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Applying a "Virtual Patch" in Ten Easy Steps

Applying a
Filed under: Software Virtualization Solution Layer Management
Jared Payne's picture
Submitted by Jared Payne on 31 January, 2006 - 15:39.

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. Jared Payne has found a way to get this functionality today ... and he's given us the steps!

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. Run the application's update feature (do not enter capture mode).
  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.
4
Average: 4 (6 votes)

User specific settings

Submitted by hamletv on 8 May, 2006 - 12:51.

Just to confirm:

This process will eleminate any user specific setting in the writeable sublayer of every client machine.

-Hamlet

WriteableSwap will cause

Jared Payne's picture
Submitted by Jared Payne on 9 May, 2006 - 14:13.

WriteableSwap will cause the user variables to be lost. I am working on a tool that will press the patch and the current writeable sub layer together allowing the user variables to stick.

Jared Payne
Software Engineer

WriteableSwap usable?

Submitted by AngelD on 10 October, 2006 - 02:56.

I guess this tool is only usable for machine specific settings?

Due to User-specific (Writeable sub layer) only containing the SID for the user created the "patch" any new user will only get the unpatched USER_TEMPLATE files and HU registries.

Great!

therefreshments's picture
Submitted by therefreshments on 12 October, 2006 - 15:20.

Sounds easy enough for most to use! Thanks for the quick and easy 10 step process...