Security Patch Tool Automates Error Remediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed computer systems, identifying and addressing unsuccessful patches and error codes during the patching process becomes increasingly challenging as the number of systems and patches grows, often leaving servers and applications vulnerable due to undetected failed updates.
Innovation Solution
A security patch tool comprising a retrieval engine, parser, and reporting engine that retrieves logs of applied patches, determines unsuccessful patches and corresponding error codes, and retrieves remedies from a database to generate reports for remedial action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of systems and patches grows, then the coverage and security improvement are improved, but the complexity of identifying and addressing unsuccessful patches increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the patch management process into distinct components: a retrieval engine that fetches patch logs from databases, a parser that processes and analyzes the log data to identify unsuccessful patches, and a reporting engine that generates remediation reports. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, making the overall system more manageable and scalable as the number of patches increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The parser acts as an intermediary between the raw patch logs and the final remediation reports. It processes the unstructured log data, extracts meaningful information about unsuccessful patches, and transforms it into a format suitable for generating actionable reports, thereby simplifying the complexity of identifying and addressing patch failures.
2Measurement precision
If manual monitoring of patch application status is performed, then the accuracy of identifying unsuccessful patches is improved, but the time consumption and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically retrieving patch logs from databases, parsing the log data to identify unsuccessful patches, and generating remediation reports without requiring manual intervention. The retrieval engine automatically queries the database, the parser automatically analyzes the log entries, and the reporting engine automatically produces the final reports, eliminating the need for manual monitoring while maintaining high accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical monitoring processes with automated computational systems. Instead of manually checking patch application status, the system uses software components (retrieval engine, parser, reporting engine) that automatically process digital log data, thereby reducing time consumption while maintaining or improving measurement precision through computational analysis.
3Reliability
If comprehensive patch logging and monitoring is implemented, then the reliability of patch application is improved, but the data storage and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The parser extracts only the relevant information from the comprehensive patch logs - specifically identifying unsuccessful patches and their error codes - while discarding redundant successful patch information. This extraction approach allows the system to maintain reliable monitoring by processing complete logs while reducing the effective data volume that needs to be stored and processed for remediation purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-processing and storing patch log data in a structured format in the database before actual remediation is needed. The retrieval engine can then efficiently query this pre-organized data, and the parser can quickly analyze only the necessary log entries, reducing real-time processing requirements while maintaining comprehensive reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A security patch tool includes a retrieval engine, a parser, and a reporting engine. The retrieval engine retrieves, from a first database, a log indicating a plurality of patches that have been applied and whether each patch of the plurality of patches was applied successfully. The parser determines, based on the log, a second plurality of patches of the plurality of patches that were not applied successfully and determines, based on the log, an error code for each patch of the second plurality of patches. The retrieval engine further retrieves, from a second database, a remedy for each error code for each patch of the second plurality of patches. The reporting engine generates a report indicating the plurality of patches, the error code for each patch of the second plurality of patches, and the remedy for each error code for each path of the second plurality of patches.