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Patching in DevOps — Part 1: Understanding the Basics

In today’s fast-paced development environments, security, reliability, and system performance are critical. One of the fundamental practices that help maintain these standards is patching. While often overlooked, patching plays a vital role in the DevOps lifecycle.

What is Patching?

Patching refers to the process of applying updates to software components, systems, applications, or dependencies to fix:

  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Bugs and known issues
  • Performance inefficiencies
  • Compatibility concerns

Patches can be minor (fixing a small bug) or critical (closing a zero-day vulnerability). They are usually released by software vendors or communities after identifying issues in their products.

Why Use Patching in DevOps?

In the DevOps world, where automation, continuous delivery, and rapid deployments are common, patching is not just a one-off task — it needs to be automated, tested, and integrated into CI/CD pipelines.

Here’s why patching is essential in DevOps:

  • Security Hardening: Most cyberattacks exploit known vulnerabilities. Regular patching minimizes the attack surface.
  • System Stability: Fixing bugs ensures stable and predictable environments.
  • Compliance: Many industries require systems to be up-to-date to meet regulatory compliance.
  • Efficiency: Patches can improve performance and resource usage.
  • Team Productivity: Automated patching reduces manual effort and human error.

Common issues solved by patching:

  • Security vulnerabilities solved by security patches.
  • Application crashes due to bug solved by bug-fix patches.
  • System slowness and memory leaks solved by performance patches.
  • Incompatibility with new libraries and tools solved by compatibility patches.
  • Failing compliance and audits solved by timely patching and updates.

High-Level Architecture for Patching in DevOps

Here’s a simple architecture to understand how patching fits into a DevOps pipeline:

Fig: Patch Management Architecture

Breakdown of Each Segment

1. ManageEngine Segment

External Patch Crawler:
This component pulls vulnerability information from various vendor websites (like Microsoft, Adobe, Oracle, etc.).

Patch Assessment:
The fetched vulnerability data is assessed to understand:

  • Severity
  • Applicability
  • Patch availability
  • Risk score

Outcome:
The information is modified/formatted and sent to the central patch repository.

2. Cloud Infrastructure

Central Patch Repository:
Acts as the intermediate storage and publishing platform. It:

  • Holds vulnerability databases
  • Stores security patches
  • Serves as a download source for customer endpoints

Function:
Ensures reliable delivery of patches and vulnerability info to customer segments.

3. Customer Segment

EC Server:
The Endpoint Central (EC) server sits within the customer network. It:

  • Downloads the vulnerability database
  • Communicates with customer endpoints (devices)

Managed Endpoints:

These are user machines (laptops, desktops, servers) running:

  • Windows
  • Mac
  • Linux

The EC server evaluates each endpoint and pushes necessary patches automatically or on schedule.

Data Flow Summary

1. Vendor Sites ➝ ManageEngine
Vulnerability data and patches are downloaded.

2. ManageEngine ➝ Cloud Infrastructure
Data is cleaned and published to the central patch repository.

3. Cloud ➝ Customer EC Server
Customers download the latest vulnerability database and available patches.

4. EC Server ➝ Managed Devices
Endpoints receive patches to stay secure and up to date.

You can check more info about: how to implement automated patch management in devops.

Location: United States

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