How to create the patch management policy.

[senthil_kumar_1]

Hi

We are using hpux, redhat and suse linux in our company.

I have to create the patch management docs for all three.

do any one of you have any patch management docs?

Pls explain about patch management.

what are things we must consider when doing patch management?

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi Senthil:

I suggest (for HP-UX) that you begin by reading these two documents :

http://docs.hp.com/en/5992-5841/index.html

http://docs.hp.com/en/5992-4020/index.html

Regards!

...JRF...

[Pete Randall]

My patch management policy is not formal, more common sense:

Unless something is broken, I generally only apply HP's maintenance bundles (Quality Pack, Support Pack) so I know that what I'm installing has been thoroughly tested to work together. Then I use a 3 tier implementation scheme, installing and running the patches first on my workstation, then on our development server and finally on production platforms.


Pete

[Mel Burslan]

Our patch management policy is like Pete's, i.e. 3 tiered. We start applying the patches to the development/sandbox series servers first. Let it run about a month or so. Then apply them to test/staging servers and let all of them run about a month or maybe longer, until the next production maintenance time is reached. Provided there were no fallouts due to faulty patches, finally we apply them to the production servers. Since our patch cycle take about 3 months at best, we go through this cycle about once a year unless of course something we are actively using is badly broken.

Every site has their own priorities. You need to come up with what is sensible for your site. But an advice to you: avoid patching too frequently and avoid from applying latest patch bundles with a lot of one or two star rated patches in them.

[Sivakumar MJ._1]

Senthil..

1. Gothru JRF documents

2. Pete and Mel Burslan are rite..


-less planned downtime - less changes
-minimize unplanned downtime
-greater control over environment
-more precise recommendations
-software management
-change management
-eliminate confusion about when to make changes
-practical recommendations on upgrades and -patching in test environment
-reduce complexity of patch choices
-change = risk
-manage change to manage your risk


http://www.osdata.com/oses/hpux.htm

[senthil_kumar_1]

Hi All

We are using HPUX 10.20, 11.00 and 11.11.

what is the best method for updating patches.

Does SWA support HPUX 10.20, 11.00 and 11.11?

Pls share if you have any HPUX patch management doc?

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Senthil:

> We are using HPUX 10.20, 11.00 and 11.11.
what is the best method for updating patches.
Does SWA support HPUX 10.20, 11.00 and 11.11?

First, HP-UX 10.20 and 11.0 are wholly out-of-support. If I recall correctly, the last patches for 10.20 were released in 1999. HP-UX 11.0 supported ended in December 2006. If you want any of the old patches for them, you can still obtain them from the ITRC Patch Database. For 10.20 you need to navigate to the "archive" section, linked off the bottom of the main page:

http://www11.itrc.hp.com/service/patch/mainPage.do

All this said, no, SWA does _not_ support releases older than 11.11.

> Pls share if you have any HPUX patch management doc?

You might learn a bit more about HP-UX patches in general from here:

http://www11.itrc.hp.com/rsbservice/rsb/html/patches_main/training.pdf

and, particularly from :

http://docs.hp.com/en/5992-4020/ch04.html

This last citation represents a chapter in ar larger work that specifically highlights various patch strategies.

Regards!

...JRF...