What is a patch? When we talk about adding software patches,
what does that mean, and why do those have to be managed? Dear
Control Engineering: I see references to software patches and
patch management. What are these and why do I need to be
concerned with them? Given the size and complexity of modern
software operating systems and applications, it’s no wonder that
problems pop up from time to time. These can be things that make
the system crash, introduce cyber vulnerabilities, or other
things that need to be fixed. A patch is a bit of software to
fix whatever the problem is, and it gets added to the larger
platform. If you run Windows, you may have noticed that
Microsoft sends out patches for Windows 7 on Wednesdays, and you
need to let them load before you can turn your computer off. For
most of us working in an office or at home, these things are a
small annoyance at worst and we simply let them run their
course. However, if you’re running an industrial control system,
patches are a bigger concern. For e