Updating your Linux operating system

For all Linux computers, on campus or at home:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

To update Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 and later you will need to use yum, the updating agent that is built into the OS software. For older versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you should use up2date, which is included with RHEL 4 and earlier. You must purchase a yearly subscription to update RHEL. If you do not have a subscription, please consider using CentOS instead of RHEL.

CentOS and Fedora Linux

yum should be used for updating both CentOS and Fedora. Unlike RHEL, updates are free, you do not need to purchase a subscription to keep these operating systems up to date.

SuSE and openSUSE

YaST (Yet Another Setup Tool) is an operating system setup and configuration tool that is featured in the SuSE Linux distribution. YaST includes a module for updating the operating system called YaST Online Update (YOU).

Debian and Ubuntu

Apt should be used for updating the Debian and Ubuntu operating systems.

Sun/Solaris

The SunSolve Patch Support Portal Patch Management Tools should be used if you have purchased a Solaris subscription. If you do not have a Solaris subscription, consider using Patch Check Advanced.

Other versions of Linux and Unix

For other versions of Linux and Unix, please check your vendor's documentation to see how to apply updates. Keep in mind that for commercial versions of Unix, you will likely need a support contract with your vendor to acquire security updates. If you do not have a support contract, you should strongly consider moving to a free version of Linux such as CentOS.