Red Hat NETWORK 3.1 - PROVISIONING Reference Manual

Red Hat Network 3.1

Provisioning Reference Guide

Red Hat Network 3.1: Provisioning Reference Guide

Copyright © 2003, 2004 by Red Hat, Inc.

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Table of Contents

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................i

1. Document Conventions..........................................................................................................i

2. More to Come ...................................................................................................................... iv

2.1. Send in Your Feedback ......................................................................................... iv

1. What is Red Hat Network? ............................................................................................................ 1

1.1. Demo.................................................................................................................................. 2

1.2. Update................................................................................................................................ 2

1.3. Management....................................................................................................................... 2

1.4. Provisioning ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.5. Errata Notifications and Scheduled Package Installations................................................. 4

1.6. Security, Quality Assurance, and Red Hat Network.......................................................... 4

1.7. Before You Begin...............................................................................................................4

2. Red Hat Update Agent.................................................................................................................... 7

2.1. Starting the Red Hat Update Agent................................................................................. 7

2.2. Registration........................................................................................................................ 9

2.2.1. Registering a User Account .............................................................................. 11

2.2.2. Registering a System Profile .............................................................................14

2.3. Setup and Use .................................................................................................................. 18

2.3.1. Choosing a Channel .......................................................................................... 18

2.3.2. Choosing Packages to Update........................................................................... 19

2.3.3. Installing Updated Packages .............................................................................23

2.3.4. Update Agent Finished ..................................................................................... 24

2.3.5. Command Line Version .................................................................................... 25

2.4. Configuration ................................................................................................................... 29

2.4.1. Using the Red Hat Update Agent Configuration Tool..................................29

2.4.2. Command Line Version .................................................................................... 32

2.5. Registering with Activation Keys .................................................................................... 33

3. Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool ................................................................................... 35

3.1. Configuring the Applet .................................................................................................... 35

3.2. Notification Icons............................................................................................................. 36

3.3. Viewing Updates ..............................................................................................................37

3.4. Applying Updates ............................................................................................................ 37

3.5. Launching the RHN Website ...........................................................................................37

4. Red Hat Network Website............................................................................................................39

4.1. Logging into the RHN Website........................................................................................39

4.2. Introduction to the Website .............................................................................................. 39

4.2.1. Errata Alert Icons .............................................................................................. 41

4.2.2. Quick Search.....................................................................................................41

4.2.3. Systems Selected...............................................................................................41

4.2.4. List Navigation.................................................................................................. 41

4.3. Your RHN ........................................................................................................................ 41

4.3.1. Your Account ....................................................................................................43

4.3.2. Your Preferences ...............................................................................................44

4.3.3. Buy Now ...........................................................................................................44

4.3.4. Purchase History ...............................................................................................44

4.3.5. Help................................................................................................................... 44

4.4. Systems ............................................................................................................................46

4.4.1. Overview........................................................................................................... 46

4.4.2. Systems .............................................................................................................46

4.4.3. System Groups .................................................................................................. 54

4.4.4. System Set Manager .........................................................................................56

4.4.5. System Entitlements ......................................................................................... 59

4.4.6. Advanced Search............................................................................................... 60

4.4.7. Activation Keys................................................................................................. 60

4.4.8. Stored Profiles...................................................................................................61

4.4.9. Custom System Info.......................................................................................... 61

4.4.10. Kickstart.......................................................................................................... 61

4.5. Errata................................................................................................................................ 65

4.5.1. Relevant Errata..................................................................................................65

4.5.2. All Errata........................................................................................................... 65

4.5.3. Advanced Search............................................................................................... 67

4.6. Channels...........................................................................................................................67

4.6.1. Software Channels ............................................................................................ 67

4.6.2. Channel Entitlements ........................................................................................ 70

4.6.3. Easy ISOs.......................................................................................................... 70

4.6.4. RPM Search ...................................................................................................... 70

4.6.5. Software Packages ............................................................................................ 71

4.6.6. Manage Config Channels .................................................................................. 72

4.7. Schedule........................................................................................................................... 74

4.7.1. Pending Actions ................................................................................................ 75

4.7.2. Failed Actions ................................................................................................... 75

4.7.3. Completed Actions............................................................................................ 76

4.7.4. Archived Actions ..............................................................................................76

4.7.5. Actions List ....................................................................................................... 76

4.8. Users ................................................................................................................................ 77

4.8.1. User List............................................................................................................ 77

5. Red Hat Network Daemon ........................................................................................................... 81

5.1. Configuring ...................................................................................................................... 81

5.2. Viewing Status .................................................................................................................81

