Improvements to Solaris 10 Recommended and Sun Alert Patch Clusters released

Sun have made quite a significant revamp to the Solaris 10 Recommended and Sun Alert patch clusters.

• Filtering out "false negatives" from the patch utility return codes.

• The new 'installcluster' script will exit as soon as it encounters an unexpected failure.

• The new 'installcluster' script includes context intelligence for patching operations.

• The new 'installcluster' script provides better integration with Solaris Live Upgrade.

• The new 'installcluster' script performs space checking prior to installing each patch, and will halt if it believes there is insufficient space to complete the installation successfully.

• The messages and log files produced by the 'installcluster' script are clear and well structured. For example, a "failed" log is created if a patch fails to apply.

• The 'patch_order' places patches in an optimal order for installation to avoid known issues.

• The patches have been moved to a 'patches' sub-directory, to de-clutter the top level directory of the unzipped cluster.

• Please see the cluster README file for further information. Customers should read the cluster README file and look at the Special Install Instructions in the patches within the cluster prior to installation.
  

They have also improved the QA process so that patch clusters get tested prior to release. Amazing!

Read more about it at Patch Corner.