SolarWinds is an on-premise security and patch management software that offers Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) management, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) management,compliance management and reporting within a suite. SolarWinds Patch Manager can automate the patching of Microsoft Windows servers and workstations for both Microsoft and third-party products. It includes a catalog of updates for products such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Oracle Java and more.
SolarWinds features vulnerability management, which allows users to discover patch vulnerabities in Microsoft applications. The software also includes pre-built test packages, which help users with patch scripting, researching, packaging and testing. The features customizable reporting and dashboards, which can to track the status of patched and system updates under production, testing and implementation stages. Users can also prepare compliance reports required for auditing.
Patch Manager at a Glance
- Reduce time from weeks to minutes for patching physical and virtual Windows desktops and servers with pre-built, tested patches from vendors such as Adobe, Apple, Google, Mozilla, Oracle and others
- Decrease security risks and service performance degradation by controlling when and where patches are applied
- Pass audits and demonstrate compliance with out-of-the-box reports and dashboard views
- Turn your WSUS or SCCM environment into a powerful patch management solution
- Agent-less architecture, mass scale, and ease of use gives you the best ROI with no scripting or professional services needed
Features
The Patch Management are automate patching and reporting and save time by simplifying patch management on servers and workstations. Its decrease security risks and limit service interruptions by helping to ensure that patches get applied, and controlling what gets patched and when. The devices that can keep your desktops, laptops, servers, and VMs patched and secure with the latest patches for 3rd-party applications. Stay on top of vulnerabilities and produce summary reports to show patching status.
The other main features of the SolarWinds Patch Management Software are:
Microsoft WSUS patch management
WSUS is an excellent tool, but it lacks the ability to effectively schedule patches and report on patch status and inventory.
Manage patches for your Microsoft products, and diagnose and fix problems from the Windows Update Agent with SolarWinds patching software.
Integrations with SCCM
Despite using SCCM, when it comes to patch management and software distribution of non-Microsoft updates, things can get complicated.
View details for a variety of 3rd-party software patches and the status of endpoints managed by SCCM.
Vulnerability management
The time between the discovery of an operating system or application vulnerability and the emergence of an exploit is decreasing.
Discover patch statuses and vulnerabilities of all Microsoft and other 3rd-party applications.
Pre-built/pre-tested packages
Researching, scripting, packaging, and testing patches for 3rd-party applications requires time and resources you simply don’t have.
Use 3rd-party app packages, including Java™, that are already built and tested by SolarWinds.
Patch compliance reports
With everything else on your plate, it can be hard to strike a balance between tracking patch status and applying new ones.
Determine the status of patches and demonstrate patch compliance to auditors and internal stakeholders.
Patch status dashboard
Tracking who got patched, with what, and what still needs to be patched is hard enough, especially with new patches mounting.
You can view the latest available patches, top 10 missing patches, and the general health of your environment using SolarWinds patch software.
Benefits
Secure – Decrease security risks and service performance degradation by controlling when and where patches are applied
Simple – Agent-less architecture, mass scale, and ease of use gives the best ROI with no scripting or professional services needed
Time-saving – Use 3rd-party app packages, including Java that are already built and tested
Monitor – View the latest available patches, top 10 missing patches, and the general health of the environment.
New features and improvements in Patch Management Software
Release date: November 5, 2019
Last Updated: April 16, 2020
Patch Manager 2019.4 offers new features and improvements compared to previous releases of Patch Manager.
Patch Manager Web Console added to the Orion Installer
Beginning with Orion Platform 2019.4, you can install the Patch Manager Web Console along with your Orion Platform products using the Orion Platform Installer. The web console provides a dashboard view of your current Patch Manager deployment in the Orion Web Console, allowing you to view your Patch Manager and Orion deployments in one location.
The installer includes an integration module and additional Orion services. These software components link your Patch Manager server database with the Orion server. After you complete the installation, open the Orion Web Console and click My Dashboards > Patches > Patch Summary to view your Patch Manager deployment.
The Patch Manager Web Console requires Orion Platform 2019.4. When you run the Orion Platform Installer and select Patch Manager Web Console, all Orion products running a previous version will be selected and updated automatically.
