Server update with Azure Update Management

Fanfare

Update management is not always easy in distributed infrastructures, especially if Linux servers are also deployed. On top of this, increasing numbers of companies are operating servers not only in local data centers, but in the cloud. In these cases, companies do not exclusively use Microsoft Azure, but also Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Google Cloud Platform, and other providers. Multicloud environments commonly exist, which adds further complexity to patch management.

Thanks to Azure Update Management, admins can manage all of their servers together in a centralized, automated interface, keeping Windows and Linux servers up to date globally. Virtual machines (VMs) running on other cloud providers can also be connected to the patch service. In addition to Windows Server, the supported operating systems include CentOS 6/7, RHEL 7/7, SUSE starting at version 12, and Ubuntu starting at version 14.04. However, you cannot update Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 with the solution. Microsoft recommends Endpoint Manager for those systems.

Azure Update Management focuses on monitoring the connected servers for missing updates, which the service displays in the Azure web portal. According to schedules, Update Management ensures that missing updates make it onto the desired servers. The source of the patches is not Microsoft Azure – the servers to be patched either turn to Microsoft servers on the web or use Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Azure Update Management also controls the restart of servers after updates are installed, whether they are computers in the on-premises data center or VMs in the cloud.

Other Components

Azure Update Management is a free service for subscribers, fully managed in the cloud, with no on-premises components. To this end, the tool works with Azure Automation, allowing servers to be connected to Update Management automatically. Azure Automation in turn collects

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