5.3. Disabling..........................................................................................................................81

5.4. Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................... 81

6. Red Hat Network Registration Client .........................................................................................83

6.1. Configuring the Red Hat Network Registration Client................................................83

6.2. Starting the Red Hat Network Registration Client ...................................................... 85

6.3. Registering a User Account ............................................................................................. 87

6.4. Registering a System Profile ............................................................................................89

6.4.1. Hardware System Profile .................................................................................. 89

6.4.2. Software System Profile.................................................................................... 90

6.5. Finishing Registration...................................................................................................... 92

6.6. Entitling Your System ...................................................................................................... 94

6.7. Text Mode RHN Registration Client ............................................................................... 94

A. Command Line Config Management Tools............................................................................... 97

A.1. Red Hat Network Configuration Client ...................................................................... 97

A.1.1. Listing Config Files.......................................................................................... 97

A.1.2. Getting a Config File ........................................................................................97

A.1.3. Viewing Config Channels ................................................................................ 97

A.1.4. Differentiating between Config Files ............................................................... 98

A.1.5. Verifying Config Files......................................................................................98

A.2. Red Hat Network Configuration Manager ................................................................. 98

A.2.1. Creating a Config Channel ...............................................................................99

A.2.2. Adding Files to a Config Channel.................................................................... 99

A.2.3. Differentiating between Latest Config Files ..................................................100

A.2.4. Differentiating between Various Versions...................................................... 100

A.2.5. Downloading All Files in a Channel .............................................................. 101

A.2.6. Getting the Contents of a File ........................................................................ 101

A.2.7. Listing All Files in a Channel ........................................................................ 101

A.2.8. Listing All Config Channels .......................................................................... 101

A.2.9. Removing a File from a Channel ................................................................... 102

A.2.10. Deleting a Config Channel ........................................................................... 102

A.2.11. Determining the Number of File Revisions .................................................102

A.2.12. Updating a File in a Channel........................................................................ 102

A.2.13. Uploading Multiple Files at Once ................................................................ 103

B. RHN API Access......................................................................................................................... 105

B.1. Using the auth Class and Getting the Session ...............................................................105

B.2. Obtaining the system_id................................................................................................ 105

B.3. Determining the sid .......................................................................................................105

B.4. Viewing the cid.............................................................................................................. 105

B.5. Getting the sgid ............................................................................................................. 106

B.6. Sample API Script......................................................................................................... 106

Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 109

Index................................................................................................................................................. 115

Introduction

Welcome to the Red Hat Network 3.1 Provisioning Reference Guide.

The Red Hat Network Provisioning Reference Guide will guide you through registering your system
for Red Hat Network and using its many features. Depending on which version of Red Hat Linux you
have installed, the Red Hat Network Registration Client and the Red Hat Update Agent might be
different than the ones described in this manual as new features are added. Once you use Red Hat
Network to update these applications, you can use the latest version of this manual.

All versions of this manual are available in HTML and PDF formats at
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/RHNetwork/.

This version of the manual covers version 3.0.7 of the Red Hat Update Agent and version 2.8.27-34
of the Red Hat Network Registration Client.

Warning

Systems running Red Hat Linux 6.2 through 7.3 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 will need to use the
separate Red Hat Network Registration Client before starting the Red Hat Update Agent. Refer
to Chapter 6 Red Hat Network Registration Client for instructions. Systems running Red Hat Linux

8.0 or newer can go directly to the Red Hat Update Agent, which has registration functionality built
in. Refer to Chapter 2 Red Hat Update Agent for instructions.

For an overview of Red Hat Network offerings, please review the descriptions available at
http://www.redhat.com/software/rhn/ .

1. Document Conventions

When you read this manual, certain words are represented in different fonts, typefaces, sizes, and
weights. This highlighting is systematic; different words are represented in the same style to indicate
their inclusion in a specific category. The types of words that are represented this way include the
following:

command

Linux commands (and other operating system commands, when used) are represented this way.
This style should indicate to you that you can type the word or phrase on the command line
and press [Enter] to invoke a command. Sometimes a command contains words that would be
displayed in a different style on their own (such as file names). In these cases, they are considered
to be part of the command, so the entire phrase is displayed as a command. For example:

Use the cat testfile command to view the contents of a file, named testfile, in the current
working directory.

file name

File names, directory names, paths, and RPM package names are represented this way. This style
should indicate that a particular file or directory exists by that name on your system. Examples:

The .bashrc file in your home directory contains bash shell definitions and aliases for your own
use.

The /etc/fstab file contains information about different system devices and file systems.

