Key Benefits of Hotpatching:

  • Higher Availability: Fewer reboots mean less downtime.
  • Faster Deployment: Smaller update packages install quickly.
  • Improved Security: Updates can be applied sooner, reducing vulnerability windows.

Subscription Details:

  • Cost: $1.50 USD per CPU core per month.
  • Requirements: Windows Server 2025 Standard or Datacenter, connected to Azure Arc.

Enabling Hotpatching:

  1. Connect to Azure Arc: Follow the steps in the Azure documentation.
  2. Sign into Azure Portal: Use Azure Update Manager to select and enable hotpatching.

Hotpatching Schedule:

  • Baseline Updates: January, April, July, October (requires reboot).
  • Hotpatches: Up to eight per year, with no reboot needed.

Additional Information:

  • Preview Period: Free until 30th June, 2025.
  • Compatibility: Available for on-premises and non-Azure servers through Azure Arc.

 

Where to learn more about Windows Server

Please see the full announcement here and check out the Microsoft blog posts on Tech Community.

And don’t forget…

As you may have heard, hotpatching is also available for Windows 11 Enterprise. Learn more about eligibility and hotpatching for Windows clients here.

For further information and support, please reach out to your Bechtle Account Manager.

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