A hotfix is a
software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
update that is released outside the normal update cycle or intended to be applied to a live system; often to fix a
bug.
Originally, ''hotfix'' referred to
patching
Patching is a small village and civil parish that lies amid the fields and woods of the southern slopes of the South Downs in the National Park in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It has a visible hill-workings history going back t ...
a ''hot'' system a production
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides requested information for other programs or devices, called clients.
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending custome ...
that is actively serving
clients. For development, such a change usually must be designed quickly and outside normal development processes; at relatively high cost and disrupting other development effort. For the user, a hotfix is relatively risky since it is applied to a server without time for testing it. The risk of applying the hotfix must be weighed against the risk of ''not'' applying it. The problem to be fixed might be so critical that inaction is riskier than the potential loss of service.
Over time, the meaning has shifted to an update that is created with urgency or released outside the normal update cycle for the software.
Applying (installing) a hotfix generally involves the same process as any software update. Most modern
operating systems
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
and desktop
applications
Application may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks
** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a ...
can download and apply updates automatically.
Network administrators may use software programs to automate and simplify applying updates to the machines they manage.
Use by Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
used the terms ''hotfix'' or ''quick-fix engineering update'' (QFE)
but has stopped in favor of new terminology. Updates are either delivered in the ''general distribution release'' (GDR) channel or the ''limited distribution release'' (LDR) channel the latter synonymous with QFE. GDR updates receive extensive testing whereas LDR updates are meant to fix a certain problem in a small area and are not released to the general public. GDR updates may be received from the
Windows Update
Windows Update is a Microsoft service for the Windows 9x and Windows NT families of the Microsoft Windows operating system, which automates downloading and installing Microsoft Windows software updates over the Internet. The service delivers sof ...
service or the Microsoft Download Center but LDR updates must be received via Microsoft Support.
See also
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References
{{reflist
Debugging
Software release
Software maintenance
System administration