Install the webalizer RPM if you want to use a Web server log file analysis program.

ii Introduction

application

This style indicates that the program is an end-user application (as opposed to system software).
For example:

Use Mozilla to browse the Web.

[key]

A key on the keyboard is shown in this style. For example:

To use [Tab] completion, type in a character and then press the [Tab] key. Your terminal displays
the list of files in the directory that start with that letter.

[key]-[combination]

A combination of keystrokes is represented in this way. For example:

The [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[Backspace] key combination exits your graphical session and return you to the
graphical login screen or the console.

text found on a GUI interface

A title, word, or phrase found on a GUI interface screen or window is shown in this style. Text
shown in this style is being used to identify a particular GUI screen or an element on a GUI
screen (such as text associated with a checkbox or field). Example:

Select the Require Password checkbox if you would like your screensaver to require a password
before stopping.

top level of a menu on a GUI screen or window

A word in this style indicates that the word is the top level of a pulldown menu. If you click on
the word on the GUI screen, the rest of the menu should appear. For example:

Under File on a GNOME terminal, the New Tab option allows you to open multiple shell
prompts in the same window.

If you need to type in a sequence of commands from a GUI menu, they are shown like the
following example:

Go to Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => Programming => Emacs to start the Emacs text
editor.

button on a GUI screen or window

This style indicates that the text can be found on a clickable button on a GUI screen. For example:

Click on the Back button to return to the webpage you last viewed.

computer output

Text in this style indicates text displayed to a shell prompt such as error messages and responses
to commands. For example:

The ls command displays the contents of a directory. For example:

Desktop about.html logs paulwesterberg.png
Mail backupfiles mail reports

The output returned in response to the command (in this case, the contents of the directory) is
shown in this style.

prompt

A prompt, which is a computer’s way of signifying that it is ready for you to input something, is
shown in this style. Examples:

Introduction iii

$

#

[stephen@maturin stephen]$

leopard login:

user input

Text that the user has to type, either on the command line, or into a text box on a GUI screen, is
displayed in this style. In the following example, text is displayed in this style:

To boot your system into the text based installation program, you must type in the text com­mand at the boot: prompt.

replaceable

Text used for examples which is meant to be replaced with data provided by the user is displayed
in this style. In the following example,



version-numberis displayed in this style:

The directory for the kernel source is /usr/src/



version-number/, where



version-numberis the version of the kernel installed on this system.

Additionally, we use several different strategies to draw your attention to certain pieces of informa­tion. In order of how critical the information is to your system, these items are marked as note, tip,
important, caution, or a warning. For example:

Note

Remember that Linux is case sensitive. In other words, a rose is not a ROSE is not a rOsE.

Tip

The directory /usr/share/doc/ contains additional documentation for packages installed on your
system.

Important

If you modify the DHCP configuration file, the changes will not take effect until you restart the DHCP
daemon.

Caution

Do not perform routine tasks as root — use a regular user account unless you need to use the root
account for system administration tasks.

iv Introduction

Warning

Be careful to remove only the necessary partitions. Removing other partitions could result in data
loss or a corrupted system environment.

2. More to Come

The Red Hat Network Provisioning Reference Guide is constantly expanding as new Red Hat Network
features and service plans are launched.

2.1. Send in Your Feedback

If you would like to make suggestions about the Red Hat Network Provisioning Reference Guide,
please mention this guide’s identifier:

RHNpro(EN)-3.1-Print-RHI (2004-01-22T17:21)

You can send mail to:

<[e-mail]>

Chapter 1.

What is Red Hat Network?

Have you ever read about a new version of a software package and wanted to install it but could not
find it?

Have you ever tried to find an RPM through an Internet search engine or an RPM Repository and been
linked to a site that you have never heard of?

Have you ever tried to find an RPM but instead found only the source files that you had to compile
yourself?

Have you ever spent hours or even days visiting different websites to see if you have the latest packages
installed on your system, only to have to do it again in a few months?

Those days are over with Red Hat Network (RHN). RHN provides the solution to all your system
software management needs.

Red Hat Network is an Internet solution for managing a Red Hat Linux system or a network of Red
Hat Linux systems. All Security Alerts, Bug Fix Alerts, and Enhancement Alerts (collectively known
as Errata Alerts) can be downloaded directly from Red Hat. You can even have updates scheduled to
be delivered directly to your system as soon as they are released.

The main components of Red Hat Network are as follows:

• The Red Hat Update Agent

• The Red Hat Network Website

• Red Hat Network Daemon

• The Red Hat Network Registration Client - for systems running Red Hat Linux 6.2-7.3 and Red

Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 only.

