Patch installation using Azure Update Manager

Question

Hello Team,

We are using Azure Update Manager to handle patching, with a daily schedule during non-business hours for patch checks and installations. However, some servers remain turned off, delaying patching.

 Our goal is to automate the process of turning on servers with pending patch updates only which are part of a maintenance configuration, Once patching is completed, it should turn off only those VMs that were started for patching.

 While Azure Automation could be used to turn on all servers, this approach risks unnecessary billing as not all servers may require patches, as we have around 400+ servers running, please suggest the best approach. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

@Abrar Adil S You can use pre and post events feature within Azure Update Manager. The pre and post events in Azure Update Manager allow you to perform certain tasks automatically before and after a scheduled maintenance configuration. For example, using pre-and-post events, you can:

• Start VMs to apply patches and stop the VMs again.
• Stop service on the machine, apply patches, and restart the service.

The pre-events run before the patch installation begins and the post-events run after the patch installation ends. If the VM requires a reboot, it happens before the post-event begins.

For more information, refer this document.