it doesn't exist, add it to the file specifying its data type as Boolean. Set the property value using one of the following options:
   • True — Download updates automatically. Specify this value when using a local update server.
   • False — Notify the user about the updates but don't download them automatically. This option is useful only when updates are downloaded from the Parallels update server and the user has full control over the update functionality.
6. Save the file and close the Property List Editor application.

Note: If Parallels Desktop is running while you are modifying the plist file, it will have to be restarted for the changes to take effect.

Notes

On initial Parallels Desktop activation using a Business Edition key, the Parallels Desktop update properties will be absent from the com.parallels.Parallels Desktop.plist file. In such a case, a Mac user will be able to configure Parallels Desktop automatic updates using the Parallels Desktop graphical user interface.

When the update-related properties are added to the com.parallels.Parallels Desktop.plist file, the automatic updates will be performed according to the specified values. In addition, the value of the Application preferences.VolumeLicenseUpdatePolicy property will affect the Parallels Desktop update-related elements in the Parallels Desktop graphical user interface as follows:

• If the property contains a URL of the local update server or "None", the Parallels Desktop update-related controls will be disabled (grayed out) in the Parallels Desktop graphical user interface. The displayed settings will have no effect on how the Parallels Desktop updates are carried out. Therefore, the user will not be able to configure automatic updates or check for updates manually.
• If the property doesn't exist, has no value, or contains "Parallels" as a value, the Parallels Desktop update controls will be enabled in the user interface giving the user the ability to configure automatic updates and check for updates manually.

Note: The Application preferences.VolumeLicenseUpdatePolicy property value has no effect when Parallels Desktop is activated using the Parallels Desktop Home Edition license key.