The Red Hat Update Agent provides your initial connection to the Red Hat Network. Once regis­tered, it enables channel subscription, package installs, and management of System Profiles. Red Hat
Linux 8.0 systems will even use the Red Hat Update Agent to be registered to RHN. See Chapter 2
Red Hat Update Agent for further information.

You can use either of the two Red Hat Network user interfaces:

• https://rhn.redhat.com

• The Red Hat Update Agent

Both the website and the Red Hat Update Agent allow you to view Errata Alerts from in the Red
Hat Errata list. Only packages relevant to your system are shown. Red Hat Network can also be
configured to verify packages once downloaded, ignore update notifications for certain packages, and
view package details before downloading them.

The Red Hat Network Daemon (rhnsd) runs in the background as a service and probes the Red Hat
Network for notifications and updates at set time intervals (see Chapter 5 Red Hat Network Daemon
for further information). This daemon is necessary if you want to schedule updates or other actions
through the website.

The Red Hat Network Registration Client allows you to register your older Red Hat Linux (prior to

8.0) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (2.1) systems with RHN. Registration involves creating a unique
RHN username and password, probing the hardware on your system to create a Hardware Profile, and

2 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?

probing the software packages installed on your system to create a Package Profile. This information
is sent to RHN, and RHN returns a unique System ID to your system. See Chapter 6 Red Hat Network
Registration Client for more information.

Many Red Hat Network terms are used throughout this manual. As you read the Red Hat Network
Provisioning Reference Guide, refer to the Glossary as necessary for an explanation of common terms.

Tip

For a comparison chart of RHN service levels, refer to https://rhn.redhat.com/preview/.

1.1. Demo

The RHN Demo service level is the complimentary service level. All users receive one free subscrip­tion to RHN Demo. All that is required is the completion of a brief survey once every 60 days.

With each Demo subscription, you receive:

• Errata Notifications — Be the first to know about Red Hat’s patches. Subscribe to email errata

notification through Red Hat Network.

• Errata Updates — Immediately bring individual systems up-to-date with the click of a button.

• Search Packages — Search through the full repository of RPMs available to Red Hat Network

users.

• Search Errata — Search through the collection of all errata ever released through Red Hat Network.

1.2. Update

The RHN Update service is ideal for a user with one Red Hat Linux system or a small number
of Red Hat Linux systems to keep updated. Subscription to Update can be purchased at

http://rhn.redhat.com/purchase_info.pxt.

With each Update subscription, you receive the essential functionality provided to Demo users, plus:

• Easy ISOs — For customers who have purchased subscriptions to Red Hat Network, ISO images

are available for immediate download. Beat the rush to the FTP servers by downloading directly
from Red Hat Network.

• Priority Access during periods of high load — When Red Hat releases a large errata, users with

Priority Access can be guaranteed that they will be able to access the updated packages immediately.

• RHN Support Access — All paying customers of Red Hat Network receive web based support for

their RHN questions.

• Errata Notification, Multiple Systems — Subscriptions for multiple systems means errata notifica-

tion for errata to all of those systems.

• Errata Updates, Multiple Systems — Get quick updates for multiple systems with an easy button

click for each system.

Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network? 3

1.3. Management

In addition to the features offered in the RHN Demo and Update subscription levels, the RHN Man­agement subscription service allows you to manage your network of Red Hat Linux systems, users,
and system groups through its System Set Manager interface.

RHN Management is based upon the concept of an organization. Each Management-level Red Hat
customer has the ability to establish users who have administration privileges to system groups. An
Organization Administrator has overall control over each Red Hat Network organization with the
ability to add and remove systems and users. When users other than the Organization Administrator
log into the Red Hat Network website, they see only the systems they have permission to administer.

To create an account that can be used to entitle systems to RHN Management, go to

https://rhn.redhat.com/ and click on the Create Account link under the Sign In fields. On the Sign

Up for Red Hat Network page, click Create a new corporate account. After creating a corporate
account, you may add users within your organization to it.

The Red Hat Network features available to you depend on the subscription level for each Red Hat
Linux system. With each Management subscription, you receive the functionality provided to Demo
and Update users, plus:

• Package Profile Comparison — Compare the package set on a system with the package sets of

similar systems with one click.

• Search Systems — Search through systems based on a number of criteria: packages, networking

information, even hardware asset tags.

• System Grouping — Web servers, database servers, workstations and other workload-focused sys-

tems may be grouped so that each set can be administered in common ways.

• Multiple Administrators — Administrators may be given rights to particular system groups, easing

the burden of system management over very large organizations.

• System Set Manager — You may now apply actions to sets of systems instead of single systems.

