Re: use of current on production systems

The approach that you should take is simple. Don't automate updates if you 
can't afford to make mistake in an automated manner.
That being said a simple approach is to use current server and call the 
update process by hand, and understand the backup procedure. Do this first 
on a test system. Then when you are confident with an update process do it 
on a single production system. Then roll the update across you other 
systems as your confidence grows. Balance the risks involved, this is a 
simple process that you should be happy with and have procedure in place 
for probable eventualities.