Linux Patching for Cloud Servers with the Managed Operations service level

Linux patching comes directly from vendors or distribution communities. The exception is Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which feeds updates through a data center–specific proxy server. The proxy server's authoritative data is the Managed Red Hat Network server. Patching delays in a Managed Red Hat Network server also cause update delays in the proxy servers for the Managed Operations service level. For example, the upgrade to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5, the fifth update release to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, was delayed for several months after it was released by Red Hat.

This table states the patching mechanisms and Rackspace-specific servers used in Managed Operations for different distributions. In the patching server URL, substitute the data center code, such as dfw1 or ord1, for {dc}.

DistributionPatching mechanismPatching serversFrequencyConfiguration
Ubuntu operating systemsunattended-upgradessnet1-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com
snet2-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com
Howbackup:archive.ubuntu.com
security.ubuntu.com
Nightly between 0000 and 0400 server time/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic
/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
Red Hat Enterprise Linuxyum-cronsnet1-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com
snet2-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com

For EPEL and IUS:
proxy1.{dc}.slicehost.com or proxy2.{dc}.slicehost.com
Nightly between 0000 and 0400 server time/etc/yum-cron
/etc/sysconfig/rhn/up2date
CentOSyum-cronsnet1-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com
snet2-{dc}.mirror.rackspace.com
Nightly between 0000 and 0400 server time/etc/yum-cron