Keeping your server up to date is one of the most important maintenance tasks that needs to be done. Before applying updates to your server, confirm that you have a recent backup or snapshot if working with a virtual machine so that you have the option of reverting back if the updates cause you any unexpected problems.

If possible you should aim to test updates on a test server first if you are applying them to a production server. This allows you to first confirm that the updates will not break your server and will be compatible with any other packages or software that you may be running.

You can update all packages currently installed on your server by running a ‘yum update’. Ideally this should be done at least once a month so that you have the latest security patches, bug fixes, and improved functionality and performance. You can automate the update by making use of crontab to check for and to apply updates whenever you like.