Work with members of a predefined system group, or work with an ad-hoc collection of systems.
Install a single package to each, subscribe them all to a new channel, or apply all errata to them
with a single action.

• Massive Scalability — Figuring out a list of outdated packages for a thousand systems would take

days for a dedicated sysadmin. Red Hat Network Management service can do it for you in seconds.

1.4. Provisioning

As the highest service level, RHN Provisioning encompasses all of the features offered in the RHN
Demo, Update, and Management subscription levels. It is designed to allow you to deploy and manage
your network of Red Hat Linux systems, users, and system groups.

Like, Management, Provisioning is based upon an organization. But it takes this concept a step fur­ther by enabling customers with Provisioning entitlements to kickstart, reconfigure, track, and revert
systems on the fly.

In addition to all of the features mentioned in lower service levels, Provisioning provides:

• Kickstarting — Systems with Provisioning entitlements may be re-installed through RHN with a

whole host of options established in kickstart profiles. Options include everything from the type of
bootloader and time zone to packages included/excluded and IP address ranges allowed. Even GPG
and SSL keys can be pre-configured.

• Client Configuration — Customers may use RHN to manage the configuration files on

Provisioning-entitled systems. Users can upload files to RHN’s central configuration manager,

4 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?

verify local configuration files against those stored by RHN, and deploy files from RHN. Further,
custom configuration channels can be created to help manage this process.

• Snapshot Rollbacks — Provisioning-level users have the ability to revert the package profile, con-

figuration files, and RHN settings of systems. This is possible because snapshots are captured when­ever an action takes place on a system. These snapshots identify groups, channels, packages, and
configuration files.

• Custom System Information — Provisioning customers may identify any type of information they

choose about their systems. This differs from the more rigorous System Profile information and the
completely arbitrary Notes in that it allows you to develop specific keys of your choosing and then
assign searchable values for that key to each Provisioning-entitled system. For instance, this feature
would allow you to identify the cubicle in which each system is located.

1.5. Errata Notifications and Scheduled Package Installations

You can configure the Red Hat Network to send you email notifications of new and updated software
packages as soon as the packages are available through RHN. You can also schedule package installs
or package updates. The benefits include:

• Reduced time and effort required by system administrators to stay on top of the Red Hat Errata list

• Minimized security vulnerabilities in your network by providing the patches as soon as Red Hat

releases them

• Filtered list of package updates (packages not relevant to your network are not included)

• Reliable method of managing multiple systems with similar configurations

1.6. Security, Quality Assurance, and Red Hat Network

Red Hat Network provides significant benefits to your network including security and quality assur­ance. All transactions made between you and Red Hat Network are encrypted, and all RPM packages
are signed with Red Hat’s GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) signature to ensure authenticity.

Red Hat Network incorporates the following security measures:

1. Your System Profile available at http://rhn.redhat.com is accessible only with an RHN-verified
username and password.

2. A Digital Certificate is written to the client system after registration and is used to authenticate
the system during each transaction between the client and Red Hat Network. The file is only
readable by the root user on the client system.

3. All notifications and information messages are signed by Red Hat with an electronic signature
using GPG. RPM can be used to verify the authenticity of the package before it is installed.

4. All transactions are encrypted using a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection.

5. All packages are tested and verified by the Red Hat Quality Assurance Team before they are
added to the Red Hat Errata list and Red Hat Network.

Tip

Refer to https://rhn.redhat.com/help/faq/ for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network? 5

1.7. Before You Begin

By default, all the software packages you need to use Red Hat Network are installed with Red Hat dis­tributions. However, if you chose not to install them during the installation process, you will need to
obtain the Red Hat Update Agent and possibly the Red Hat Network Registration Client. Remem-
ber, if you are a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 user, you will need the Red Hat Network Registration
Client. To determine if the Red Hat Network Registration Client is installed, type the following
command:

rpm -q rhn_register

If the Red Hat Network Registration Client is installed, it will return something similar to

rhn_register-2.8.27

The version number might differ slightly.

If you do not have the Red Hat Network Registration Client installed, the command will return

package rhn_register is not installed

Perform this check for every package in Table 1-1 relevant to your system. If you prefer to use the
command line versions, you do not have to install the two packages ending in gnome.

