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Understanding Guardium patch types and patch names

Question & Answer


Question

What types of Guardium appliance patches are available on Fix Central?
What is the naming convention for Guardium appliance patches?

Answer

This article describes the types of Guardium appliance patches and the conventions used for naming those patches.
All patches contain release notes. These notes have crucial information about the content and considerations for each patch. The release notes should be read for each patch before installing.
Types of Guardium appliance patches
GPU Patches
GPUs contain all previous patches of all types for that major version. They also contain new fixes and new features. A GPU patch moves the appliance up to the next minor version. The only dependencies are the base version and health check patch p9997.
Installation order examples:
  • v11.0p400 can be installed on base version 11
  • v11.0p500 can be installed on v11.0p400 and base version 11
  • v11.0p400 can not be installed on v11.0p500
Patch name examples:
GPU Patch Name Minor Version Dependencies
SqlGuard_12.0p100_GPU_Sep-2024-V12.1 v12.1
Base version 12,
v12.0p9997
SqlGuard_11.0p500_GPU_Sep-2022-V11.5 v11.5
Base version 11,
v11.0p9997
SqlGuard_10.0p600_GPU_Nov-2018-V10.6 v10.6
Base version 10,
v10.0p9997
Note - ISO installers corresponding to each major and minor version are available from passport advantage. ISO installers are not available on FixCentral.  If an appliance is installed using the ISO image, it will be created at the version of the ISO installer.
Bundle Patches
Bundles are released more frequently than GPUs with a smaller number of fixes. There is a different stream of bundles for each minor and major version. The base minor or major version and health check patch p9997 are the only dependencies. Bundle patches contain all fixes in prior bundles for that version. Bundle patches do not contain sniffer fixes.
The number of the patch identifies which base version it is for, based on a sequential order. For example:
  • Bundle v12.0p20 and v12.0p25 are below p100 and above base v12.0 so are for the v12.0 stream
  • Bundle v11.0p485 and v11.0p490 are below p500 and above p400 so are for the v11.4 stream
  • Bundle v10.0p635 and v10.0p640 are below p700 and above p600 so are for the 10.6 stream
Installation order examples:
  • v10.0p690 can be installed on v10.0p620 and on v10.0p600 (v10.6)
  • v11.0p550 can be installed v11.0p545 and on v11.5
  • v12.0p20 can be installed on v12.0p15 and on v12.0
  • v11.0p550 can not be installed on  v11.0p490 (GPU v11.0p500 (v11.5) must be installed first)
Patch name examples:
Bundle Patch Name Dependencies
SqlGuard_12.0p20_Bundle_Jul-26-2024
Base version v12.0, v12.0p9997
SqlGuard_11.0p545_Bundle_Jul-09-2024 GPU v11.0p500 (v11.5), v11.0p9997
SqlGuard_10.0p690_Bundle_Mar-09-2022 GPU v10.0p600 (v10.6), v10.0p9997
Sniffer Patches
Sniffer patches contain fixes specific to the Guardium sniffer process. Due to the important nature of these fixes, the sniffer patches are in a separate stream. Sniffer patches should also be installed on central manager and aggregators, so the internal database schema is matching on all units. The only dependency is the base major version. Sniffer patches are cumulative, they contain all previous sniffer patches for that major version.
Installation order examples:
  • v12.0p4006 can be installed on v12.0p4003, v12.0p100 (v12.1) and base v12
  • v11.0p4078 can be installed on v11.0p4077, v11.0p500 (v11.5) and base v11
  • v10.0p4081 can be installed on v10.0p4078, v10.0p600 (v10.6) and base v10
  • v11.0p4005 can not be installed on v10.0p600 (v10.6)
Patch name examples:
Sniffer Patch Name Dependencies
SqlGuard_12.0p4004_SnifferUpdate_Aug-16-2024  Base version 12
SqlGuard_11.0p4078_SnifferUpdate_Aug-16-2024 Base version 11
SqlGuard_10.0p4081_SnifferUpdate_Mar-14-2023
Base version 10
Upgrade Patches
Upgrade patches move the appliance to the next major version. Major version upgrade can be accomplished in multiple ways, not just via the patch. Before installing ensure you have an enterprise strategy for upgrading. A special upgrade health check patch p9998 is required before installing.
Patch name examples:
Upgrade Patch Name Dependencies
SqlGuard_11.0p12001_Upgrade_to_Version_12.0_Aug-2024 v11.0p500 (v11.5), v11.0p9998
SqlGuard_10.0p11001_Upgrade-to-Version-11.0_Sep-2019
v10.0p230 (v10.1.3),
v10.0p9998
Health Check Patches
Health check patches test the system for known and common issues. The health check must be installed and health check log reviewed before installing GPU, bundle or upgrade patch. There is a separate health check for GPUs and bundles (p9997) and upgrades (p9998). The health check is periodically updated, but the patch number remains the same, always download the most recent health check from FixCentral. The health checks can be installed multiple times and only depend on the base major version. Health check patches must be installed within 7 days of installation of GPU, bundle or upgrade.
Patch name examples:
Health Check Patch Name Type Dependencies
SqlGuard_12.0p9997_Health_Check_2024-06-17 v12 health check  Base version 12
SqlGuard_11.0p9997_Health_Check_2020-02-10 v11 health check
Base version 11
SqlGuard_10.0p9998_HealthCheck_2020-02-10 v10 upgrade health check (upgrade to v11) Base version 10
Ad hoc Patches
In rare cases ad hoc patches are released to fix one specific issue. These patches are not always released on fix central. Some ad hoc patches must be installed on top of a bundle, others have no dependencies. If the patch is not on fix central, Guardium support or development will send it directly with instructions on how to install.
Guardium appliance patch naming conventions
Appliance Patch Names on FixCentral look like:
SqlGuard_[argument1]p[argument2]_[argument3]_[argument4]-[argument5]

[argument1] = Guardium major version number. Examples - 10.0, 11.0
[argument2] = Patch number. Examples - 600, 9997, 105
[argument3] = One of the following patch types - GPU, Bundle, SnifferUpdate, Upgrade-to-Version, Health_Check
[argument4] = Creation date
[argument5] = For GPUs the minor version number corresponding to the GPU. Examples - 10.5, 10.6, 11.1

Examples:
  • SqlGuard_11.0p100_GPU_Nov-2019-V11.1
  • SqlGuard_11.0p105_Bundle_Mar-21-2020
  • SqlGuard_10.0p9997_HealthCheck_2020-02-10
Patch number ranges are:
  • p001-p999 – GPUs, bundles, ad hoc patches
  • p1001-p1099 – GPUs, bundles, ad hoc patches
  • p1101-p1999 – Support ad hoc patches
  • p4000-p4999 – Sniffer patches
  • p5000-p5999 – GPUs, bundles, ad hoc patches
  • p9997-p9998 – Health check patches
  • p11001 – Upgrade to v11 patch

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Document Information

Modified date:
17 September 2024

UID

ibm16195371