How to Manage Superseded Patches

Key Points
Need to Manage Superseded Patches: Explains what superseded patches are and why they must be handled correctly to avoid deploying outdated updates.
How Patch Manager Plus handles superseded patches: Describes how superseded patches are detected, retained, and controlled after patch synchronization.
Quick Setup: Shows how to view, retain, and exclude superseded patches to ensure only relevant updates are deployed.

Introduction

Superseded patches are older updates that have been replaced by newer patches containing the same or additional fixes. Managing these patches properly helps reduce deployment clutter and ensures systems receive only the most relevant updates.

How Patch Manager Plus handles superseded patches

Patch Manager Plus automatically identifies superseded patches during patch database synchronization. These patches are marked as superseded in the console and can be retained for visibility or excluded from deployment so that only the latest applicable patches are installed on managed systems.

Quick Setup

The following steps explain how to manage superseded patches using Patch Manager Plus.

Step 1: Enable visibility for superseded patches

1. Navigate to Admin → Patch Settings → Patch Database Settings
2. Enable the option to retain Superseded Patches so replaced patches remain visible for a defined period after being superseded.
3. Save the settings to apply the change during the next patch synchronization cycle.

This allows superseded patches to appear in patch views for review and control. More details are available here: Superseded Patches.

Step 2: View superseded patches

1. Navigate to Patches → Supported Patches.
2. Use the Status filter and select Superseded to list patches that have been replaced by newer updates.
3. Open a patch to review its details and identify the newer patch that supersedes it.

Step 3: Exclude superseded patches from deployment

1. Navigate to Patches → Decline Patches.
2. Select superseded patches that should not be deployed.
3. Save the exclusion so these patches are skipped during manual and automated patch deployments.

For more details, refer Decline Patch documentation.

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