Package Name Description

rhn_register Provides the Red Hat Network Registration Client program and the

text mode interface

rhn_register-gnome Provides the GNOME interface (graphical version) for the Red Hat

Network Registration Client; runs if the X Window System is available

up2date Provides the Red Hat Update Agent command line version and the Red

Hat Network Daemon

up2date-gnome Provides the GNOME interface (graphical version) for the Red Hat

Update Agent; runs if the X Window System is available

Table 1-1. Red Hat Network Packages

If the packages are not installed, they can be found on the Red Hat Linux 7 (or higher) CD-ROM #1 in
the RedHat/RPMS directory or downloaded from the Red Hat FTP site available at ftp://ftp.redhat.com
(or from a Red Hat FTP mirror available at http://www.redhat.com/mirrors.html). Always check the
Red Hat Errata page, available at http://www.redhat.com/errata/, for package updates. If you install an
older version of these packages, you can retrieve the latest versions using Red Hat Network. The first
time that you request the RPM updates for your system, they will be included.

6 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?

Chapter 2.

Red Hat Update Agent

The Red Hat Update Agent is your connection to the Red Hat Network. It enables you to register
your systems, create System Profiles, and alter the settings by which your organization and RHN
interact. Once registered, your systems can use the Red Hat Update Agent to retrieve the latest
software packages from Red Hat. This tool will allow you to always have the most up-to-date Red Hat
Linux systems with all security patches, bug fixes, and software package enhancements.

Remember, this tool must be run on the system you wish to update. You cannot use the Red Hat
Update Agent on the system if it is not entitled to an RHN service offering.

Warning

Only systems running Red Hat Linux 8.0 or newer can use the Red Hat Update Agent to register
with RHN. Systems running Red Hat Linux 6.2 through 7.3 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 will
need to use the separate Red Hat Network Registration Client before starting the Red Hat Update
Agent. Refer to Chapter 6 Red Hat Network Registration Client for instructions. Then return to this
chapter for instructions on using the Red Hat Update Agent.

Important

You must use Red Hat Update Agent Version 2.5.4 or higher to upgrade your kernel automatically.
It will install the updated kernel and configure LILO or GRUB to boot the new kernel the next time
the system is rebooted. To ensure you are running the latest version, execute the command up2date

up2date. If you do not have the latest version installed, this command will update it.

2.1. Starting the Red Hat Update Agent

If you are not running the X Window System or prefer the command line version of the Red Hat
Update Agent, skip to Section 2.3.5 Command Line Version.

You must be root to run the Red Hat Update Agent. If you start it as a standard user, you will be
prompted to enter the root password before proceeding. The Red Hat Update Agent can be started
using one of the following methods:

For Red Hat Linux 8.0:

• On the GNOME and KDE desktops, go to the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => System Tools

=> Red Hat Network.

• At a shell prompt (for example, an xterm or gnome-terminal), type the command up2date.

For Red Hat Linux 6.2 through 7.3:

• On the GNOME desktop, go to the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => Programs => System

=> Update Agent.

• On the KDE desktop, go to the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => Update Agent.

• At a shell prompt (for example, an xterm or gnome-terminal), type the command up2date.

8 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

If you choose the last option and start the application from a shell prompt, you can specify the options
in Table 2-1 to the Red Hat Update Agent. To view these options, type the command up2date

--help.

For example, use the following command to specify the directory in which to download the updated
packages (temporarily overriding your saved configuration):

up2date --tmpdir=/tmp/up2date

Argument Description

--configure Configure Red Hat Update Agent options. Refer to Section 2.4

Configuration for detailed instructions.

-d, --download Download packages only; do not install them. This argument

temporarily overrides the configuration option Do not install
packages after retrieval. Use this option if you prefer to install

the packages manually.

-f, --force Force package installation. This option temporarily overrides the

file, package, and configuration skip lists.

-i, --install Install packages after they are downloaded. This argument

temporarily overrides the configuration option Do not install
packages after retrieval.

-k, --packagedir Specify a colon separated path of directories to look for packages

before trying to download them.

--nosig Do not use GPG to check package signatures. This option

temporarily overrides the saved configuration option.

--tmpdir=directory Temporarily override the configured package directory. The

default location is /var/spool/up2date. This option is useful
if you do not have enough space in the configured location.

--justdb Only add packages to the database and do not install them.

--dbpath=dir Specify an alternate RPM database to use temporarily.

Table 2-1. Graphical Update Agent Options

The first time you run the Red Hat Update Agent, two dialog boxes will appear that you will not see
in subsequent startups: Configure Proxy Server and Install GPG Key.

As shown in Figure 2-1, the first dialog box to appear will prompt you for HTTP Proxy Server informa­tion. This is useful if your network connection requires you to use a proxy server to make HTTP con­nections. To use this feature, select the Enable HTTP Proxy checkbox and type your proxy server in
the text field with the format http://HOST:PORT, such as http://squid.mysite.org:3128.
Additionally, if your proxy server requires a username and password, select the Use Authentication
checkbox and enter your username and password in the respective text fields.

