Microsoft: Hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 costs extra
Installing updates without restarting has been available for testing in Windows Server 2025 for months. This will cost extra from July.
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Since September 2024, Microsoft has been letting interested admins try out hot patching for Windows Server 2025 free of charge. This allows security updates to be applied without the need to restart the server. This prevents downtimes and promises more security during operation. Microsoft has now put a price tag on the function.
Microsoft has published an entry in the Windows Server blog in which the company announces the end of the test phase and the preview version. Hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 will be generally available from July 1, 2025. This is a subscription model. Microsoft charges 1.50 US dollars per CPU core per month for the function. The company also explains that billing for hotpatching will be monthly so that costs remain consistent throughout the year, both in hotpatching and non-hotpatching months.
Advantages should warm IT managers to the payment model
Microsoft is beating the advertising drum. Admins should test the function while it is still available free of charge, Microsoft says. Although hot patching would still require around four restarts a year, it could save a significant amount of time and alleviate the discomfort of the traditional Patch Tuesday. In the Azure edition of the Windows server, hotpatching has been around for years. The Xbox team, for example, uses it to streamline processes to a few days, which would previously have restricted the team for weeks.
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The prerequisite for hotpatching outside of Azure is that Windows Server 2025 Standard or Data Center in on-premises or multi-cloud environments are connected to Arzure Arc and have subscribed to the hotpatching service. Anyone testing the function must remove it again by June 30, 2025, if they do not wish to switch to the paid subscription service.
Hotpatching has also been available for Windows 11 desktop clients since the beginning of April. This requires subscriptions at levels E3, E5, F3 or an Education subscription A3 and A5 or a Windows 365 Enterprise license.
(dmk)
