Note: Amazon Linux patching is currently available for new users and will roll out to existing users in September 2024.
This section will discuss:
Amazon Linux is a type of Linux operating system developed and maintained by AWS (Amazon Web Services). This distribution is tailored for use within AWS setups ensuring secure and high-performance platforms needed for hosting cloud-based applications. However, it is also compatible with instances hosted outside the AWS cloud, which is supported by our Patch Manager Plus agent. There are two main versions Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) and Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) both offering long-term support (LTS), regular updates and enhanced security features.
It includes a collection of software packages and configurations specifically crafted for AWS environments incorporating drivers and tools to integrate with AWS services seamlessly. Keeping your Amazon Linux updated is crucial to prevent vulnerabilities in your network from being exploited. Patch Manager Plus simplifies the process of patching Amazon Linux systems.
Patch Manager Plus allows you to fully automate the entire process of Amazon Linux patching, including scanning for missing patches, downloading them from the vendor site and deploying them.
To deploy Amazon Linux security updates:
Click Patch Specific Applications under Updates & Severities to update Amazon Linux specifically.
With Patch Manager Plus, you can completely automate the process of deploying Amazon Linux updates to your endpoints.
You can manually deploy Amazon Linux updates from the product console by navigating to Patches > Missing Patches.
Follow the steps below to download and install Amazon Linux updates manually using dnf package manager:
That's it! Your Amazon Linux system is now updated with the latest packages.
To find the supported Linux operating systems, refer to Patch Manager Plus' list of supported applications.
Amazon Linux runs and deploys applications on AWS cloud infrastructure, enhancing performance for cloud-based applications, web hosting, development, testing, data processing and containerized applications.
Amazon Linux was initially based on CentOS, but Amazon has evolved into its own Linux distribution. Amazon Linux 2, the latest major version, is not directly based on CentOS instead it incorporates features from Fedora, CentOS and Amazon's own enhancements and optimizations.
AWS provides various Linux distributions for EC2 instances but Amazon Linux 2 is the preferred choice. It is specifically optimized for AWS providing long-term support (LTS), regular updates and seamless integration with AWS services.
Key benefits of Amazon Linux:
Amazon Linux utilizes yum as its primary package management tool. yum is the package manager used for installing, updating and managing software packages on Amazon Linux instances.