An HTTP Proxy Server is not required by Red Hat Network. If you do not want to use this feature,
click the OK button without making any selections. Note that the Red Hat Network Server dropdown
menu at the top of the dialog box is only useful to RHN Proxy and Satellite customers. These cus­tomers should refer to the RHN Client Configuration Guide for registration steps. Also note this dialox
box is actually the General tab of the Red Hat Update Agent Configuration Tool. Refer to Section

2.4 Configuration for detailed instructions.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 9

Figure 2-1. Configure Proxy Server

The second dialog box to appear will prompt you to install the Red Hat GPG key, as shown in Figure
2-2. This key is used to verify the packages you download for security purposes. Click Yes to install
the key, and you will not see this message again.

Figure 2-2. Install GPG Key

2.2. Registration

Before you begin using Red Hat Network, you need to create a username, password, and System
Profile. Upon launch, the Red Hat Update Agent senses whether these tasks have been accomplished.
If not, it guides you through the registration process. If you ever need to force the Red Hat Update
Agent into registration mode, say to re-register an existing system, you may do so by issuing the
following command at a shell prompt:

up2date --register

10 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

Note

In addition to the steps described here, the Red Hat Update Agent also provides a utility aimed at
batch processing the registration of systems called Activation Keys. Refer to Section 2.5 Registering
with Activation Keys for a full description.

After installing the Red Hat GPG key, the screen in Figure 2-3 will appear. It appears every time you
start the Red Hat Update Agent. Click Forward to continue.

Figure 2-3. Welcome Screen

After clicking through the Welcome Screen, the Red Hat Privacy Statement appears. (See Figure 2-

4). Red Hat is committed to protecting your privacy. The information gathered during the Red Hat
Network registration process is used to create a System Profile, which is essential to receiving update
notifications about your system. If after reading the statement you have any questions about how your
information is being used, please contact us at <[e-mail]>. When satisfied, click
Forward.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 11

Figure 2-4. Red Hat Privacy Statement

2.2.1. Registering a User Account

Before you can create a System Profile, you must create a user account. All that is required is a unique
username-password combination and a valid email address.

In the screen shown in Figure 2-5, choose a username and password. Once logged in to Red Hat
Network, you can modify your preferences, view your existing System Profile, or obtain the latest
Red Hat software packages.

Note

If you are already a member of redhat.com, you can use the same username and password. However,
you will still need to continue with the registration process to create your System Profile.

Your username and password have the following restrictions:

• Must be at least four characters long

• Are case-insensitive

• Cannot contain any spaces

• Cannot contain any tabs

12 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

• Cannot contain any line feeds

• Cannot contain the characters &, +, %, or ’

Figure 2-5. Create a User Account

You must choose a unique username. If you enter one already in use, you will see an error message
(see Figure 2-6). Try different usernames until you find one that has not been used.

Warning

Be sure to identify a username that you will be satisfied with permanently, as this cannot be changed
after account creation.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 13

Figure 2-6. Error: Username Already Exists

Most users can leave the Org Info section blank. If you have an existing organization account, enter
your organization’s ID and password in the provided text fields. If the values are valid, the system will
be added to the organization’s Red Hat Network account.

If you have already registered a machine and created a System Profile, you can add a new machine to
your account. Run the Red Hat Update Agent on the new machine you wish to add, and enter your
existing Red Hat Network username and password. The new machine will be added to your existing
account, and you can log into Red Hat Network with your username and password to view all your
systems simultaneously.

In the Create Account screen, click Forward to continue.

If you are a new user to RHN, the Red Hat Update Agent takes you to the screen shown in Figure 2-

7. Here you will add details about yourself and your business, if applicable, and identify the methods
by which you should be reached.

Note

Unlike other details, your company name can be changed only through redhat.com. To make this
change, go to http://www.redhat.com/ and click the Account link near the top-right corner. Sign in if
you are not already logged in, and then click the Account Details link. In the Edit Account Details
page, replace your company name in the appropriate field and click the Finish button at the bottom.
The change will appear in the RHN website immediately.

14 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

Figure 2-7. Register a User Account

Once satsfied with the information supplied, click Forward to continue.

2.2.2. Registering a System Profile

Now that you have a user account, you can create a System Profile that consists of hardware and
software information about your Red Hat Linux system. The System Profile information is used by
Red Hat Network to determine what software update notifications you receive.

