Applying operating system updates

Applying operating system updates

The need to stay current with operating system updates on a virtual machine is the same as it is for a physical server. It is important to keep in mind that depending on how you use virtual machines, they may be more likely to become out of date than physical servers. This is because physical servers generally run continuously without extended outage periods and are offline only for maintenance or repair. Virtual machines, however, may be turned off for extended periods, especially in test environments or in a repository of virtual machines. The longer a virtual machine is offline, the more out of date its operating system may become and the more likely it is to become infected with a virus if it is brought online without first being updated.

In general, we recommend that you update virtual machines using the same process that you use for updating physical computers. However, using Microsoft Loopback Adapter is an option you may want to consider for updating virtual machines. For more information about Microsoft Loopback Adapter, see Using Microsoft Loopback Adapter.

For more information about steps you can take to help protect your virtual machines, see "Secure Virtual Server and its associated components" in Best practices for Virtual Server. For more information about networking and Virtual Server, see Setting Up Virtual Networks.