Linux Patch Management is the same as Windows Patch Management, the process of identifying, testing, and installing software updates, also known as patches, on Linux systems. These patches can include security updates, bug fixes, and feature enhancements and are typically released by software vendors to address vulnerabilities or improve the functionality of their products.
Linux patch management ensures that an organization’s systems and applications are secure and functioning correctly. This is especially important in the case of security patches, as unpatched systems and applications can be a target for cyber-attacks. Patch management can also help organizations meet regulatory and compliance requirements, as many industries have guidelines around software patching.
The process of managing patches for software that runs on Linux-based computers is known as Linux patch management. Patch management in Linux entails searching the Linux endpoints for missing updates, downloading updates from vendors’ websites, and installing updates on the corresponding client workstations.
Linux patch management helps organizations in keeping a safe and effective environment by improving the overall performance of their system. All Linux users can get hardware assistance from Motadata’s all-inclusive patching solution, which helps in resolving compatibility difficulties.
Linux patch management with Motadata ServiceOps
Linux is an open source with various advantages, it can be very complex to formulate a proper Linux patching strategy for that very same reason. Owning to the richness of Linux distros, it is almost impossible to create a complete patch management strategy for all of them and it usually needs more knowledge.
Let’s look at the features of Linux patch management that organizations can implement using Motadata ServiceOps to ensure effective patch management.
Automated Linux Patching
It is a difficult process to manually check for updates regularly, test them, and deploy them on the endpoints. What is the simplest fix? Automating the environment’s complete patching procedure.
Organizations can assure consistent patching across all their endpoints with automated Linux patch management, preventing vulnerabilities and exploits.
Test and approve patches before deployment
It can be extremely difficult for administrators to roll back a patch in case it affects the operation or functionality of production endpoints. Such occurrences might also result in system downtime and a decline in production.
Therefore, it is advised to always test the patches before rolling them out (also known as a test group). These updates may be pushed to the production network after approval.
Prioritize critical patches
Since significant vulnerabilities are more likely to be used by threat actors and cyber attackers, they should be patched as soon as possible. Deploying crucial or important patches first should therefore always be a priority. Then, based on standard deployment schedules, less severe patches, optional updates, etc.
Get detailed patch reports
For security auditing and tracking patch compliance across the network, generating detailed reports is the most essential thing organizations should do.
Motadata ServiceOps helps them regularly create reports that include detailed deployment results, version information, and other patches-related information. Because of this feature, administrators can quickly respond to unsuccessful deployments and put manual mitigation techniques into place.
ServiceOps Supported Linux Versions
ServiceOps patch manager supports Linux security patches and non-security updates for the following Linux versions:
- Red Hat
- Ubuntu
- Debian
- CentOS
- Mint
- openSUSE
- Oracle Linux