# Patch Management for Linux Devices If you're searching for a resource to gain a better understanding of the patch management in Linux, you've come to the right place. Linux patch management is the process of managing patches for applications running on Linux computers. Patching in Linux involves scanning your Linux endpoints to detect missing patches, downloading patches from vendors' sites, and deploying them to the respective client machines. Enhancing your overall system performance, patch management in Linux helps you maintain a secure and productive environment. Linux patching can be complex but with the right Linux patch management tool, it can be easy. ManageEngine's all-around patching solution, Patch Manager Plus, helps resolve compatibility issues and provides hardware support for Linux patch management. - [The benefits of Linux patching using Patch Manager Plus](#benefits) - [Linux patch management strategies](#strategies) - [Linux patch management process](#linux-patch-management-process) - [How do you patch your Linux systems manually?](#manual-linux-patch-management) - [How do you patch your Linux machines automatically?](#automated-linux-patch-management) - [Patching in Linux with Patch Manager Plus](#patching-in-linux) - [How to patch Linux servers](#patch-linux-servers) - [FAQs](#faqs) ## Linux patch management: A complete guide ## The benefits of Linux patching using Patch Manager Plus Patch Manager Plus' Linux patch management features help you: - Patch all the loopholes in your Linux endpoints, keeping your networks secured. - Save time and money. With the [Automate Patch Deployment](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/automated-patch-deployment.html) (APD) feature, the whole patch management process in Linux is automated—from scanning for and deploying patches to generating patch status reports. - [Centralize Linux patch management](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/third-party-applications-patch-management.html) for all Linux operating systems. - Practice [bandwidth-efficient patching](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/managing-computers-in-wan.html). Patches are only downloaded once for your whole network. These patches are redistributed across your Intranet wherever required. - View comprehensive reports, including those about the [System Health Policy](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/system-health-status.html) and patch-level status, and drill down further to receive a more detailed view. Be sure to keep your Linux servers and all the machines in your Linux environment up to date, so you don't miss out on any of the new features provided by the manufacturer. ### Supported Linux versions Patch Manager Plus' Linux patch management supports Linux security patches and non-security updates (for Red Hat, CentOS and Ubuntu machines only) with bulletin IDs for computers running the following versions of Linux: 1. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 2. SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 SP5 and later versions 3. Ubuntu 20 and later versions 4. Debian GNU/Linux 11 and 12 5. CentOS 9-Stream 6. Oracle Linux Server 7, 8 and 9 7. Rocky Linux 8,9 8. Amazon Linux 2 and 2023 Check out the supported applications page [here](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/supported-applications.html). Linux versions **Redhat 9** and **CentOS 9-Stream** are now supported by Patch Manager Plus and ManageEngine Endpoint Central. For more details on supported OSs and applications, [click here](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/supported-applications.html). For details on supported repositories, [click here](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/supported-repositories.html). ## Linux patch management strategies While Linux being open source has its advantages, it can be complex to devise a proper Linux patching strategy. Due to the abundance of Linux distros, it is almost impossible to create a unified Linux patch management strategy for all distros, and it generally requires more knowledge to accomplish this, unlike for Windows systems. Let's take a look at the list of Linux patch management strategies that you can implement using Patch Manager Plus to ensure patch compliance in your network. - **Automate Linux patching in your network** Manually and regularly checking for updates, testing them, and installing them on your endpoints is challenging and time-consuming. The easiest workaround is automating the entire Linux patching process in your environment. With [automated patch management](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/automated-patch-deployment.html?linux-patch-management) software, you can ensure regular and efficient Linux patching across your endpoints, thereby keeping vulnerabilities and exploits at bay. - **Test and approve patches before deploying them to production machines** In the event of a patch causing operational or functionality issues in the production endpoints, rolling it back can be a serious headache for admins. Such events can cause system downtime as well as a drop in productivity. It is best to always test your patches in a pilot group of endpoints (also known as a test group). Once approved, these patches can be deployed in phases to the production network. - **Prioritize deploying critical patches first** Vulnerabilities marked as critical should be patched as soon as possible since these are more likely to be exploited by threat actors and cyberattackers. Always prioritize deploying critical or important patches first. Less severe patches and optional updates can then be deployed based on regular deployment schedules. - **Generate detailed patch summary reports** Generating detailed reports is crucial for security auditing purposes and tracking network-wide patch compliance. Regularly generate reports that specify patching dates, version info, deployment results, and other details. As a thumb rule, always look for [Linux patch management tools](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/) with a central dashboard that features reports on: - Successful and failed deployments - The network health status - Patch compliance This makes it easy for admins to act quickly on failed deployments and implement manual mitigation strategies. ## Linux patch management process The patch management process in Linux includes identifying, prioritizing, and testing the patches in a pilot group of computers. Next, you should deploy and monitor the updates for Linux computers to ensure they remain up to date and secure. With Patch Manager Plus, you can seamlessly deploy Linux security and non-security updates by choosing between manual and automatic deployment methods. ## How do you patch your Linux systems manually? You can deploy your patches in your Linux machines manually by following these steps: - For Debian-based Linux operating systems (Debian Linux Patching, Ubuntu Linux Patching, Linux Mint, etc.), run the following commands as **root** or use **sudo**, in the given order: ```bash sudo apt-get update # Fetches the list of available updates sudo apt-get upgrade # Strictly upgrades the current packages sudo apt-get dist-upgrade # Installs updates (new ones) ``` - For Red Hat-based Linux operating systems (RedHat Linux Patching, CentOS, Oracle Linux, etc.), run the following commands as "root" or use "sudo," in the given order: ```bash yum check-update # To check for the list of available updates yum update # Installs updates for all the packages ``` - For Suse-based Linux operating systems (Suse Linux Enterprise, OpenSuse), run