Unit 7 - Package Management & Patching

Overview

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Managing software on a Linux system involves two essential practices: package management and patching. Together, they ensure that systems remain functional, up-to-date, and secure by handling software installation, updates, and vulnerability remediation.

• Package Management: the system used to install, upgrade, configure, and remove software packages while automatically resolving dependencies and maintaining system consistency.

• Patching: the process of applying updates to software packages or the kernel to fix bugs, close security vulnerabilities, or improve performance.

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Learning Objectives

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1. Become Familiar with Package Management:

   • In this unit you will see what comprises a RPM, YUM, and RPM package and how professional administrators carefully choose what is installed on a system.

2. Become Familiar with Patching:

   • Learn about general patching cycles.
   • Understand why it matters to inpsect packages and associated dependancies.
   • Get hands on with inspecting packages.

Key terms and Definitions

Yum	DNF
Repo	GPG Key
Software dependency**	Software version
Semantic Version