System Administration Guide: Basic Administration

Chapter 24 Managing Solaris Patches (Overview)

Patch management involves listing or adding Solaris patches from a system running the Solaris release. Patch management might also involve removing unwanted or faulty patches. Removing patches is also called backing out patches.

This is a list of the overview information in this chapter.

For step-by-step instructions on adding a patch to your system, see Managing Patches in the Solaris Environment (Road Map).

For information on adding patches to diskless client systems, see Patching Diskless Client OS Services.

What Is a Patch?

A patch is a collection of files and directories that replace or update existing files and directories that are preventing proper execution of the existing software. The existing software is derived from a specified package format, which conforms to the Application Binary Interface. For details about packages, see Chapter 22, Managing Software (Overview).

What Is a Signed Patch?

A signed patch is a patch with a digital signature. A patch with a valid digital signature ensures that the patch has not been modified after the signature was applied to the patch. Using signed patches is a more secure method of downloading or adding patches because the patches include a digital signature that can be verified before the patch is added to your system.

Patches that are available for the Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9 releases include a digital signature. Patches without a digital signature, or unsigned patches, are also available, but eventually, all patches will be signed patches. A valid digital signature ensures that the patch has not been modified since the signature was applied.

Signed patches are stored in Java archive format (JAR) files and are available from the SunSolve Online^SM web site.

In previous Solaris releases, you could use the smpatch command with PatchPro to add signed patches to your system. For step-by-step instructions on using the smpatch command, see Preparation for Managing Signed Patches with smpatch Command (Task Map)

In this Solaris release, you can use the patchadd command to add signed patches to your system. For step-by-step instructions on using the patchadd command, see Adding Signed Patches With patchadd Command (Task Map).

For overview information about signed patches, see Signed Packages and Patches.

Accessing Solaris Patches

All Sun customers can access patches through the SunSolve Online^SM web site. The following table describes the various ways to access Solaris patches.

Table 24–1 Ways to Access Solaris Patches


Customer Type	Description
SunSpectrum contract customer	You have access to the SunSolve database of patches and patch information. They are available from the SunSolve Online web site or by using anonymous `ftp`. These patches are updated nightly.
Not a SunSpectrum contract customer	You have access to a general set of security patches and other recommended patches. These patches are available through SunSolve Online.

You can access Solaris patches from a web site or by using anonymous ftp.

To access patches from a web site, you need a system that is:

Connected to the Internet
Capable of running a web browser such as the Netscape^TM software.

To access patches by anonymous ftp, you need a system that is:

Connected to the Internet
Capable of running the ftp program

Access patches from the SunSolve Online^SM web site by using the following URL:

http://sunsolve.Sun.COM/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patches/patch-access

You can install either a patch cluster of recommended patches or individual patches that are freely available. Patch reports are also available.

Solaris Patch Numbering

Patches are identified by unique alphanumeric strings, with the patch base code first, a hyphen, and a number that represents the patch revision number. For example, patch 108528-10 is a patch ID for the SunOS 5.8 kernel update patch.

Tools for Managing Solaris Patches

The following table summarizes Solaris patch management features.

Feature	`patchadd`/`patchrm` Commands	Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8 Patch Management Tools	Solaris 9 Patch Management Tools	PatchPro Interactive or PatchPro Expert
How do I get this tool?	Bundled in Solaris release (`SUNWswmt`)	Must download tool from http://www.sun.com/PatchPro	Must download tool from http://www.sun.com/PatchPro	Run tool from http://www.sun.com/PatchPro
Solaris release availability	Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9 releases	Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8	Solaris 9	Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9
Adds signed patches?	Yes, and automatically verifies the signed patch when it is downloaded	Yes, and automatically verifies the signed patch when it is downloaded	Yes, and automatically verifies the signed patch when it is downloaded	No
Adds unsigned patches?	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
GUI available?	No	No	Yes	No
Analyzes system for required patches and downloads signed or unsigned patches	No	Yes, both signed and unsigned patches	Yes, both signed and unsigned patches	Yes, unsigned patches only
Local and remote system patch support	Local	Local	Local and Remote	No
RBAC support?	Yes	No	Yes	No

Detailed information about how to install and back out a patch is provided in the patchadd(1M) and patchrm(1M) man pages. Each patch also contains a README file that contains information about the patch.

