Install a Patch to a Current Release

This Patch Installation scenario updates the set of installed files to replace existing files, with new versions that contain changes that fix known problems.

Software patches may be made available between releases in order to correct problems found in a version.

Important: A patch is always related to a specific released version, and should only be applied to that version.

There are two types of patch update files: Required Updates and Recommended Updates.

Required Updates are patches that should be applied by everyone as soon as they become available.

Recommended Updates contain a fix that is aimed at a particular feature and platform. It is published between patch releases to provide a fix to a specific issue for those who can't wait for the publication of the next Required Update patch. The Recommended Updates are ones that are optional and need only be applied if a problem that is fixed is a problem that is one that is affecting you.

Recommended Updates are only useful between patch releases. A patch release published after a Recommended Update will contain the fix in the Recommended Update.

Published software patches are cumulative. They are given a name to indicate their increasing level or position in a sequence. Only the most recent patch level is published on the website. Each new level replaces the older one and contains all the earlier software fixes, plus the new ones.

Installing a later software patch level onto a release with an earlier software patch level installed is an expected case. There is no problem with doing this.

These software update patches are relative to a major release. They are available for downloading in the same directory as the original download files for the release. If a software patch has been published for a release, then the software patch files will be listed on the download page in the Patches directory.

The download and install steps are different for a software patch than for a regular install. One difference is that the files are not downloaded into a temporary staging area - they are downloaded into a specific Patches directory within the release. A second difference is that the normal install script is not used to install them. Instead, a special patch install script is called once for each software patch file.

Here is the general description of what you will do when updating your release with software update patches.
  1. Follow the software patch planning directions contained in the next section.
  2. Download the needed software patches from the Altair website, with guidance from the download information contained in a later section.
  3. Perform the patch software installation, which should require between 15 and 30 minutes depending on disk performance.
  4. Validate the installation by setting your command line environment and validating the applied patch.

The following sections will lead you through the steps to update your current installation by installing software patches.