Support

As you would suspect (and as it is documented), if you download the Joomla! update package and place it in your site's Temp-directory then Admin Tools will not try to download it afresh from JoomlaCode.org. However, Admin Tools does need to connect to JoomlaCode.org in order to fetch the update information and know that there is an update available before it allows you to update the site.

In a case of emergency, just upload the Joomla! update ZIP file in your site's root together with our kickstart.php (the very same file you use for extracting Akeeba Backup archives!). Just run Kickstart and let it extract the file. When it prompts you to run the installer, close Kickstart and remove the kickstart.php and Joomla! update ZIP file. That's all. Yes, really, that's all. FYI, that's all Admin Tools does as well! It has a copy of Kickstart's engine built-in and uses it to extract the ZIP update package ;)

Regarding Akeeba Backup Professional and Admin Tools Core, they will happily work together. When Admin Tools prompts you to backup before updating, it does an illusionist trick. It will send you to Akeeba Backup to complete the backup, while at the same time notifying Akeeba Backup that it should direct you to another page after the backup is done. That page is the Joomla! update page, so it appears to you like Admin Tools and Akeeba Backup are integrated when they are two separate components :)

You're welcome!