Patch Management In Solaris and Red Hat

Patch Management In Solaris and Red Hat

What is a Patch A collection of fixes to a problem Three main categories: Security Bugs in the system that provide unauthorized access (rlogin) Functionality Data integrity, reliability (cron) Performance Excessive use of system resources

Patch Management The process of determining if a system has the most appropriate software installed. Where do patches come from? Operating System vendors Application distributors Third party software

Patch Management A three step process: Discovery Determination Installation

Discovery Online resources & Vendor tools Solaris SunSolve & Newsletters Solaris Patch Manager Tool Sun Patch Check Red Hat Red Hat Network & Alert Notification Tool RPM Red Hat Update Agent

SunSolve

Red Hat Network

Determination Comparing what is on your machine to what is available Level of importance Solaris Solaris Patch Manager Tool Patch Check PatchDiag Sun Management Center

Determination (cont’d) Solaris (cont’d) Solaris Live Upgrade Solaris Flash Technology Red Hat Red Hat Update Agent Red Hat Network Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool

Installation Automated Solaris: Solaris Patch Manager, Sun Management Center, Solaris Live Update Red Hat: Red Hat Update Agent, Red Hat Network, Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool Manual Solaris: patchadd Red Hat: rpm

PM Strategies Patch Management Process Determine which patches to install Find any patch dependencies Remove old version of patch Install patch and dependencies

PM - Solaris Solaris Monitor newsletters and website regularly Four Types of patches: Solaris Updates Maintenance Updates Alert Patches Advisory Patches

PM - Solaris Three tiered approach: Install Solaris and Maintenance Updates Install Alert Patches Install patches on a per-issue basis Patch Installation Process Test - Development - Production Automation Solaris Patch Manager Tool

PM – Red Hat Red Hat Monitor system status on Red Hat Network Add channels as needed Utilize Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool Automation Red Hat Update Agent