openSolaris 2008 - Managing Patches in the Solaris Operating System - System Administration Guide: Basic Administration

Managing Patches in the Solaris Operating System

Use the following information to identify tasks for managing Solaris patches. Each task points to additional tasks, such as managing signed or unsigned patches.

Task	Description	For Instructions
Determine whether to apply signed or unsigned patches.	Determine whether applying signed or unsigned patches is best for your environment.	Determining Whether to Apply Signed or Unsigned Patches to Your System
Apply a patch to your system.	Use the `patchadd` command on Solaris 2.6, Solaris 7, Solaris 8, Solaris 9, Solaris 10 or Solaris Express systems to apply unsigned Solaris patches.	Managing Solaris Patches by Using the `patchadd` Command (Task Map)

Determining Whether to Apply Signed or Unsigned Patches to Your System

The key factor when determining whether to apply signed or unsigned patches to your system is whether you trust the source of patches.

If you trust the source of patches, for example, a patch CD from a known distributor or an HTTPS connection to a trusted web site, you can use unsigned patches. However, if you do not trust the source, use signed patches.

If you are unsure about whether to trust the source of patches, use signed patches.