Mac OS 9 Software Update

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Scattered notes on reverse engineering how the Mac OS 9 Software Update system works.

URL?

In the Software Update Engine extension, resource ulsu ID = 128 has this URL:

Unfortunately, no samples of this XML file seem to be archived anywhere.

XML-ish templates

Hints at the data structures used for requests, responses, and logging.

Network traffic?

I have not done any disassembly yet, so these notes come from poking around in ResEdit.

  • Files may have used binhex, StuffIt, and self-extracting archives.[1][2]
  • Though the baked-in URL is http://, the following are likely also supported: ftp://, https://, urlproxy: (?), and file:///.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Software Update Extension, resource STR#, ID = -20905 (Status Strings), string 14: "Debinhexing..."
  2. ↑ Software Update Extension, resource STR#, ID = 2110
  3. ↑ Software Update Extension, resource STR#, ID = -20902 (Subwoofer Schemes)
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