A method, system, and computer program product for performing software upgrades. The method serves to preserve an inter-process connection between two endpoints during patching operations. The method commences by suspending at least some communication activity over the inter-process connection while preserving one or more functioning states of the inter-process connection. A patching facility produces a patched endpoint (e.g., a software component) by performing a patch operation to one of the endpoints of the inter-process connection while the at least some communication activity remains suspended. After patching, a process reconfigures at least some of the one or more preserved functioning states of the inter-process connection to connect to the patched endpoint. When the preserved functioning states of the inter-process connection have been restored, then communication activity resumes over the connection, using the patched endpoint. The inter-process communication can comprise one or more connections between a server process and a client process.