ServiceNow Patching | So...There is a Method to the Madness?

Allen Andreas · ‎11-30-2023

ServiceNow Patching | So...There is a Method to the Madness?

Are you aware of the ServiceNow patch schedule? Is there an actual cadence to patches being released or are they just released whenever ServiceNow is ready to push them out?

Believe it or not, there is an actual schedule to most patches being released and it’s recommended that your platform team be made aware of this schedule so that your governance plan can appropriately accommodate it.

There are 3 types of patches you will come across:

𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥: Supports existing functionality within the release family with a collection of problem fixes and generally does not include new features.
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: Supports existing functionality within the release family with specific security fixes. It may or may not include any previous fixes within the release family. It does not include new capabilities.
𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐟𝐢𝐱: Supports existing functionalities with a targeted and specific problem fix that has been found necessary to release before the next official patch.

During the first month of every quarter, ServiceNow will release a 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 (this is indicated as Patch 2, 3, 4, etc.). This is a mandatory patch you must move to and you usually get a month to do so.

The second and third months of that same quarter are reserved for 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬. These security patches are mostly minor in nature, contain 5 or less fixes each, and once released, an incremental letter is appended to the patch that the security update is for (i.e., Patch 2a, 3c, 4b). For these types of patches ServiceNow will automatically schedule your instance to be updated. Sub-production instances usually get a 1-week advanced notice, Production generally gets a 3-week notice.

For 𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐬, these may be released at any time and are necessary to correct high severity problems. An example of how these are labeled would be: San Diego Patch 1 Hotfix 2.

For more information on ServiceNow patching and related policies, check out the following links:

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