Patch Manager Orion integration architecture
The following illustration describes how the Orion server collects data from the Patch Manager server and database so it displays in the Orion Web Console.
You can use SQL Server Configuration Manager to enable the Named Pipes and TCP/IP protocols for the SQL Server network configuration. Web reports requires these protocols enabled on the SQL Server instance where the EminentWare database is located. For added security, configure a Windows firewall for this port.
New Lenovo third party catalog
The SolarWinds Third Party Updates Pack site now includes a Lenovo third party catalog. If you are managing Lenovo systems in your deployment, run the Third Party Updates Configuration Wizard, add the Lenovo catalog, and synchronize your Patch Manager server with the Third Party Updates Pack site. When you are finished, upload your selected Lenovo system updates to the WSUS server, and then push the updates to your managed Lenovo systems.
Changes to system requirements
This release adds support for the following platforms:
- Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8
- Microsoft SQL Server 2016 SP2
- Microsoft SQL Server Express 2017
- Microsoft SQL Server 2019
- Microsoft SCCM 1902
- Microsoft SCCM 1906
- Microsoft SCCM 1910
- Microsoft Windows Server 2019
This release removes support for the following platforms:
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 (Patch Manager server)
System Requirements
Last updated: April 16, 2020
These system requirements define the minimum requirements for Patch Manager 2019.4. For additional information about requirements, see the Patch Manager Release Notes.
Server requirements
Set up your dedicated Patch Manager server using the following requirements.
Hardware or Software | Requirements |
---|---|
CPU | 32- or 64-bit 2.4 GHz Dual Core (minimum) |
RAM | 4 GB (minimum)
10 GB or higher (recommended) |
Hard drive space | 20 GB or higher
SolarWinds recommends 20 GB or higher of hard drive space to accommodate fluctuations in space requirements in a production environment. |
Supported Production Operating System Without Orion Integration
(MMC console installation only) |
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019 |
Supported Production Operating System With Orion Integration |
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019 |
Supported Evaluation Operating System | Windows 8
Windows 8.1 Windows 10 |
Operating system languages | English (UK or US) |
.NET Framework | Version 4.8 for the SolarWinds Patch Manager server
Version 4.8 for the Orion integration module (Orion deployments only) If the server is connected to the Internet, the installer updates Microsoft .NET Framework by default. If the server is not connected to the Internet, you must download .NET Framework from the Microsoft Support website and manually install it on the server. |
Visual C++ Runtime | Visual C++ Secure Runtime 9.0 SP1
Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable (32- and 64-bit) Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable (32- and 64-bit) Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable (32- and 64-bit) Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable (32- and 64-bit) SolarWinds Patch Manager installs this software if required. |
WSUS requirements
You can configure Patch Manager with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS)—a free plug-in for your Windows Server operating system that downloads software updates from the Microsoft Updates website. Patch Manager allows you to distribute these updates to your managed computers.
Operating System | Supported Versions |
---|---|
Windows Server 2012 | WSUS 3.0 SP2 with Microsoft KB2734608
WSUS 6.0 WSUS 6.2 |
Windows Server 2012 R2 | WSUS 6.3 |
Windows Server 2016
Windows Server 2019 |
WSUS 10 |
SCCM requirements
Optionally, you can configure Patch Manager with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)—a systems management application sold separately that manages computers in a corporate enterprise.
Software | Requirements |
---|---|
SCCM | SCCM 2007 SP2 or later
SCCM 2012 SCCM 2012 R2 SCCM 1511 SCCM 1606 SCCM 1610 SCCM 1702 SCCM 1706 SCCM 1710 SCCM 1802 SCCM 1806 SCCM 1810 SCCM 1902 SCCM 1906 SCCM 1910 |
SQL database server requirements
If you are using a remote SQL database server for the SolarWinds Patch Manager database, ensure that the server meets the following requirements.
Hardware or Software | Requirements |
---|---|
CPU | Dual processor, 3 GHz
Quad-processor, 2.67 GHz, 64-bit (for large networks) |
RAM | 8 GB (minimum)
16 GB (recommended) |
Hard drive space | 20 GB (minimum) |
Database | Compatible with Microsoft SQL Server instances running the following versions:
SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2008 SP2, or 2008 SP3 SQL Server 2012, 2012 SP1, 2012, SP2, or 2012 SP3 SQL Server 2014 or 2014 SP1 SQL Server 2016 SQL Server 2016 Express SP1 SQL Server 2016 SP2 SQL Server 2017 SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2016 or later is required for an Orion Platform installation. SQL Server 2012 or later is required for a standalone installation. |
Firewall requirements
Ensure that the Patch Manager server can access the following websites across your corporate firewall.
