Red Hat NETWORK ENTERPRISE - USER 1.1.1 Product information sheet

Red Hat Network Enterprise
User Reference Guide 1.1.1

Red Hat Network Enterprise: User Reference Guide 1.1.1
Copyright © 2001, 2002 by Red Hat, Inc.
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................... v
1. Document Conventions......................................................................................................... v
2. More to Come .....................................................................................................................vii
2.1. Send in Your Feedback ........................................................................................vii
1. What is Red Hat Network? ............................................................................................................ 9
1.1. Demo................................................................................................................................ 10
1.2. Basic................................................................................................................................. 10
1.3. Enterprise ......................................................................................................................... 10
1.4. Automatic Notifications and Scheduled Package Installations........................................ 11
1.5. Security, Quality Assurance, and Red Hat Network........................................................ 11
1.6. Before You Begin............................................................................................................. 12
2. Red Hat Network Registration Client......................................................................................... 15
2.1. Configuring the Red Hat Network Registration Client................................................ 15
2.2. Starting the Red Hat Network Registration Client ...................................................... 16
2.3. Registering a User Account ............................................................................................. 19
2.4. Registering a System Profile............................................................................................ 21
2.4.1. Hardware System Profile .................................................................................. 21
2.4.2. Software System Profile.................................................................................... 22
2.5. Finishing Registration...................................................................................................... 24
2.6. Entitling Your System...................................................................................................... 26
2.7. Text Mode RHN Registration Client ............................................................................... 26
3. Red Hat Update Agent Configuration Tool ................................................................................ 29
3.1. Starting the Red Hat Update Agent Configuration Tool.............................................. 29
3.2. General Settings ............................................................................................................... 29
3.3. Retrieval/Installation Settings .......................................................................................... 30
3.4. Package Exceptions Settings............................................................................................ 31
3.5. Command Line Version ................................................................................................... 32
4. Red Hat Update Agent.................................................................................................................. 35
4.1. Starting the Red Hat Update Agent ............................................................................... 35
4.2. Choosing a Channel ......................................................................................................... 37
4.3. Choosing Packages to Update.......................................................................................... 38
4.4. Installing Updated Packages ............................................................................................ 41
4.5. Update Agent Finished .................................................................................................... 42
4.6. Command Line Version ................................................................................................... 43
4.6.1. Installing the Red Hat GPG key........................................................................ 45
4.7. Manual Package Installation ............................................................................................ 46
4.8. Synchronizing Your System Profile ................................................................................. 46
4.9. Log File............................................................................................................................ 47
5. Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool ................................................................................... 49
5.1. Configuring the Applet .................................................................................................... 49
5.2. Notification Icons............................................................................................................. 50
5.3. Viewing Updates .............................................................................................................. 50
5.4. Applying Updates ............................................................................................................ 51

6. Red Hat Network Website............................................................................................................ 53
6.1. Logging into the RHN Website........................................................................................ 53
6.2. Introduction to the Web Interface .................................................................................... 53
6.2.1. Errata Alerts ...................................................................................................... 55
6.3. Your RHN ........................................................................................................................ 55
6.3.1. Your Account .................................................................................................... 57
6.3.2. Entitlements ...................................................................................................... 57
6.3.3. Organization Information.................................................................................. 58
6.3.4. Activation Keys................................................................................................. 58
6.4. Systems ............................................................................................................................ 59
6.4.1. System List ....................................................................................................... 59
6.4.2. System Group List ............................................................................................ 61
6.4.3. System Search................................................................................................... 61
6.4.4. System Details .................................................................................................. 61
6.5. Errata................................................................................................................................ 62
6.5.1. All Errata........................................................................................................... 62
6.5.2. Applicable Errata .............................................................................................. 63
6.5.3. Errata Search..................................................................................................... 63
6.5.4. Apply Errata Updates........................................................................................ 63
6.5.5. Errata Details .................................................................................................... 64
6.6. Errata................................................................................................................................ 64
6.7. Channels and Packages .................................................................................................... 64
6.7.1. Channel List ...................................................................................................... 64
6.7.2. Download ISO Images ...................................................................................... 65
6.7.3. Channel Details................................................................................................. 65
6.7.4. Channel Subscribe and Unsubscribe................................................................. 66
6.7.5. Package Details................................................................................................. 66
6.7.6. Package Install .................................................................................................. 66
6.7.7. Package Download............................................................................................ 67
6.8. Scheduled Actions ........................................................................................................... 68
6.9. Users ................................................................................................................................ 69
6.9.1. User List............................................................................................................ 69
6.9.2. Create User........................................................................................................ 70
6.9.3. User Approval ................................................................................................... 70
6.9.4. User Details....................................................................................................... 70
6.10. System Groups............................................................................................................... 70
6.10.1. System Group List .......................................................................................... 71
6.10.2. System Group Creation................................................................................... 71
6.10.3. System Group Addition and Removal ............................................................ 72
6.10.4. System Group Details ..................................................................................... 72
6.11. System Set Manager ...................................................................................................... 72
7. Red Hat Network Daemon ........................................................................................................... 75
8. Using Red Hat Network with Red Hat Linux 6.2 ...................................................................... 77
Glossary ............................................................................................................................................. 79
Index................................................................................................................................................... 85

