The OES 2 patch process consists of the following processes:
The patch tool (rug, Software Updater, or YaST Online Update [YOU]) checks for available patches on its configured patch channels and displays them for selection.
The patch administrator selects which patches to apply.
The patch tool checks cross-dependencies and displays any messages regarding situations or conflicts that require administrator input.
The patches are downloaded.
If any downloaded patches contain information or instructions, these are displayed for administrator acknowledgement. For example, administrators might be instructed to restart a service or run a configuration script file to complete the process after the patch process completes.
After all of the messages have been acknowledged, the downloaded patches are installed.
If the kernel was updated, the administrator is prompted to restart the server.
OES 2 administrators have three options for updating servers with patches from Novell.
ZENworks Linux Management: An enterprise-level product that requires a separate license. It provides updates for SUSE Linux Enterprise, OES, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) products. In addition to hosting updates for download, ZENworks Linux Management is also capable of pushing the updates to targeted devices through a single Web interface. For more information about ZENworks Linux Management, see its product page on Novell.com.
Subscription Management Tool (SMT) for SUSE Linux Enterprise: This product doesn’t require a separate license. It lets you host patches from the Novell online update channel on an internal server, which provides more security and greatly reduces Web traffic related to server updates. SMT is available for download on the Novell Download Site.
Novell Online Update Servers: For those who don’t require an internal update source, OES 2 servers can be easily configured to directly access the online patch channel. Instructions for doing this are included in the sections that follow.