Flash Player 11.3 Upgrade Notification - Finally!

[RickCP]

Hi All,

I was finally prompted to update - yesterday morning, i.e. it took 8-9 days to get to my machine - and so I did! keeping same "automatic/silent" update option.

I noticed then that the FF Plugin was updating first? not the IE ActiveX Control - which I believe is supposed to be updated first? Am I right? Please note that no browser was open during the process.

So I then rebooted the machine and went to the Flash Folder to confirm that only the Plugin (and the UpdateService.exe) files were updated.

Have patiently waited all day for the second update instance and nothing yet, so I would like to ask:

- Why I wasn't prompted again inmediately after that reboot? Was my mistake to reboot the system "before" the first hour, i.e. before the Backgroung Updater next checking?

- Should I keep waiting for a second prompt at all? If so, when now (it's 24 hours already) 7 more days or 30 days?

Of course I could install it manually... but I would certainly like to see/confirm this nice piece is working correctly in order to leave it alone - automatic/silent updates.

Thanks in advance,

RickCP

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Lenovo ThinkCentre A55 / Windows XP SP3 / IE7 / FF12

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[RickCP · Accepted solution]

Hi:

So nobody on this one? Never mind! Have done the homework these past two weeks and put the pieces toguether from the original information posted/provided by:

- Flash Player Help>Flash Player background updates>"Changes in Update Options" section - updated: June 21, 2012 >

http://helpx.adobe.com/flash-player/kb/flash-player-background-updates.html

- Adobe Forums>Flash Player>Installing Flash Player>Discussions>Thread - Flash Player Autoupdate Not Working On Any Of My Computers - Asked by WernerPMuc- June 11, 2012 > Replied by Chris Campbell- June 11, 2012 >

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4483381#4483381

- Latest comments on this very useful BlogPost by Stephen Pohl > Post - Hello, Adobe Flash Player Background Updater (Windows)! >

http://blogs.adobe.com/spohl/2012/03/30/hello-adobe-flash-player-background-updater-windows/

- Adobe Secure Software Engineering Team (ASSET) Blog > Post - An Update for the Flash Player Updater > Posted by Peleus Uhley on March 27, 2012 >

http://blogs.adobe.com/asset/2012/03/an-update-for-the-flash-player-updater.html

From the above I have learned that starting with Flash Player version 11.2, there're really two -interconnected- modes of the Flash Player Updater feature [1] The (new) Background Updater and [2] The (old) standard Notification mode Updater.

For those Windows users who are enrolled into the Background Updater since its original introduction with FP version 11.2, and that may still wonder what had happened with new version 11.3 that did not installed automatically nor silently, can confirm that based on the above info, the FP Updater is responding as supposed - at least in my case and as I have experienced it - as follows:

=> On Windows XP SP3 / IE7 / FF13.0.1 <=

1) FP Version 11.2 >

> V11.2.202.228 was originally released on March 28, 2012 as per Security Bulletin APSB12-07 which updated April 05, 2012. Manually installed both players (IE Activex and FF Plugin) on April 06, 2012 and the Background Updater was enabled by selecting the default option: Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended) at the installation program's last (Installation complete) window. Please note that wording for this option was different at that time (Install updates automatically when available (recommended)).

> FP V11.2 was "automatically and silently" updated (both players within 24 hours of the update's release time) by the Background Updater only two times since its introduction: 

- V11.2.202.233 (did not find any Bulletin in respect to this release) on April 14; and

- V11.2.202.235 on the same day (May 04) it was released per Security Bulletin APSB12-09 released May 04, 2012.

Pretty fast, ah?

2) FP Version 11.3 >

> V11.3.300.257 was originally released on June 08, 2012 as per Security Bulletin APSB12-14.

