Hot Fixes

What is a hot fix?  This question seems to be coming up  more often and I think it needs a bit of discussion in this arena.  Definitions of hot fix that I have seen include:

• A hotfix is code (sometimes called a patch) that fixes a bug in a product. (Source)


• Microsoft's term for a bug fix, which is accomplished by replacing one or more existing files (typically DLLs) in the operating system or application with revised versions. (Source)

I think we can all agree that a hot fix is something that fixes a bug.  The question now arises as to the size of the patch.  The second definition is important in this aspect as it talks about replacing one or more DLLs.  So, a hot fix will fix a bug by replacing an indeterminate number of DLLs.  Darn it, I've used that word again: replacing.  That happens to be the crux of the problem that we are experiencing.

Replacing DLLs does not mean the uninstaling of the entire application and the installation of a new version of the application which has the bug fix inside.  This is simply an install of the application.  A hot fix would take the DLLs that were changed, package those up and install those on affected machines.  This is standard practice used by Microsoft, IBM, Sun, Oracle, Hewlett Packard, PeopleSoft, SAP, Symantec, Trend Micro, Adobe, Electronic Arts, Intuit, AutoDesk Check Point, and, quite literally, millions of other companies.  You don't re-install Windows every time there is a hot fix for Windows.  You don't re-install your anti-virus software every time there is an update to the software.  You don't re-install your entire application because there is a spelling mistake on a page.

If you are asking for a migration to a Shared Environment, and you are essentially asking us to install a new version of the application, don't call it a hot fix, as you are disagreeing with the vast majority of the IT world and the definition that the Deployment Team uses for a hot fix.  A hot fix replaces DLLs.  By packing everything up into a new install for the application you are potentially including other changes in your fix that are not related to the bug you are trying to install.