patch install & update

[sjana]

Hello HP Gurus,

Question 1:what measures i should take before installing any patch?

Question 2:If i want to uninstall a patch from HP UX what measures i should take?

tar(thanks and regards)
siva

[lawrenzo]

First ensure you have an ignite of the system and also a full backup.

enusre the patch's are compatible with your system


The document does state that it is unadvisable to remove patch's unless you are sure it is causing issues

you can however run swremove

[Robert-Jan Goossens]

Hi Siva,

You should have a good BackUp + a recent ignite tape (preferably just before you install a patch)

swremove the patch, or in disaster situations restore your system from ignite and backup.

Hope this helps,
Robert-Jan

[lawrenzo]

Attached is a great document with commands etc and also a list of commands which can be useful using sw;

SOFTWARE, PATCHES AND INSTALLING DEVICES
--------------------------------------------------------------

# swlist = lists software on device
# swlist -l depot @ hostname
# swlist -l Product @
# swlist -l patch = patch installed on server
# swinstall -x patch_match_target=true -x autoreboot=true -s mbnahp93:/tmp/chris_patch/depot3
# swcopy \* <>
# swremove -d \* @ /tmp/depot = remove depot opposed to installation
# swremove -s /soruce = remove patch installation
# swreg -l = register the depot
# swmodify
# swpackage -x -s host:path \* @ /tmp/depot
# swverify -d \* @ host:depot = verify the depot
# swconfig
# cleanup
# show_patches
# check_patches
# swcopy -s : \* @ = depot by default only allows pull ie this example
# export SDU_DEBUG_SEC=1 = debug
# swagentd -r
# swlist -l patch -a patch_state
# swlist -l fileset -a state = check to ensure server is consistent for patching, swconfig \* followed by a reboot can fix this

match_patch_target=true = this means patches will only be installed for software that is already on the server
autoreboot=true
run_as_superuser=
enforce_dependencies=

examples:

copy existing depot to a new one

#swcopy -s /old_depot \* @ /new_depot

copy x25 patch into a depot

#sh PH* = create th PH*.depot
#swcopy -s /tmp/x25_patch.depot \* @ /new_depot

[Cheryl Griffin]

what measures i should take before installing any patch?

Make sure that you research the patch looking at any warning, special instructions (included in the patch text) and dependencies.

If in doubt use HP Live chat and ask an HP Response Center agent or open a support call. These are usually quick issues to resolve.

[Mic V.]

I tend to patch sporadically, as the maintenance windows permit. I don't apply too many patches at the same time.

1. Before I patch, I generally: run one full backup, make two Ignite tapes (don't have a server; the second tape is in case there's a tape problem), and run a custom script. The script is something I wrote and captures absolutely every kind of data I could think of from the system. (Sorry, I don't have the rights to post it, it belongs to the company.)

But in a less-technical sense, I generally let the Operations team (and application leads, depending on the change) know that I'm patching so they can tell me if they notice anything weird. I also generally do patching during less-used periods.

2. Read the patch document and go from there. Generally speaking, just doing a swremove has worked for me. Obviously, if the uninstall requires a reboot, you have to schedule it accordingly. Only once, I believe, have I needed to rebuild a system based on patch problems.