HP/Works Technical Focus Day

Patch Management with Bruce Henderson from HP, USA

HP Pinewood - 8 October 2002

David Ledger, Chair of the HP/Works System Administration Forum, writes:

Patch management doesn't sound very interesting. That's what I thought when I had an empty hour at Interworks in Chicago back in '99. If the temperature hadn't been minus too much outside I might have taken a break, but I opted for Bruce Henderson's presentation instead, and I have been to at least one session on patching each year since.

On most sites, patching either causes very inconvenient downtime, is something that is only done to new installs, or, if you'll excuse the pun, applied patchily. It's always questionable - do we need it?, and it's often considered risky.

What surprised me was that the HP patch team have all of this on board, and do their best to see it from the users' perspective and are always prepared to listen. They try to make maintaining your systems as straightforward, as reliable and as stress free as possible. They don't just put patches up on a web site, so we need to know how to organise our patching operations so as to best fit in with the various options that they give us, to get the most reliable systems.

Every HP-UX administrator needs to know how the patch team work, and Bruce is coming to tell us. If you have any HP software maintenance problems, he'll also listen.

The presenter:

Bruce M. Henderson is the HP-UX Patch Delivery Team Manager. Bruce has been with HP for over 20 years in a variety of technical leadership and management roles. During the past 14 years he has been exclusively on HP-UX. Bruce has spent the past five years driving a series of customer focussed improvements in the HP-UX Patching area.

HP/Works are pleased to be able to bring Bruce from the US for this important day.

The agenda:

HP/Works members, colleagues from member organisations, and non-members are most welcome to attend. Please note, Compaq User group members and HPCUA members are welcome to attend at member rates. Please book early to secure your place(s).

10.30am The HP-UX Patch Program

How HP manages and makes improvements in the patching area: - Improvements over the past year / - New and continuing projects that are underway. How to stay connected with future changes in the patch area

11.30am Patch Use Models

HP has developed a series of Use Models - recommendations for the best way to handle different patching functions. Two will be covered in depth - proactive patching and reactive patching. The two models will include how to most effectively utilize patch bundles and the ITRC. Concepts covered will include: patch levels, superseded patches, patch dependencies, patch warnings.

12.30pm Lunch

1.30pm Patch Testing

Overview of how and when HP tests patches today. A brief look at some of the future directions this testing will take.

2.00pm Reducing Risk with Enhancement Patches

Patches that deliver enhancements, or new features, are the highest risk patches. Both information that is available about these patches and what strategies work best, will be covered.

3.00pm Technical Best Practices for Patching

Using IUX for controlling reboots / Cleanup and other patching tools / Security patch checker / Install media & Hardware upgrade strategies / Using depots to manage dependencies

4.30pm approx Close

Tea and coffee are included in the price and lunch is available in a well-subsidised canteen.

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PAYMENT

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Please phone, fax or email HP/Works for further information.

CONTACT POINTS

Website:	http://www.hpworks.org.uk
Phone/Fax:	01869 321080
Email:	kernel@hpworks.demon.co.uk
Address:	HP/Works PO Box 47 BICESTER OX26 3XU UK