How frequently do I patch servers and workstations?

[carmencody]

Hello,

We are at SAS 9.4 M5, and I need to create a SAS software patch procedure for my organization. Do others use a monthly or quarterly schedule to do this? Do you automate these updates, and how? We have about 50 workstations, plus a server environment.

 In the past, the workstations were often at different patch levels. I just got them all to 9.5M5 and would like to keep them at the same patch level moving forward.

On another note, I was never able to find a way to programmatically get the SAS version of all the workstations using PowerShell or a batch script. I resorted to asking the users, and then walking around checking myself by opening the application on the desktop to verify the version. Has anyone found a better way to do this? 

Many thanks,

-Carmen Cody

[SASKiwi]

What do you mean by keep them at the same patch level? Once SAS 9.5M5 is installed it stays at that maintenance level. Are you referring to SAS hot fixes which would fix problems within the M5 maintenance level or do you mean upgrade to a later maintenance level (I  believe an M6 is planned).

[carmencody]

Hi SASKiwi,

For now the question is how often to apply the hot fixes (as long as we have not found an issue affecting us - naturally, I would patch immediately to correct a problem if I became aware of one). I am assuming that once M6 comes out I will install that maintenance build on all the machines.

[SASKiwi]

In my experience most SAS sites apply hot fixes only if it fixes a problem that affects them. I would be interested in knowing if this is the same experience for other SAS administrators or not.

[nhvdwalt · Accepted solution]

There is no hard and fast rule.....but maybe some things to consider....

- Stay at least up to date with maintenance packs (M5, M6, etc.)

- Like @SASKiwi said, apply specific fixes for specific problems.

- Be a member of the hot fix announcement community board and evaluate critical hot fixes as they become available

- Be compliant with any organisational policies you might have

There is a fair amount of effort into applying maintenance packs and hot fixes, since there is downtime, user testing, change slots, etc, So I believe the above strikes a balance between effort and result.

[carmencody]

Thanks for the advice nhvdwalt. This is what I'm currently doing.

[Kurt_Bremser]

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@carmencody wrote:

We have about 50 workstations, plus a server environment.

Start by fixing that. When you already have a centralized server environment, why keep all those workstations? Additional cores on the server will cost less than the multiple workstation licenses, and the reduction in maintenance cost will be substantial (and make your question a non-issue).

[carmencody]

Thanks Kurt,

You are preaching to the choir, there. I've been talking to management to make the change you suggest. It is the researchers who don't want to change. They don't want to drink my Kool-Aid and (most) could care less about cost or my problems managing all the workstations.  

[SASKiwi]

One point to consider regarding keeping up to date with maintenance levels is how long it takes to do the upgrade. We have been quoted up to a week or so of downtime to upgrade our site simply because the SAS 9.x architecture requires a complete mid-tier rebuild. This is a similar time frame to installing from scratch.

We run business-critical applications so we cannot be down for a whole week or so. Hence we don't apply maintenance. We will wait for a major upgrade, like SAS 9.5, then install on new servers while our existing servers keep going. I understand with SAS Viya, the architecture is very different and upgrades can be done with minimal disruption. I look forward to that prospect. 

[carmencody]

That makes sense. Thanks for your input. I prefer the new server route because usually the OS needs an update, as well. It's best to have a clean build.