What is the minimum number of the auto-update interval?

[TAP]

Hi,

When you open settings > update (basic) > details > auto update every ... minutes, so what is the minimum number of the auto-update interval? I can't find its details in help file. If I'm not mistaken the minimum number of the auto-update interval is 120 minutes, right? or it can be 60 minutes?

Thanks.

[Iso-G]

the minimum number of the auto-update interval is 120 minutes, right?

Hello,
I think it is for the Home edition.
This may help you:

UpdatePeriod of [InetWD] section ( from "Understanding avast4.ini file")
Time (minutes) for update checking. In the Home Edition, any value lower than 2 hours is ignored, i.e., the value 2 hours (120 minutes) is used instead in this case.

[RejZoR]

But my opinion is that 60 minutes intervals should be available,blocking anything below this (because checking in 5 minute intervals is absurd). Today basically all antiviruses use hourly checking for updates. Waiting two hours and if you miss the update you have to wait another 2 hours,totaling 4 hours Thats quiet alot compared to only 2 hours when using 1 hour intervals.

I got this idea long time ago and it can be quiet useful. It's a global bandwidth saving mechanism for updates.
Antivirus should have the option to set the timeframe when you want it to check for updates. I mean for checking only when you actually work with your PC.

For example i use it from around 8:00 AM till 22:00 PM. So i'd set this time in avast! so it won't check for updates while i sleep (i leave PC turned on all the time) because updates won't help me since i can't infect my PC in that time.
When 8:00 AM comes in the morning,avast! will check for updates again and so on till 22:00 PM. Then it will stop again and so on and so on.

Now this might not save much from a single user perspective,but if you take global view it can work quiet nicely,especially because of different timelines in which users with avast! live. This way you balance updates checking and distribution even further.

[Vlk]

The current defaults and minimums are as follows:

avast Home/Pro
- default 4 hours
- minimum 30 minutes

avast Server/NetClient editions
- default 2 hours (from Internet) or 30 minutes (from local mirror)
- minimum 5 minutes (from Internet) or 3 minutes (from local mirror).

The minimums are also reset (visually) if you try to set a LOWER value from the Update Details dialog in the new avast settings GUI (Home/Pro 4.6.691).


BTW RejZoR I didn't understand this sentence of yours "Waiting two hours and if you miss the update you have to wait another 2 hours,totaling 4 hours. What do you mean, miss?

Hope this helps,
Vlk

[RejZoR]

I was talking for 120 minute intervals which were smallest possible timeframe before...
With miss i meant that avast! checked lets say 5 minutes before you guys uploaded new VPS update to servers. Now by default first check before this happened 2 hours ago. We missed the latest update for 5 minutes and now we have to wait another 2 hours for another check (in this check avast! would detect that "missed" update.
Hope i'm more clear now

Anyway if 30 minutes is the lowest interval timeframe for latest avast! then 60 minutes is just fine hehe

[Vlk]

The logic is a bit twisted.

If we release the update let's say at 10:05, and your avast checks for it at 8:00, 10:00 and 12:00, you'll get the update on 12:00 (you missed it on 10:00 by 5 minutes, same as you put it in your example). But the time difference between the release of the update and the moment you grab it is only 1:55 (i.e. at most 2 hours, not 4 hours...)

[RejZoR]

Yeah, theory isn't my bright side hehe

[MikeBCda]

This one's slightly off-topic, but hopefully close enough.  I'd put it in the "wish list" ages ago, but never did see any comments in reply.

Could updates be set to work the same as VRDB updates, that is, a manual check would restart the period between auto-update checks?  Quite often I'll do a manual check for updates, only to see avast do its auto-check immediately afterwards.  No big deal at my end, of course, it goes fast enough -- but it must create some unncessary server overhead at Alwil's end.

[igor]

a manual check would restart the period between auto-update checks?  Quite often I'll do a manual check for updates, only to see avast do its auto-check immediately afterwards.

That's a reasonable suggestion in my opinion.
I'm nor sure how big changes it would require, though.