Guide to Patching Instances of Major Linux Distributions

Keeping your Linux systems patched is essential for security, stability, and performance. Below are the steps to update and patch instances of the most common Linux distributions.

Pre-Update Warning for VM Users

Before running any system updates on your Ubuntu VM, please review the following:

• Service Disruption Risk: Updates may restart services or upgrade critical system components.

• Kernel Updates: If the kernel is updated, a reboot will be required to apply changes.

• Performance Spike:A Temporary increase in CPU and memory usage may occur during updates.

• Data Safety: Ensure you have backed up important files and configurations.

• Downtime Preparation: If your VM runs production workloads, schedule updates during a maintenance window.

This is a simple guide to patching VMs for all Linux systems.

Ubuntu Linux / Debian

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt full-upgrade -y
sudo apt autoremove -y

CentOS / Red Hat / Oracle Linux

For CentOS 7 / RHEL 7 / Oracle Linux 7

sudo yum update -y
sudo yum clean all

For CentOS 8+ / RHEL 8+ / Oracle Linux 8+:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf clean all

AlmaLinux / Rocky Linux

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf clean all

Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh -y
sudo dnf autoremove -y

OpenSUSE

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update -y

CloudLinux

sudo yum update -y   # or dnf update -y (if using newer versions)
sudo yum clean all