Introduction
Welcome to the Red Hat Network Enterprise User Reference Guide 1.1.1.
The Red Hat Network Enterprise User Reference Guide will guide you through registering your sys-
tem 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 2.7.86-7.x.3 of the Red Hat Update Agent and version
2.7.21-7.x.3 of the Red Hat Network Registration Client.
For a more detailed, technical overview of Red Hat Network, please refer to the whitepapers available
at http://www.redhat.com/docs/wp/.
For an interactive demo of RHN, go to http://rhn.redhat.com/demo/rhn_demo.html. It requires the
Macromedia Flash player.
1. Document Conventions
When you read this manual, you will see that certain words are represented in different fonts, type-
faces, 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 filenames). In these cases, they are considered
to be part of the command, so the entire phrase will be 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.
filename
Filenames, 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 Red Hat Linux
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 filesystems.
Install the webalizer RPM if you want to use a Web server log file analysis program.
application
This style should indicate to you that the program named is an end-user application (as opposed
to system software). For example:
Use Netscape Navigator to browse the Web.

vi Introduction
[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 will
display 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 will exit 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 will be shown in this style.
When you see text shown in this style, it 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
When you see a word in this style, it 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 Settings on a GNOME terminal, you will see the following menu items: Preferences,
Reset Terminal,Reset and Clear, and Color selector.
If you need to type in a sequence of commands from a GUI menu, they will be shown like the
following example:
Click on Programs=>Applications=>Emacs to start the Emacs text editor.
button on a GUI screen or window
This style indicates that the text will 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
When you see text in this style, it indicates text displayed by the computer on the command line.
You will see responses to commands you typed in, error messages, and interactive prompts for
your input during scripts or programs shown this way. For example:
Use the ls command to display the contents of a directory:
$ ls
Desktop axhome logs paulwesterberg.gif
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,
will be shown in this style. Examples:
$
#
[stephen@maturin stephen]$
leopard login:

Introduction vii
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 will need to type in the text
command at the boot: prompt.
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 will be 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.
Warning
If you choose not to partition manually, a server installation will remove all existing partitions on all
installed hard drives. Do not choose this installation class unless you are sure you have no data you
need to save.
2. More to Come
The Red Hat Network Enterprise User Reference Guide is constantly expanding as new Red Hat
Network features and service plans are launched.

viii Introduction
2.1. Send in Your Feedback
If you would like to make suggestions about the Red Hat Network Enterprise User Reference Guide,
please mention this guide’s identifier:
RHNent(EN)-1.1.1-Print-RHI (2002-05-16T18:290400)
You can send mail to:
<[email protected]>

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 you are only able to find the source files that you have
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 (collective known
as Errata Alerts) can be downloaded directly from Red Hat. You can even have updates automatically
delivered directly to your system as soon as they are released.
The three main components of Red Hat Network are as follows:
•The Red Hat Network Registration Client
•The Red Hat Network user interface
•Red Hat Network Daemon
The Red Hat Network Registration Client allows you to register your system with RHN. Registra-
tion involves creating a unique RHN user name and password, probing the hardware on your system
to create a Hardware Profile, and 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 2 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 Web interface 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 7 for further information). This
daemon is necessary if you want to receive automatic updates or if you schedule an action through the
Web interface.
Many Red Hat Network terms are used throughout this manual. As you read the Red Hat Network
User Reference Guide, refer to the Glossary as necessary for an explanation of common terms.

