Clear Update Caches
Clear Update Caches frees disk space on an endpoint by removing update downloads and caches that TridentStack Control and the operating system no longer need. Nothing that is installed is changed, and removed downloads are fetched again the next time an install needs them.
Running it
You can start the action from three places:
- The Actions menu on an endpoint's row in the Endpoints table
- The bulk actions menu, after selecting one or more endpoints
- The Actions menu on the endpoint's own page
A confirmation dialog lists what will be removed. If your selection includes Windows endpoints, the dialog also offers the component store option described below.
Endpoints running an older agent version show the action as disabled with "Requires a newer agent version". In a bulk selection, those endpoints are skipped and counted in the result message.
What is removed
| Platform | Removed |
|---|---|
| All | Pre-staged update downloads, application installer downloads, leftover installer files, and temporary and cached files kept by the agent |
| Windows | Downloaded Windows Update files, system temporary files older than one day, and leftover upgrade working files |
| Linux | The package manager's downloaded package cache |
| macOS | The Homebrew download cache and leftover installer packages in the temporary folder |
What is never removed
- Script working folders
- The agent's own update and backup files
- A staged Windows feature upgrade, or a downloaded macOS OS installer
- On Windows, installer files for a per-user install that is waiting for someone to sign in
Component store cleanup (Windows only)
Windows endpoints can also clean up the Windows component store, which frees more space by removing superseded system components. This option is off by default, is only available when you run the action manually, and can take up to 10 minutes on an endpoint. It is never part of an automatic run.
When the action is skipped
To avoid interfering with servicing, Clear Update Caches does nothing while an install is running or a reboot is pending on the endpoint. The result in History explains why it was skipped. Run it again once the install finishes or the endpoint has rebooted.
Results
Each run appears in the endpoint's History tab as Clear Update Caches, with the amount of space freed for each area cleaned.
Clearing automatically when disk space runs low
Under Settings > Client Settings, the setting Clear update caches automatically when disk space runs low lets TridentStack Control run the cleanup for you. It is off by default.
When it is on, an endpoint is cleaned automatically when its free space on the system drive drops below:
- Windows: 10 GB
- Linux and macOS: 10% of the drive or 5 GB, whichever is larger
Automatic runs happen at most once every 7 days for each endpoint, skip endpoints with an install running or a reboot pending, and never include the component store cleanup. They appear in History as Clear Update Caches, labelled as triggered automatically because of low disk space.