DNF Automatic is an optional Fedora component you can configure for automatic updates of packages. DNF Automatic is provided by the (aptly named) dnf-automatic package. This package has been available in previous releases of Fedora as well as in Fedora 26. As with all releases, though, Fedora 26 introduced numerous updates. These updates included DNF version 2, in which DNF Automatic configuration changed in an undocumented way.

As a result of the change, if you previously configured DNF Automatic and then upgraded to Fedora 26, your system may not be getting automatic updates. However, there’s now a DNF package that restores the previous configuration interface. But of course, you’ll need to install that update manually. After that, automatic updates will resume on your system.

Restoring automatic updates

Through updates-testing

If you don’t want to wait for a stable update through normal channels, you can use packages intended for advance testing. To update, temporarily enable the updates-testing repository with sudo and dnf:

sudo dnf --enablerepo=updates-testing update dnf\*

Through stable updates

To restore automatic updates using a stable update (available later this week), do one of the following:

If you’re running Fedora Workstation, use the Software application to apply updates. Or, run dnf upgrade from the command line. You may want to run this command under screen or tmux to reduce the risk of interruption.

Checking results

After you complete either of the above, run the following command:

rpm -q dnf

You should receive this version (or higher):

dnf-2.6.3-11.fc26.noarch

Don’t stop there!

Using DNF Automatic alone isn’t enough to keep your system fully updated. Remember, DNF Automatic doesn’t reload or restart services, or reboot systems. These are often critical steps in applying security updates. Don’t forget to take these steps with the systems you care about.

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