[1] Originally, hotfix referred to patching a hot system – a production server that is actively serving clients.
Applying (installing) a hotfix generally involves the same process as any software update.
Most modern operating systems and desktop applications can download and apply updates automatically.
Network administrators may use software programs to automate and simplify applying updates to the machines they manage.
Microsoft Corporation used the terms hotfix or quick-fix engineering update (QFE)[2][3] but has stopped in favor of new terminology.