Software maker Comodo have pointed to thier distribution’s automated patch management and upgrade mechanism, SWUP, as the perfect riposte to allegations from Microsoft that Linux based servers present higher TCO to companies due to extended patch development and implementation times. Delivering “Astonishingly fast” vulnerability patch management services also provides Trustix with a key differentiator to other Linux competitors such as Redhat.
SWUP (SoftWare UPdater), Trustix’s innovative fully automatic patch management tool installs the latest patches to the OS and to all the packages that are included in the distribution. It also dynamically configures dependencies between software packages and is able to fetch any additional software required during install or upgrade - eliminating any potential conflicts that may arise because of the update.
Furthermore, SWUP inspects the update prior to installation to ensure that it is genuine. Each update is verified using GPG signatures to guarantee the integrity of each package before installation.
Apart from their own servers, Trustix also benefits from a global network of secure mirrors for the dissemination of updates - guaranteeing that critical updates are always readily available for download.
Administrators can configure the utility to check for updates according to a timetable of their choice - leaving SWUP to download, install and automatically implement zero hour bugfixes and patches.
It is this transparent automation, in combination with Trustix’s reputation for fast patch response time that leave its developers dismayed but not surprised by the recent report. Erlend Midttun, Trustix Lead Developer, spoke of the benefits of the system and the open source model in general when dealing with the latest security threats:
“In general, Linux and the open source model is better positioned to react to problems and therefore deliver mission critical patches to businesses and networks worldwide. The wide community base of such projects, greater interaction between developers and free access to the operating code means more people can contribute to the resolution of the problem. This contrasts starkly to the closed source nature of proprietary products who, by restricting problem resolution to a select band of programmers, often delay the release of new patches. Trustix technicians are extremely fast at supplying patches to close any security holes that may emerge and SWUP enables the swift and automated deployment of these fixes on servers running our software.”
Trustix Secure Linux 2.2, incorporating SWUP, can be downloaded from Trustix new community website at www.trustix.org.