Solaris Patch Management Tools

In previous Solaris releases, you could use the smpatch command to add signed patches to your system.

Solaris Patch Manager Base Version 1.0, which is the smpatch command, is used to manage signed patches on systems running the Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8 releases. You can use the smpatch command with PatchPro 2.1 to manage signed patches on systems running the Solaris 9 release.

Both signed patch tools provide the following capabilities:

They analyze patch requirements and download signed patches on the local system only. Similar to PatchPro Expert, this tool reads the /etc/patchpro_hdw.conf file to determine what hardware is installed. Other than this feature, the two tools are entirely independent.
They apply one or more signed patches in JAR format, which also authenticates the patch or patches to be added.
They remove one or more patches, which checks patch dependencies before removing the patch or patches.
You can set up a default patch policy that allows the installation of various patch types such as clientroot, clientusr, rebootafter, or standard patches.
If you upgrade to the Solaris 9 release, the smpatch command is automatically upgraded to the lastest version.

The patchadd command is available to add unsigned patches to systems running the Solaris 2.6, 7, 8, and 9 releases. You cannot use Patch Manager Base Version 1.0 to add unsigned patches on these systems.

Restrictions When Using Solaris 2.6, 7, or 8 Signed Patch Tools

The Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8 signed patch tools limitations are:

You cannot install signed patches to alternate boot environments nor to diskless clients.
You cannot install patches that do not have a digital signature.
You cannot install patches with the rebootimmediate, reconfigimmediate, or nonconforming attributes.

Package Requirements for Solaris Patch Management Tools (`smpatch`)

When you install the patch management tools, which is the smpatch command, several Solaris packages are added to your system, including some Java packages, that are required for the tools to run. In addition, several packages must be installed on your system before you can install the patch tools. These packages are as follows:

Solaris 2.6 release – Core cluster plus the SUNWmfrun, SUNWlibC, and SUNWxcu4 packages.
Solaris 7 and 8 releases – Core cluster plus the SUNWmfrun and SUNWlibC packages.
Solaris 9 release – Developer cluster (SUNWprog) is required if you are using the Solaris Management Console Patches Tool with PatchPro 2.1.

For information on verifying whether the required Solaris packages are installed on your system, see How to Verify Package Requirements for Signed Patch Tools (smpatch).

Downloading the Solaris Patch Management Tools (`smpatch`)

You can download the Solaris patch management tools from the following location:

https://www.sun.com/PatchPro

Follow the links for your Solaris release and select the appropriate tar file.

Selecting the Best Method for Adding Signed Patches

After you have installed a patch management tool, you can use several different methods of downloading or adding a signed patch or patches to your system. Use the following table to determine which method is best for your needs.

Command or Tool	Description	For More Information
`patchadd`	Solaris 9 12/03 release only – – Use this command to add signed patches to your system after your have set up your package keystore.	`patchadd(1m)`
`smpatch update`	Use this command to identify required patches, and then, automatically download and add the patches to your system.	smpatch(1M)
`smpatch analyze`	Use this command to identify required patches and display a list of required patch IDs for your system. Then, you could use the `smpatch` `download` and `smpatch` `add` commands to download and add the patches to your system.	`smpatch(1M)`
`smpatch download` and `smpatch add`	Use these commands to download and add a patch or patches to your system. These commands also download and add any prerequisite patches.	Examples—Downloading and Adding a Signed Patch (`smpatch`)
`ftp` and `smpatch add`	Use the `ftp` command to transfer a patch or patches to your system. Then, use the `smpatch add` command to add the patch or patches to your system.	Examples—Downloading and Adding a Signed Patch (`smpatch`)
Solaris Management Console Patches Tool	For Solaris 9 systems only – Use this tool when you want the convenience of a GUI tool to manage signed patches.	Solaris Management Console online help