the following commands as "root" or use "sudo," in the given order: ```bash zypper check-update # To check for the list of available updates zypper update # Installs updates for all the packages ``` However, manual deployment often results in errors. There are many steps involved, and it can be difficult to identify where a mistake was made. Due to the complexities involved, patch management is often time-consuming for users. Patch Manager Plus provides complete automation using the **APD** feature. ## How do you patch your Linux machines automatically? After automation is applied, the entire [Linux patch management process](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/scan-for-missing-patches.html) becomes more efficient. This Linux patch management software automates the entire process. It scans for missing patches, downloads them, and tests them in a non-production environment. If the patches don't cause any issues, Patch Manager Plus approves them to be rolled out in the production environment and schedules reports. To automate the patch management process, follow these steps: - [Schedule patch scan](https://www.manageengine.com/products/desktop-central/scheduled_patch_scanning.html) – Go to **Patch Manager Plus** and navigate to **Systems > Scan Systems** to detect missing patches in your network. - [Choose deployment policies](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/deployment-policies.html) – Based on the severity of the missing patches, prioritize important or critical patches. You can patch your machines through [manual deployment](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/deploy-patches-manually.html) by creating a patch configuration, or you can [automate patch deployment](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/automate-patch-deployment-task.html). You can also approve patches first and allow the Automate Patch Deployment feature to patch your machines in the next available deployment window. - [Test and approve](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/test-and-approve-patches.html) – For patches with low or moderate severity, test them in a non-production environment before rolling them out to production. - [View patch and system reports](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/patch-management-reports.html) – In **Patch Manager Plus**, go to **Reports > System Health Report** to see how your systems are performing post-deployment. Predefined patch management reports show the patch status of your systems and help you quickly ascertain the security of your network. Note: Maintain a supported version of Linux because many older versions are no longer supported. ## Patching in Linux with Patch Manager Plus In the world of Linux, patches are more than just something you might apply to the source code of a kernel. With the right Linux patch management software, you can deploy Linux security patches and non-security updates (for Red Hat, CentOS and Ubuntu machines only) that help keep your Linux endpoints secure, error-free, and updated with the latest features. [Patch Manager Plus](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/) provides a module for patch management in Linux that helps admins ensure that all Linux machines on the network are up to date with critical Linux security patches and non-security updates (for Red Hat, CentOS and Ubuntu machines only). This ensures there are no security vulnerabilities in the network. You can patch Linux endpoints and third-party updates for Linux, and install patches based on severity. With Patch Manager Plus, [patch management](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/what-is-patch-management.html) in Linux computers is no longer a challenging task. Note: For patching Red Hat and SUSE, it is recommended that all managed endpoints have valid system licenses. See the full list of Linux applications supported by Patch Manager Plus [here](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/supported-applications.html). ## How to patch Linux servers It is essential to prioritize both Linux server and Linux desktop patching as they are equally critical for maintaining the overall security and stability of the Linux environment. With Patch Manager Plus, you can seamlessly keep all the Linux servers in your network up to date by offering the choice between manual and automatic patching. ### How to patch Linux servers manually You can manually deploy patches to Linux servers from the product console by [manually creating a configuration](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/deploy-patches-manually.html) or by following these steps: - For Debian-based Linux operating systems (Debian Linux Patching, Ubuntu Linux Patching, Linux Mint, etc.), run the following commands as **root** or use **sudo**, in the given order: ```bash sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade sudo apt-get dist-upgrade ``` - For Red Hat-based Linux operating systems (RedHat Linux Patching, CentOS, Oracle Linux, etc.), run the following commands as "root" or use "sudo," in the given order: ```bash yum check-update yum update ``` - For Suse-based Linux operating systems (Suse Linux Enterprise, OpenSuse), run the following commands as "root" or use "sudo," in the given order: ```bash zypper check-update zypper update ``` ### How to patch Linux servers automatically You can eliminate the time-consuming task of manual patching for your Linux servers by leveraging the [Automate Patch Deployment](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/help/automate-patch-deployment-task.html) feature of Patch Manager Plus. It automates the entire patch management process in Linux servers—from scanning systems for missing patches, testing and approving them on a pilot group of computers, to rolling out the patches to the production environment. ## FAQs ### 1) What is Linux patching? Linux patching (or patching in Linux) is the process of applying patches (or software codes) to fix vulnerabilities or add new features to Linux endpoints across your network. ### 2) Why is patch management in Linux important? Patching your Linux systems is crucial to prevent threat actors from exploiting vulnerabilities. It strengthens data security and fends off recurring attacks. Some patches also add new features and functions to applications. ### 3) What is Linux update management? Linux update management involves managing and applying patches to Linux-based operating systems and applications running on Linux computers, ensuring the environment is secure and up to date. ### 4) Why is Patch Manager Plus the best Linux patching software? ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus supports patching for over 850 third-party applications across Windows, Mac, and Linux endpoints, offering all-around protection. With detailed, customizable reports, admins can get comprehensive visibility of patch compliance in their network. Explore the features of Patch Manager Plus [here](https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management/features.html). ### 5) How do I download Patch Manager Plus for free? You can download Patch Manager Plus for free by visiting https://www.manageengine.com/patch-management, selecting the 32-bit or 64-bit version, and clicking **Download**. ### 6) How do I use patch management in Linux? Linux patching helps keep your Linux environment secure and up to date. Patch Manager Plus is a reliable Linux patch management tool that enables seamless Linux patching in your network. You can implement an efficient approach by choosing between manual and automatic patching methods.