This Bulletin was updated June 13 - to remove the reference to the silent update mechanism for Windows users in the "Solution" section, leaving its text (in respect to Windows users only) as follows:

"Adobe recommends users of Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.235 and earlier versions for Windows should update to the newest version 11.3.300.257 by downloading it from the Adobe Flash Player Download Center. Windows users can also install the update via the update mechanism within the product when prompted."

- Q: Why was this revision made 5 days after the Bulletin's original release date? Without further details or a link to where the info was?

- A: Don't know... but because it's not an standard update to V11.2, but rather an upgrade (Quarterly Update) or a new feature-bearing release (mostly for FF), that requires users' acceptance of new terms of use (License) before an installation can be performed, Adobe couldn't release this new version (and may not in the future for this type of new-releases but on a case- by -case basis) through the background update channel, but via the standard "notification" update mechanism instead (even if you have already agreed to allowing background updates).

- Q: Ok, but why I wasn't prompted earlier? If V11.3 was released on June 08... Why did I receive the notification on June 17? i.e. 9 days later? And it was only in respect to one (the FF Plugin in my case) of the two players? And then a second notification (to update the pending IE ActiveX) got to my machine on June 26? i.e. additional 9 days thereafter = 18 days total time to update both players? Isn't it too long?

*Note: These were my original questions posted June 18 this thread. 

- A: By courtesy of Mr. Stephen Pohl via his BlogPost (Comments) mentioned above:

<QUOTE>

"Thank you for your feedback. First, I’d like to say that we’re continuously working on improving our documentation and I’ll make sure to forward your request for better information regarding our policies. You also inspired me to work on a blog post that explains some of the technical aspects of our update mechanisms a bit better.

Now, regarding your questions:

A wait time of 8-9 days for the regular notification to show sounds perfectly reasonable. Here are a few things to remember: When the update is made available for the notification updater only (i.e. not for the new Background Updater which is set to a 24 hour update check interval), the check interval defaults to 7 days. The notification updater also requires you to reboot your system before it displays the notification. So 8-9 days sounds reasonable.

Another element to remember about the notification updater is that it only updates one Player at a time. This is a shortcoming that was addressed in the Background Updater. The Player that will be updated first is the last one to perform an update check. The other Player will check again based on the interval, i.e. a default interval of 7 days. Once you reboot your system after this second check has occurred, both types of Flash Player will have been updated.

Note that there is a time window after which quarterly updates to Flash Player are also made available for the Background Updater (currently 30 days). This means that if you didn’t get notified for both types of Flash Player installed on your system in 30 days, the remaining Players that weren’t updated yet will be updated silently by the Background Updater. This is why it is important to remain enrolled in the Background Updater."

<UNQUOTE>

So finally here's The Answer to my Thread which To summarize: For the reasons explained above (Quarterly Updates would install semi - automatically via the Notification Updater even if users are enrolled into the Automatic-Silent Background Updater) new players 11.3 were not installed by the ASBU within 24 hours of the update release time, but semi - automatically via two notifications prompted (each one requiring a previous reboot of the machine) by Adobe within an 18 days time - period...

There's a huge timing difference between both update modes, Ah? IMHO, Adobe should be addressing this matter before the next quarter-update, which I believe shall be scheduled sometime in October 2012, isn't it?

It shall prove nice to see a shortening of the NU's update check interval (and the prompt thereafter) to "at least" - a more reasonable - 48/72 hours time-interval(s) - Just a suggestion!

Also, being aware of the fact that there are many users (mainly servers' admins) that do not like notifications at all - can't imagine receiving 2 or 3 in one month - I would point out that there are also some regular users, as myself, that even enrolled into the BU to receive silent updates, would still check (mostly on Security Bulletins) on every update-release to know what it is about.

It shouldn't be so complicated for Adobe to publish some upfront info in respect to this type of updates - including the channel to be used to address it to the end-user - perhaps via a pre-release Security Advisory?

Hope this info is of any assistance to anybody on this Forum

Cheers

RickCP

Message was edited by RickCP to correct broken links.