Concepts
Patch Manager, a capability of AWS Systems Manager, helps you automate the process of patching managed instances with both security related and other types of updates. You can use AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to apply patches for both operating systems and applications. By using Patch Manager, you can ensure compliance with patching policies, apply patches for security vulnerabilities, and maintain software updates across your AWS and on-premises environments.
Key Components of Patch Manager
- Patch baselines: Define which patches are approved for installation on your instances. AWS provides default patch baselines for different operating systems, or you can create your own.
- Patch groups: Group instances that should have the same patch compliance level, and associate them with a specific patch baseline.
- Maintenance windows: Schedule maintenance windows to define when patches should be applied to prevent disruption of services.
- Compliance reporting: Monitor your fleet’s patch compliance status to ensure that patches were successfully applied.
Setting Up Automated Patch Management with AWS Systems Manager
Define Patch Baselines
Create custom patch baselines tailored to your organization’s requirements, or use AWS’s predefined patch baselines. For a custom baseline, define rules for auto-approval based on the severity, type of update, or time passed since release.
aws ssm create-patch-baseline –name “MyPatchBaseline” –approval-rules “PatchRules=[{PatchFilterGroup={PatchFilters=[{Key=PRODUCT,Values=[‘Ubuntu’]},{Key=SEVERITY,Values=[‘Critical’,’Important’]}]}],ApproveAfterDays=7,ComplianceLevel=CRITICAL}”
Organize Instances into Patch Groups
Group instances based on roles, locations, or environments by tagging each instance with the key Patch Group. This tag enables you to associate the instances with specific patch baselines.
aws ec2 create-tags –resources i-1234567890abcdef0 –tags Key=Patch Group,Value=WebServers
Schedule Maintenance Windows
Set up maintenance windows to define when the patches should be applied. This helps to minimize the impact on your business operations.
aws ssm create-maintenance-window –name “SaturdayMaintenance” –schedule “cron(0 22 ? * SAT *)” –duration 4 –cutoff 1
Attach a task to the maintenance window to execute patch operations on the targeted instances.
aws ssm register-task-with-maintenance-window –window-id “mw-0c50858d01EXAMPLE” –targets “Key=tag:Patch Group,Values=WebServers” –task-arn “AWS-RunPatchBaseline” –service-role-arn “arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/SSMMaintenanceWindowRole” –task-type “RUN_COMMAND” –task-parameters ‘{“Operation”:[“Install”]}’
Monitor Patch Compliance
Use AWS Systems Manager to monitor patch compliance. This will provide you with insights into which instances are patched and which are not, allowing you to take corrective actions.
aws ssm list-compliance-items –resource-ids “i-1234567890abcdef0” –resource-type “ManagedInstance” –compliance-types “Patch Compliance”
Automate Response to Non-Compliance
Use Amazon CloudWatch alarms and AWS Lambda functions to automate responses to non-compliance. You can set up a CloudWatch alarm that triggers a Lambda function to re-apply patches to non-compliant instances.
Benefits of Automated Patch Management
- Security: Regular patching helps mitigate security risks by closing vulnerabilities.
- Compliance: Automated workflows assist in meeting compliance requirements by ensuring that all systems are regularly updated.
- Efficiency: Automation reduces manual tasks, saving time and minimizing the risk of human error.
- Consistency: Standardized patch baselines ensure consistency across all instances.
In conclusion, implementing automated patch management using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager is an effective strategy to ensure your AWS infrastructure remains secure, compliant, and up-to-date. This practice is integral to the skills evaluated in the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) exam and is critical in a real-world cloud operations role.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True/False: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager supports both operating system patches and application patches.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager can be used to automate the process of patching managed instances with both operating system and software patches.
Which AWS service is primarily used for automated patch management?
- EC2 Auto Scaling
- AWS Config
- AWS Systems Manager
- Amazon Inspector
Answer: AWS Systems Manager
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager provides a Patch Manager feature that helps you automate the process of patching your EC2 instances and on-premises servers.
True/False: AWS Systems Manager requires an SSM Agent installed on EC2 instances to manage patching.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager relies on the SSM Agent being installed on the EC2 instances or servers in order for it to manage and automate patching.
What is the primary document used for configuring patch policies within AWS Systems Manager?
- Automation document
- Patch baseline
- Run command
- State manager
Answer: Patch baseline
Explanation: In AWS Systems Manager, a patch baseline defines which patches are approved for installation on your instances.
True/False: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager can automatically apply patches during an instance’s maintenance window.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: You can configure AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to apply patches during predefined maintenance windows to ensure minimal disruption.
Which of the following is NOT an option for the patching operation in Patch Manager?
- Scan
- Install
- Reboot
- Uninstall
Answer: Uninstall
Explanation: Uninstalling patches is not an option provided by AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager. You can only scan for, install, or roll back patches.
When defining a patch baseline in AWS Systems Manager, which of the following fields can you set? (Select TWO)
- Instance type
- Approval rules
- Compliance level
- Network configuration
Answer: Approval rules, Compliance level
Explanation: In a patch baseline, you can define approval rules that specify which patches should be applied and a compliance level to categorize the severity of the patch update. Instance type and network configuration are not fields that are set in a patch baseline.
True/False: Instances need to have internet access to receive patches from AWS Systems Manager.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Instances do not need direct internet access; they can receive patches from Systems Manager by using a VPC endpoint or through an on-premises connection via AWS Direct Connect or a VPN.
What role does AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) play in automated patch management with Systems Manager?
- IAM provides encryption for patches.
- IAM applies patches to the instances.
- IAM provides the necessary permissions for Systems Manager to perform actions.
- IAM monitors patch application compliance.
Answer: IAM provides the necessary permissions for Systems Manager to perform actions.
Explanation: IAM is used to grant the necessary permissions for Systems Manager to perform patching and other actions on EC2 instances and on-premises servers through the use of IAM roles and policies.
Which feature of AWS Systems Manager aids in the auditing and reporting of patch compliance status across your fleet of instances?
- Session Manager
- Inventory
- Patch Compliance
- State Manager
Answer: Patch Compliance
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager Patch Compliance provides visibility into the patch state of your instances to help ensure compliance with corporate patching policies.
Can AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager patch instances that are in Auto Scaling groups?
- Yes, but only when the instances are not in the process of scaling
- Yes, regardless of the scaling state of the Auto Scaling group
- No, instances in Auto Scaling groups need to be patched manually
- No, unless the Auto Scaling group is temporarily suspended
Answer: Yes, regardless of the scaling state of the Auto Scaling group
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager can patch instances that are part of an Auto Scaling group, regardless of whether the group is in the process of scaling. You can also define a maintenance window to control when patches are applied to instances within the Auto Scaling group.
True/False: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager allows you to restrict patching to specific instance tags.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager permits you to target instances for patching by using tags, enabling you to restrict patching to a specific set of tagged instances according to your organizational requirements.
Great post! Implementing automated patch management in AWS has definitely improved our security posture.
Anybody using AWS Systems Manager for patch management? How effective is it?
Thanks for this tutorial! It’s exactly what I needed to prepare for the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator exam.
We encountered some issues with patching Windows instances using Systems Manager. Any suggestions?
Patching Linux instances has been much smoother for us. Any thoughts on best practices?
Appreciate the insights shared here.
How do you handle patch management for instances that require custom patches?
Are there any cost implications of using automated patch management tools in AWS?