# 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
```

[Raise a Ticket](https://docs.neevcloud.com/neevcloud-products/support) to Proceed with the Patching of Major Linux OS Versions.