Glossary
Common terms used in PatchCTL.
A
Agent
The PatchCTL daemon that runs on managed servers. Communicates with the API to report status and execute commands.
B
Batch
A group of operations executed across multiple servers simultaneously.
C
Compliance Score
Percentage of servers that are fully patched with no pending security updates.
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures. A standardized identifier for security vulnerabilities.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System. A numeric score (0-10) indicating vulnerability severity.
D
DNF
Dandified YUM. The package manager used by RHEL 8+, Rocky, Fedora.
E
Environment
A tag categorizing servers (production, staging, development, testing).
F
Fleet
All servers managed by your PatchCTL organization.
H
Heartbeat
Regular check-in from agent to API (default: every 5 minutes).
L
License Key
Unique identifier linking agents to your organization.
M
MTTR
Mean Time to Remediate. Average time from vulnerability discovery to patch installation.
N
Node
A single managed server. Each server counts as one node against your plan quota.
P
Package Manager
System tool for installing software (apt, dnf, zypper).
Patch
An update to software that fixes bugs or security issues.
R
Reboot Required
Flag indicating a server needs restart to complete updates (kernel, glibc).
RLS
Row Level Security. Database security ensuring tenant data isolation.
S
Schedule
Automated recurring patch operation with defined targets and timing.
Security Update
A package update that addresses a security vulnerability.
Stagger
Delay between servers during batch operations or schedules.
T
Tag
Custom label for organizing and targeting servers.
Target
Criteria for selecting which servers a schedule affects.
U
Update
A newer version of an installed package available from repositories.
Z
Zypper
Package manager used by SUSE and openSUSE distributions.