Since Akamai is a network distribution company paid by companies to network their traffic globally - perhaps a "free" piece of software is given a lower propagation priority in the traffic flow compared to paid business.
The UK Sophos site on 2nd May issued a note to say Version 8 would be issued in June!!
Quote: Note: Starting June 2012 we will automatically migrate all customers who have not yet upgraded to version 8
My only concern with the delay is that in several threads version 8.0.3 is suggested to be the answer for some problems but the version seemingly cannot be accessed.
I have been using Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition for about 2 years now, before V8 I was a user of V7. The thing I never understood is how do you update the software itself. I know how to use the Sophos AutoUpdate Status Bar for updating the virus list, but how do you actually check the software's update? I didn't even know that V8 was out, Its only when I did a clean reinstall of Mac OS X 10.7.4 and when I redownloaded my applications I found out. So my question is how the hell do you update the software? Instead of uninstalling the old version, and redownloading the new updated app. Does the Sophos AutoUpdate Status Bar update the software as well?? These are the questions that have been on my mind.
Starting June 2012 we will automatically migrate all customers who have not yet upgraded to version 8
you have to read this carefully and to fully understand it you'd need some knowledge of the licensed "managed" product. The download is not directly to the clients but to a central server at the customer's site from where the clients get their updates. The server "subscribes" to certain products and versions (you can even select a certain minor version). Whenever a new major version becomes available the until then current and the new one are available in parallel for a few months. During most of this period the subscription is not upgraded automatically (but the customer can decide to upgrade at any time) but eventually the subscription is automatically changed (you can even set your subscription so that this doesn't take place in which case you'll first get a warning and then an error when the old version is withdrawn). That's what the note is about (we will automatically migrate all customers who have not yet upgraded - and it will likely be 8.0.4 then).
Can't say what causes the delay with 8.0.3C though (the licensed 8.0.3 became available within the expected time).
From comments in this and other threads, it appears that if a software update is issued the auto-update feature should pick it up, just as it does for the threat database. In this case there is some sort of delay, at least for some of us.
Thanks Christian (QC), that helps a lot. Sorry for my ignorance. Question, though: does the regular av database use the same process? Could there be delays between a viral update and client receipt?
I'm neither Sophos nor Akamai so I have just the external view (and moreover haven't followed the HE edition closely the last weeks) - so some of this is guesswork. Basically the product and the virus definitions are updated from the same warehouse as they are related (let's call it a package). The "database" - if you want to call it so - consists of a number of "libraries" (.vdl) - updated each month - and a set of usually some hundred identity files (IDEs) which in turn hold definitions and instructions for one or more threats and a constantly updated. Part of them are merged into the libraries at the next monthly update. The package contents are described in catalogs, checksummed and also signed so that the client can determine the consistency and authenticity of the download. Of course a server hosting a warehouse doesn't blindly update its contents but performs (at least) the same checks as a client. And naturally there has to be a mechanism which allows clients to get consistent data when it does an AutoUpdate (a process which will take more than a few milliseconds) during the time the server updates the warehouse. Finally it must be assured that the warehouse packages are at least at the level of the available installers (otherwise fresh installations would not be able to update).
Right now we have 7.3 and 8.0 packages in parallel - while 8.0 installations update on the 8.0 path the 7.3 do so on theirs (7.3.11 right now). It seems there is an issue getting 8.0.3C out through the distribution network. Whatever it is, it is likely "package" specific (only the "non-existing" 8.0.3C is affected - all other packages update normally). Don't ask me what the exact issue could be and who's at fault here.
Sorry for the lengthy introduction - now to your question: To check for potential delays in receiving protection updates (note that the level of protection is - with some really very rare exceptions related to the engine - the same whether you have threat data 4.76 with 420 IDEs or 4.77 with 223 IDEs) just visit the Download latest virus identity (IDE) files page and compare the numbers to those of your IDEs and threat data (as I described here). Any discrepancies should be small and correct "themselves" with the next (allow a few minutes delay) update.