Website | Description |
---|---|
https://www.microsoft.com | Provides access to the WSUS installer |
https://3pupcontent.solarwinds.com | Provides access to third-party updates from SolarWinds |
https://catalog.update.microsoft.com | Provides access to Windows updates, patches, and hotfixes from Microsoft |
Managed systems requirements
Ensure that all client systems managed by SolarWinds Patch Manager meets the following minimum requirements.
Hardware or Software | Requirements |
---|---|
CPU | 1.5 GHz (minimum)
Dual or Quad Core (recommended) |
RAM | 1 GB (minimum) |
Operating system | Windows 7
Windows 8 Windows 8.1 Windows 10 Windows Server 2008 R2 or 2008 SP2 Windows Server 2012 or 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019 |
Orion Platform (Orion integration only)
When you integrate Patch Manager with the Orion Platform, do not install Patch Manager, WSUS, and the Patch Manager Administrator Console on the Orion server, This configuration will impact the performance of your Orion-based applications.
Orion server requirements
Software | Supported Versions |
---|---|
Patch Manager Orion web user interface |
Latest version
Beginning in Patch Manager 2.1.7, the Patch Manager Orion web user interface no longer supports an Orion server running Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. |
Web browser
The following supported Web browsers are used to access the Web Console on the Orion Platform.
Type | Supported Versions |
---|---|
Apple Safari | Latest version |
Google Chrome | Latest version |
Microsoft Edge | Latest version |
Microsoft Internet Explorer | IE11
SolarWinds recommends adding the URL of your Orion website ( |
Mozilla Firefox | Latest version |
Port requirements
The following tables list the port requirements for the SolarWinds Patch Manager server and the Application Server.
Patch Manager server
Port | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
135 | TCP | (RPC Endpoint Mapper) The SolarWinds Patch Manager server uses this port to establish WMI connections to remote computers. It also uses this port to connect to the Service Control Manager (SCM) when it provisions the WMI providers dynamically on the remote computer. |
389 | TCP | (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) SolarWinds Patch Manager servers use this port for Active Directory authentication. |
445 | TCP | (SMB over TCP) The SolarWinds Patch Manager server uses this port when it provisions the WMI providers to a remote computer. |
4092 | TCP | (Console-to-Server Communication) The SolarWinds Patch Manager Admin Console uses this port to communicate to an independent Application Server role. This is a one-way communication channel that only requires inbound TCP traffic on the application server. In a distributed environment, SolarWinds Patch Manager servers use this port in the same manner for “downstream” communication. For example, the SolarWinds Patch Manager Primary Application Server (PAS) uses port 4092 to communicate with remote SolarWinds Patch Manager servers in secondary server roles. |
8787 | TCP | (Web Console Connections) By default, users connect to the SolarWinds Patch Manager web console server on port 8787. |
17777 | TCP | (SolarWinds Information Service) The SolarWinds Information Service (SWIS) facilities data exchange for the SolarWinds Patch Manager Web Console, along with the web console API. Ensure this port is not blocked on servers running the SolarWinds Patch Manager Web Console server. |
1024-65536 | Dynamic Ports | (DCOM or RPC) WMI technology is based on Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)/RPC communication. DCOM/RPC allocates the ports used by the server within a dynamic port range. This range is typically between 1024 and 65536. To configure these ports using Windows Firewall on your managed computers, enable the Inbound Rules in the WMI group. |
Application Server
Port | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
1433 | TCP | (Web-based reports) In an integrated configuration with the Orion Platform, the Orion Platform server uses this port to establish a connection to the EminentWare database using TCP/IP. Use SQL Server Configuration Manager to enable the Named Pipes and TCP/IP protocols for the SQL Server Network Configuration. Web Reports requires these protocols enabled on the SQL Server instance where the EminentWare database is located. Additionally, configure a Windows firewall for this port. |