How keep multiple Ubuntu servers up to date
Once you have over three Ubuntu servers or desktops to manage it can be really useful to have a tool to help keep all their packages up to date. Put simply, you can’t keep logging into to each computer, checking and installing updates manually. I am not talking about configuring Ubuntu in the first place (you would do this is Ansible / Puppet etc). I’m just talking about installing periodic package upgrades.
For me the specific technical requirements of this tool would be:
- The ability to see the state of all servers on one screen
- Granular control to upgrade a single or multiple servers at once.
- Granular control to upgrade a single or multiple or all packages at once
The general user / business requirements would be:
- A simple easy to use piece of software with fast learning curve.
- Good security protocols.
- Good value for money.
- Well maintained
- Open source (optional)
I did some research, I found and tested following tools:
- apt-dater – This is my preferred solution. Apt-Dater is an easy to use command line tool. The command line apperance is actually an advantage over a web based system because you can actually ssh into the computer directly from apt-dater itself. I.e. you can can see the packages being installed and then ssh in to fix any issues if they occur. It is very easy to configure.
Creds: http://www.randomhacks.co.uk/how-keep-multiple-ubuntu-servers-up-to-date/