2.2.2.1. Hardware System Profile

After creating a username and password for your Red Hat Network account, the Red Hat Update
Agent probes your system for the following information:

• Red Hat Linux version

• Hostname

• IP address

• CPU model

• CPU speed

• Amount of RAM

• PCI devices

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 15

• Disk sizes

• Mount points

The next step is choosing a profile name for your system as shown in Figure 2-8. The default value
is the hostname for the system. You may modify this to be a more descriptive string, such as Email
Server for Support Team, if you find it more helpful. Optionally, you can enter a computer
serial or identification number for the system.

If you do not wish to include information about your hardware or network in your System Profile,
deselect Include information about hardware and network (see Figure 2-8).

Figure 2-8. System Profile - Hardware

Click Forward to continue with the registration process.

2.2.2.2. Software System Profile

The software System Profile consists of a list of RPM packages for which you wish to receive notifi­cations. The Red Hat Update Agent shows you a list of all RPM packages listed in the RPM database
on your system and then allows you to customize the list by deselecting packages.

2.2.2.2.1. Gathering RPM Database Information

Only those packages you choose during this part of the registration will be included in your System
Profile, and you will receive notifications only about the packages in your System Profile. Thus, if

16 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

you use an older version of a package and deselect it from the list, it will not be replaced with a newer
version. This RPM list can be modified through the Red Hat Network Web interface or by using the

Red Hat Update Agent. Figure 2-9 shows the progress bar you will see while the Red Hat Update
Agent gathers a list of the RPM packages installed on your system. This operation may take some

time, depending on your system installation.

Figure 2-9. Registration Wizard

Once the RPM package list is built, the list will be displayed as shown in Figure 2-10. Deselecting
Include RPM Packages installed on this system in my System Profile will omit this information
from your System Profile.

Figure 2-10. RPM Package Information

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 17

2.2.2.2.2. Choosing RPM Packages to Exclude from the System Profile

By default, all RPM packages in your RPM database are included in your System Profile to be updated
by Red Hat Network. To exclude a package, uncheck the package from the list by clicking the check­box beside the package name. For example, Figure 2-11 shows that the Canna-devel and Canna-libs
packages have been omitted from the package list.

Choose which packages to exclude, if any, from the System Profile, and click Forward to continue
with the registration process.

Figure 2-11. Choose which RPM Packages to Exclude from System Profile

2.2.2.3. Finishing Registration

As seen in Figure 2-12, the last step of registration is to confirm that you want to send your System
Profile to the Red Hat Network. If you choose Cancel at this point, no information will be sent.
Clicking Forward will submit your RHN System Profile.

18 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

Figure 2-12. Finished Collecting Information for System Profile

Figure 2-13 shows the progress bar you will see while your profile is being sent. This process may
take some time depending on your connection speed.

Figure 2-13. Send System Profile to Red Hat Network

You will know your System Profile has been successfully sent when you see the Channels screen
(Figure 2-14) appear. Refer to Section 2.3.1 Choosing a Channel for continued instructions.

2.3. Setup and Use

After completing the registration process, you should set up the Red Hat Update Agent to effectively
manage all of your system’s package updates. This requires selecting its channel, identifying the
packages requiring maintenance, and making your first installation.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent 19

2.3.1. Choosing a Channel

The first step is to select the channel from which you want the updated packages to be retrieved. After
you send your System Profile, the Channels screen (Figure 2-14) appears. Select the appropriate
base channel and click Forward to continue. Refer to Section 4.6 Channels for more information on
channels and how channels are used to determine which packages are installed.

Figure 2-14. Channels

2.3.2. Choosing Packages to Update

After clicking Forward, the dialog box in Figure 2-15 will appear. This means a connection to Red
Hat Network is being established and your customized list of updates is being retrieved. This might
take some time, depending on the speed of your connection and the number of packages you have
installed.

Figure 2-15. Retrieve Update Information

20 Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent

While you see this dialog box, the Red Hat Update Agent uses your unique Digital Certificate
(/etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid) to determine if there are any updated packages available for
your system. If there are no updated packages available for your system, the dialog box in Figure 2-16
appears. Click OK to exit the Red Hat Update Agent.

Figure 2-16. No new packages needed

If you excluded any packages while registering your System Profile, these are displayed in Figure
2-17. You may override these settings and include any of these packages in the update by selecting
the checkboxes next to them. To see a summary of each package in the Package Information section
at the bottom of the screen, click the name of the package.

Figure 2-17. Packages Flagged to be Skipped

If you want to view the advisory for the RPM Alert, click the View Advisory button. This will display
what type of Errata Alert it is and what problem(s) it addresses as shown in Figure 2-18. Click OK to
close the advisory. Click Finished when you are finished selecting packages to include.