Can software updates be shared on other computers?

Question

I thought I read somewhere that Software Updates could be downloaded on one computer and then shared on another. We have 3 Macs in the house and the software updates are chewing through my allocated data, at least it is a part of the problem I believe.
Is there a link to the instructions to get ALL software updates on one and then just share them on the other two computers, this would greatly reduce the amount of data being used.
If so, could someone let me know the link and also how to disable the auto update on all but one computer so that we don't have this problem?
If someone knows, I would greatly appreciate their help. Thanks.

Answer 1

I am just not sure how to stop the computers automatically updating
On the opening screen of:
System Preferences > Software Update > Scheduled Check pane
uncheck "Check for Updates" | Weekly
now you can check for and install updates manually on your own schedule.
how to choose the "Download Only" mode
On the Update menu, the "Download only" menu item will be present, but will be grayed out until updates are actually available. Selecting "Download only" will download (but not install) the updates with checkmarks from the list. In 10.4 and earlier, these are left in the "Packages" folder inside the Library folder. In 10.5 and later, they are left in the "Downloads" folder.
\[To actually install once downloaded, you may either open all the packages in the Finder (which launches Installer) or choose "Install now" from the same menu.]
Once they have been downloaded, you are free to copy them around to your other computers. You can use Zip disks if you prefer.
If you have all these computers connected to the Internet through a Router, you already have all the cabling in place for File Sharing. The software for File Sharing is already in place in all your Macs. All you need to do is enable Personal File Sharing in:
System Preferences > Sharing
and use the Finder's:
Go > Connect to Server
Log in with a username and password that is valid on the computer that is holding the files to be shared. If your access is too limited, you can either move the files to be shared to the Public folder, or log in with an administrator's username and password for broader access.
As Niel has pointed out, if you have a Mac OS X Server on your network, a much more elegant mechanism is available. The Server automatically checks and downloads, and stores the packages in a tamper-proof form on the Server. Each Mac then asks the local Server for any updates, and they are supplied automatically without a new Internet download.
Edited by: Grant Bennet-Alder ||||