Updating Liberty on distributed operating systems

Fix packs contain bundled service to bring WebSphere® Application Server Liberty up to a new level. Interim fixes provide corrective service for specific known problems. You can use IBM® Installation Manager Version 1.8.5 or later to update the offering with the fix packs and interim fixes that are available for your service level of WebSphere Application Server Liberty.

Before you begin

Through version 19.0.0.8, the minimum acceptable version of IBM Installation Manager is 1.8.5.

As of version 19.0.0.9, the minimum acceptable version of IBM Installation Manager is 1.9.0.

Important:

Java™ SE 17 is the recommended Java SDK because it provides the latest features and security updates. As an alternative to installing Java SE 17, you can install another supported Java SDK version. Liberty runs on any of the Java SE versions that are listed in the Java SE versions column of the Supported Java Releases table on the Open Liberty website.

The Liberty end of support date for Java SE 8 is October 2026, fix pack 26.0.0.10.
The Liberty end of support date for Java SE 11 is October 2026, fix pack 26.0.0.10.
The Liberty end of support date for Java SE 17 is October 2027, fix pack 27.0.0.10.
The Liberty end of support date for Java SE 21 is October 2029, fix pack 29.0.0.10.

Because Java SE 22 is not a Long-Term-Support (LTS) version of Java, Liberty will not support Java SE 22 after Java SE 23 is released.

For more information, see Removal notices.

For the most current information about upgrades for Liberty offerings, see the IBM Software Support Center and Fix Central.

To view available fix packs and interim fixes, perform the following actions:

Go to Fix Central.
Click Find product.
Select WebSphere Liberty as the product group.
Select the version of the product to be updated.
Select your operating system as the platform, and click Continue.
Select Browse for fixes, and click Continue.
Click More Information under each fix to view information about the fix.

About this task

IBM Installation Manager is used to apply and remove product maintenance, which comes packaged in the form of fix packs and interim fixes.

Fix pack: A fix pack contains bundled service to bring your WebSphere Application Server installation up to a new product level. The product level for the fix pack is denoted by the last numeral in the version number, such as 2 in 16.0.0.2.
Fix packs are cumulative. When a prerequisite or co-requisite fix pack is recommended, you can install that specific fix pack or a later fix pack. For example, if a functionality requires 16.0.0.2, you can apply 16.0.0.3 or any later fix packs to get it.

New: Fix pack 16.0.0.2 is the next Liberty fix pack after 8.5.5.9. For more information about changes in Liberty fix pack numbering and delivery, see What is new in this release of Liberty.
If your current installation is at an 8.5.5.x fix pack, you can update to and roll back from a 16.0.0.2 or later fix pack by using the standard updating procedures.
Interim fix: Interim fixes provide corrective service for specific known problems. These fixes are released between fix packs so that you can apply critical updates to your installations as soon as possible.

When you install a fix pack, Installation Manager automatically reapplies any installed interim fixes if they apply to the updated fix pack level. Interim fixes that do not apply, such as if the updated fix pack contains the fix, are uninstalled. In some cases, Installation Manager must uninstall an interim fix that you must manually reapply. For example, you might update to a fix pack that does not contain the fix and requires an updated interim fix level. Installation Manager notifies you if any interim fixes must be manually reapplied. You can verify which interim fixes are installed by running the productInfo version --ifixes command.

Tip: You can use the IBM Packaging Utility to generate a new local or web-based repository that contains all of the fixes that you want to install and then use Installation Manager to update WebSphere Application Server Liberty with all of the interim fixes as a group. For information on using the Packaging Utility, see the IBM Installation Manager documentation.