Applying Patches

Patches include a list of updated packages. To apply patches to a system, the system must be entitled.

Apply all applicable patches to a system by clicking Main Menu  Systems  Systems. Click the name of an entitled system. Then open the System Details  Software  Patches subtab. When the relevant patch list appears, click Select All then Apply Patches. Only patches not scheduled, scheduled but failed, or canceled patches are listed. Pending updates are excluded.

In addition, users with appropriate roles can apply patches using two other methods:

  • To apply a specific patch to one or more systems, locate it in the patch list and click the number of systems affected, which takes you to the Affected Systems page of the Patch Details page. Select the individual systems to be updated and click the Apply Patches button. Double-check the systems to be updated on the confirmation page, then click the Confirm button.

  • To apply more than one patch to one or more systems, select the systems from the Main Menu  Systems  Systems list. Click the Main Menu  Systems  System Set Manager  Overview, then click the Systems tab. After ensuring the appropriate systems are selected, click the Patches tab, select the patches to apply, and click the Apply Patches button. Schedule a date and time for the patch to be applied. Default is the current date. Click the Confirm button. You can follow the progress of the patch application via the Pending Actions list. Refer to Schedule for more details.

If you use scheduled package installation, the packages or patches are installed via the configured contact method. For more information, see client-configuration:contact-methods.adoc.

The following rules apply to patches:

  • Each package is a member of one or more channels. If a selected system is not subscribed to a channel containing the package, the update will not be installed on that system.

  • If a newer version of the package is already installed on the system, the update will not be installed.

  • If an older version of the package is installed, the package will be upgraded.