Overview

The current article contains details on hotfix packages for containerized solutions and instructions on how to install hotfix packages in containerized environments.

Hotfix packages for containers

A hotfix package contains:

• A Sitecore hotfix package for containers, for example:

  [hotfix package name] container.zip

  A Sitecore hotfix package for containers can contain:
  • The updated files.
  • A normal Sitecore package or a Sitecore update package.
  • A special Init.ps1 script.
  • A report.bc file.
  A list of the breaking changes that the hotfix package contains. This can include changes to the interface, a list of methods that have been added, changed, or removed, changes to parameters, and so on. This file is stored in the root of the hotfix package for containers.
• It might also contain some extra files that must be applied. These files can be SQL scripts, PowerShell scripts, executables, configuration files, assemblies, and so on.
  If the hotfix package contains some extra files, they are required to complete the installation of the hotfix.
  The ReadMe file that comes in the hotfix package might contain instructions about how and when to use these files. These instructions can vary from hotfix to hotfix. Some hotfixes might not contain any extra files.

How to apply a Sitecore hotfix package for containers

1. Unzip the hotfix package.
2. Open the ReadMe file. If the package contains some extra files, follow the instructions from ReadMe file.
3. Apply any changes to the file system. The hotfix must be applied to the image of the Sitecore role container that the hotfix is created for. The hotfix could be valid for several images.
   To apply the hotfix to the image and add a new configuration layer, add some instructions to the Dockerfile for the Sitecore role.
   These instructions must be added for each Sitecore role that you are going to apply the hotfix to.
   The instructions in the Dockerfile must extract the files from the Sitecore Hotfix package for Containers and copy them to the corresponding location in the Website root folder inside the container.
   Here is an example how this can be done for the CM role:
   • Define the context for the cm service in the docker-compose.override.yml file, for example:

     context: ./build/cm

   • Copy the extracted files from the Sitecore Hotfix package for Containers to the \build\cm\hotfix folder
   • Add the COPY instruction to the \build\cm\Dockerfile folder, for example:

     COPY .\hotfix C:\inetpub\wwwroot

   If the hotfix package contains an Init.ps1 file, the Dockerfile must contain a PowerShell command that runs this file.
4. Use the updated Dockerfile to build a new image and deploy it to your containerized solution.
   This can be done, for example, using the following command:

   docker compose up -d