Skip to main content

This version of GitHub Enterprise was discontinued on 2022-10-12. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Enabling automatic update checks

You can enable automatic update checks so that your GitHub Enterprise Server instance checks for and downloads the latest GitHub Enterprise Server release.

When an upgrade package is automatically downloaded for your GitHub Enterprise Server instance, you'll receive a message letting you know you can upgrade GitHub Enterprise Server. Packages download to the /var/lib/ghe-updates directory on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance. For more information, see "Upgrading GitHub Enterprise Server."

If a hotpatch is available for an upgrade, the .hpkg will download automatically. In the management console you can choose to install the hotpatch immediately or schedule installation for a later time. For more information, see "Upgrading with a hotpatch."

Tip: To enable automatic update checks, your GitHub Enterprise Server instance must be able to connect to https://github-enterprise.s3.amazonaws.com.

  1. From an administrative account on GitHub Enterprise Server, in the upper-right corner of any page, click .

    Screenshot of the rocket ship icon for accessing site admin settings

  2. If you're not already on the "Site admin" page, in the upper-left corner, click Site admin.

    Screenshot of "Site admin" link

  3. In the left sidebar, click Management Console. Management Console tab in the left sidebar

  4. At the top of the Management Console, click Updates. Updates menu item

  5. Click Yes, automatically check for updates. Button for enabling automatic updates

  6. Under the left sidebar, click Save settings.

    Screenshot of the save settings button in the Management Console

    Note: Saving settings in the Management Console restarts system services, which could result in user-visible downtime.

  7. Wait for the configuration run to complete.

    Configuring your instance

To see if your instance is up-to-date, check the banner on the Updates tab.

Banner indicating your release of GitHub Enterprise Server

Under Logs, you can see the status of the most recent update check.

Logs for update