Using the Enhanced interface, I have scheduled an update of the virus definitions file to take place every night at 02.30. The problem is, I have no idea if this task runs, or what the status is, since it doesn’t seem to create a session log like other scheduled tasks do.
Is there a way to see if the task has run and, if so, what the results were?
Regards,
Scott.
Anyone? :
At least you can check the setup log (choose what’s more convenient for you: either open the file \setup\setup.log in your faviourite text file viewer OR open the avast log viewer application and scroll to the ‘Install and Updating’ category [bottom-left corner of the window]).
Vlk
Ok, thanks Vlk, that shows the scheduled tasks, which is great.
Yesterday you said I didn’t need to schedule updates, as Avast checks every 4 hours anyway. But I don’t see any entries in the logfile for these updates. Can I find that info anywhere?
Yes you can: C:\Program files.…\Avast4\Data\Setup.log
You will see something like this:
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Started: 29.12.2003, 11:00:13
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Running setup_av_pro-13f (319)
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 system Operating system: WindowsXP ver 5.1, build 2600, sp 1.0 [Service Pack 1]
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 system Computer WinName: HOME
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 system Windows Net User: AUTORIDADE NT\SYSTEM
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Cmdline: /downloadpkgs /noreboot /updatevps /silent /progress
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general DldSrc set to inet
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Operation set to INST_OP_UPDATE_GET_PACKAGES
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Old version: 13f (319)
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general SGW32P::CheckIfInstalled set m_bAlreadyInstalled to 1
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 system Computer DnsName: home
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 system Computer Ip Addr: 200.219.222.38
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 internet SYNCER: Proxy 127.0.0.1:8001
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 internet SYNCER: Type: 2
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 internet SYNCER: Auth: 0
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 package Part prg_av_pro-13f is installed
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 package Part vps-31201 is installed
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 package Part news-2b is installed
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 package Part setup_av_pro-13f is installed
29.12.2003 11:00:13.000 1072702813 general Old version: 13f (319)
29.12.2003 11:00:16.000 1072702816 file SetExistingFilesBitmap: 286->137->137
29.12.2003 11:00:16.000 1072702816 general GUID: 1435c098-770c-434f-8555-86056f17d83c
29.12.2003 11:00:16.000 1072702816 general Server definition(s) loaded for ‘main’: 5 (maintenance:0)
29.12.2003 11:00:16.000 1072702816 general SelectCurrent: selected server ‘Main AVAST server’ from ‘main’
29.12.2003 11:00:18.000 1072702818 general Server definition(s) loaded for ‘main’: 5 (maintenance:0)
29.12.2003 11:00:18.000 1072702818 general SelectCurrent: selected server ‘Secondary AVAST server’ from ‘main’
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package LatestPartInfo: news = news-2b
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package LatestPartInfo: program = prg_av_pro-13f
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package LatestPartInfo: setup = setup_av_pro-13f
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package LatestPartInfo: vps = vps-31201
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package FilterOutExistingFiles: 137 & 137 = 0
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package FilterOutExistingFiles: 137 & 137 = 0
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: setup_av_pro-13f.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: setif_av_pro-13f.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vps-31200.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vpsm-31201.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vps-31200.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vpsm-31201.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vps-31200.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package IsFullOkay: vpsm-31201.vpu - is okay
29.12.2003 11:00:22.000 1072702822 package FilterOutExistingFiles: 137 & 137 = 0
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 package Transferred files: 3
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 package Transferred bytes: 30
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 package Transfer time: 5047 ms
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 file NeedReboot=false
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 general Return code: 0x20000001 [Nothing done]
29.12.2003 11:00:23.000 1072702823 general Stopped: 29.12.2003, 11:00:23
I have the following set in my Avast4.ini file:
[InetWD]
UseRAS=0
AssumeAlwaysConnected=1
UpdatePeriod=60
I would expect to see the entries you describe once every 60 minutes, but there’s nothing. I do see the entries when I schedule an update task.
Am I doing something wrong?
No you’re not, but this is by design… We didn’t want to flood user’s log files with tons of nothing to do messages…
The reason for the discrepancy between the scheduled updates and the auto-upates is that it uses a slightly different algorithm.
Auto-update is like:
IF (UpdateIsAvailable) DO GoForTheUpdate
whereas scheduled update is like:
GoForTheUpdate
And UpdateIsAvailable is crippled to bypass logging…
Hope that made any sense to you…
Vlk
Yup, makes a lot of sense. It would have been nice, though, to have just one line added to the logfile, e.g. “Checking for available update”.
Today I got my first PUSH, and it was successful. A very nice feature of Avast (and one of the primary reasons I chose Avast).
Question: Is a PUSH email sent out for every VPS update?
Regards,
Scott.
Yes, otherwise it does not have much sense 
Pavel
It may have sounded like a dumb question, but I wasn’t sure if PUSH updates were only sent out when there was an ‘emergency’, and that all other updates were passive (i.e. client initiated, controlled by the UpdatePeriod setting).
Thanks for clarifying it, as it means I can set the UpdatePeriod to a long time, and rely on the PUSH updates.
I won’t suggest that… you could have trouble with your email provider and, in these situations, I’ll believe more in automatic update than the push updates. If you have a DSL connection, avast update won’t affect your performance, just let it be. Anyway, this is just a suggestion 
I am my email provider ;D (I host my own domain and run my own email server), so if I have problems with that, I have bigger problems than just the virus update!
In any case, all I’ve done is raise the UpdatePeriod back to 360, instead of the 60 I had it set to.
6 hours is perfectly reasonable… anyway (as we already know) this value only takes place if the push updating mechanism fails (for any reason, ours or yours). If the push works, you’ll typically get the updates in less then 5 minutes after we publish them.
Vlk