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Update Patches to Mule

Patch updates are cumulative releases that include the latest bug fixes and security enhancements to a specific patch (x.y.z) version, plus all previously released features and fixes for that patch version.

A patch update version appends an update identifier such as -20210622 to the release version, for example, 4.3.0-20210622 for the Mule 4.3.0 release. You can find release notes for monthly Mule runtime engine patch updates in MuleSoft Release Note Summary by Month.

Patch Update Schedule

Each month, MuleSoft releases updates to selected Mule patch releases. In some cases, MuleSoft also releases updates outside of this timeframe, typically to expedite the delivery of more critical security updates.

Update strategies differ by product.

  On-premises (Standalone) Mule CloudHub Anypoint Runtime Fabric

On the first full week of the month, updates to Mule patches are available. MuleSoft provides updates only for patch versions that received bug fixes or security enhancements for the month.

Yes

Yes

Yes

You can continue to use a previous update to a Mule patch until the third full week of the month after the latest patch update is released.

Yes

Yes

Yes

Your new deployments require use of the latest patch update during the third full week of the month.

No

Yes

Yes

On the third full week of the month, MuleSoft automatically updates existing applications to the latest patch update of Mule.

No

Yes

  • Sandbox environments undergo forced updates Monday through Friday.

  • Production environments undergo forced updates Saturday and Sunday.

See the monthly update schedule in cloudhub/cloudhub-runtimes-release-notes.adoc.

No

On-premises Mule, CloudHub, and Anypoint Runtime Fabric updates for a given Mule patch version receive the same Mule runtime engine fixes and enhancements. However, CloudHub and Anypoint Runtime Fabric patches can contain additional fixes and improvements that are specific to those products.

Apply Patch Updates

Before updating the patch version on which you are running your Mule applications, review the patch update schedule.

The update procedure and schedule differ by deployment environment, whether on-premises, CloudHub, or Anypoint Runtime Fabric. To perform the update, see:

Apply a Patch Update to an On-Premises (Standalone) Mule

For standalone Mule instances, which are hosted on-premises, you can use the Mule Upgrade Tool to automate the patching process or you can apply the patch manually to the instance.

MuleSoft typically releases monthly updates to Mule patch versions of one or more of the following releases:

It is important to note that for on-premise deployments, a single instance of Mule can run one or more applications. When you patch an instance of Mule, the update applies simultaneously to all the applications deployed to that instance.

Standalone Mule installations do not undergo forced updates, but MuleSoft recommends that you apply the latest upgrades each month updates are available to benefit from the latest fixes and security enhancements.

For on-premises (standalone) Mule instances:

  1. Download Standalone Mule for On-Premises Deployments

  2. Install a Standalone Mule Patch Distribution

Download Standalone Mule for On-Premises Deployments

On the first full week of the month you can download new versions of updated Mule from your customer portal in the Help Center.

The portal provides links to patch updates and to full Mule distributions that apply the latest patch. The file names differ by type, though both contain an identifier, such as 202110622 to indicate which fixes and enhancements they contain:

  • Patch update files use the filename convention mule-ee-patch-x.y.z-YYYMMDD-MONTH-YEAR.zip (for example, mule-ee-patch-4.3.0-20210622-JULY-2021.zip). These files contain a cumulative patch distribution to use when updating an existing instance of Mule. The update contains all fixes and enhancements up to the specified month and year.

    To install a patch update, follow the procedure in Install a Standalone Mule Patch Distribution.

  • Installation files that follow the filename convention mule-ee-distribution-standalone-x.y.z-YYYMMDD.zip (for example,mule-ee-distribution-standalone-4.3.0-20210622.zip) are for new Mule installations, rather than updates to existing installations. These installations contain all fixes and enhancements up to the specified month and year.

    If you need to install a full instance of Mule instead of applying a patch update to an existing Mule instance, unzip the file, and set the MULE environment variable. For general guidance, see Download, Install, Configure, and Upgrade Mule.

Install a Standalone Mule Patch Distribution

MuleSoft releases cumulative Mule patches on a regular basis, typically once per month. The patch version specifies a Mule version and a patch identifier. Unlike the Mule upgrade process, which is for upgrades to a new minor version of Mule (version n.x to n.y) or to a new patch version (n.x.y to n.x.z), the cumulative patching process applies the latest bug fixes and security enhancements to a specific patch version of Mule. Installing a patch to the wrong Mule version can lead to instabilities and result in issues that are difficult to debug.

Note

Before applying the patch in a production environment, run your MUnit tests on new versions of Mule to validate the application’s behavior with that version.

The following procedure is for updating a patch version of an existing Mule instance:

  1. Stop your Mule instance.

  2. Extract the content of the ZIP file that contains the cumulative patch.

  3. Before proceeding with the installation, review the extracted README file to understand any version-specific steps for installing the patch.

  4. Back up the original content of the MULE_HOME/lib/patches and MULE_HOME/services directories.

  5. Remove any previous patch files from MULE_HOME/lib/patches.

    Important: Do not remove the patches within the MULE_HOME/lib/patches/mule-artifact-patches directory.

  6. Copy the new mule-ee-distribution-standalone-X.Y.Z-YYYYMMDD-patch.jar into MULE_HOME/lib/patches.

    Retain the following in the MULE_HOME/lib/patches directory:

    • mule-ee-distribution-standalone-{version}-patch.jar

    • MULE_HOME/lib/patches/mule-artifact-patches

  7. Starting at step 2 in the README file, complete the version-specific service patching instructions.

  8. Restart the Mule instance to pick up the patch.

For more guidance with the patching process, see the support article, How to apply patches to Mule 4.x.

CloudHub and Anypoint Runtime Fabric follow different patching processes.