Applying a "Virtual Patch" in Ten Easy Steps

By Jared Payne

The ability to apply a virtual patch to a software application is one of the exciting features we've been told to look forward to in a future version of SVS. Here a few steps that will allow you to apply virtual patches using today's SVS.

1. Start with an application installed to an SVS application layer.
2. Reset the layer to make sure it is clean.
3. Activate the layer.
4. Apply the patch by running the update on the application layer.
5. Create an empty layer (for this example, we'll name the layer "App_PATCH_1").
6. Run WriteableSwap.
   WriteableSwap application App_Patch_1 -F
7. Export App_Patch_1
8. Send App_Patch_1 to all your client machines.
9. Run WriteableSwap on the client.
   WriteableSwap application App_Patch_1 -F
10. Enjoy a virtually patched version of your application.

If something goes wrong and the patch breaks a program or process on your client machine, there are two things you can do:

• Reset the application. The patch was in the writeable sublayer and will be discarded.
• Run WriteableSwap:
  WriteableSwap application App_Patch_1 -F
  This will swap the patch sublayer out and the old version of the application will work just like before.

Product

• Software Virtualization Solution

Topic

• Layer Management