10 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?
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 subscrip-
tion to RHN Demo. It includes Errata Notifications and Errata Updates from RHN.
1.2. Basic
The RHN Basic service is ideal for a user with one Red Hat Linux system or a small number of Red
Hat Linux systems to keep updated. Basic also refers to trial subscriptions, such as those activated
from the purchase of an official Red Hat Linux box product. Subscription to Basic can be purchased
at http://rhn.redhat.com/purchase_info.pxt.
With each Basic subscription, you receive:
•Errata Notifications — learn when Security Alerts, Bug Fix Alerts, and Enhancement Alerts are
issued for all the systems in your network
•Automatic email notifications — Receive an email notification when an Errata Alert is issued for
your system
•Errata Updates — Scheduled delivery of Errata Updates with optional automatic installation
•Package installation — Scheduled package installation on one or more systems with the click of a
button
•Summary and Detailed System Lists — View your System Profiles at a glance or in detail.
•Instant ISOs — Download ISO images of our Red Hat Linux distribution instantly instead of com-
peting with other FTP users.
•Red Hat Update Agent — Use the Red Hat Update Agent to download the latest software pack-
ages for your system with optional package installation
•Website — Manage multiple systems, downloaded individual packages, and schedule actions such
as Errata Updates and Package Installation
1.3. Enterprise
In addition to the features offered in the RHN Basic subscription service, the RHN Enterprise sub-
scription service allows you to manage your network of Red Hat Linux systems, manage users, and
manage system groups through its System Set Manager interface.
RHN Enterprise is based around the concept of an organization. Each enterprise level Red Hat cus-
tomer is assigned a Red Hat Customer Number. A Red Hat Network organization can be established
for each Red Hat Customer Number. Each Red Hat Network organization contains 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 only see the
systems they have permission to administer.
To create an account that can be used to entitle systems to the RHN Enterprise, go to
http://rhn.redhat.com/ and click on the Create Account link under the Your RHN category. On the
Sign Up for Red Hat Network page, click Create a Corporate Account. After creating a corporate
account, users within your organization need to click the Join a Corporate Account link to create

Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network? 11
an RHN user account. In the Corporate Account Information section, they should enter the
customer number and password configured when you created the corporate account. Before the new
corporate user can log in, an existing Organization Administrator for the corporation must approve
the addition of the user and configure the new user’s roles and permissions. Refer to Section 6.3 for
more information on approving new users.
The Red Hat Network features available to you depends on the subscription level for each Red Hat
Linux system.
Systems subscribed to RHN Enterprise may access the following features:
1. System Set Manager that allows administrators to perform an action on a selected set of sys-
tems at the same time
2. Enhanced system details including the location of the system
3. System groups
4. System search
5. User management
6. Multiple administrators
7. Grant or deny users access to selected system groups
8. Organization Administrator can modify the user details of all users within the organization
1.4. Automatic Notifications and Scheduled Package Installations
You can configure 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 packages
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
1.5. Security, Quality Assurance, and Red Hat Network
Red Hat Network provides significant benefits to your network including security and quality assur-
ance. 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 only accessible with an RHN verified
user name 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.

12 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?
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.pxt for a list of Frequently Asked Questions.
1.6. Before You Begin
Red Hat Network is available for Red Hat Linux 6.2 and higher. For instructions on configuring Red
Hat Linux 6.2 for Red Hat Network, refer to Chapter 8.
By default, all the software packages you need to use Red Hat Network are installed with Red Hat
Linux 7 and higher. However, if you chose not to install them during the installation process or per-
formed an upgrade from Red Hat Linux 6.2 or lower, you may not have the Red Hat Network Reg-
istration Client or the Red Hat Update Agent installed. 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-2.7.21-7.x.3
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. If you prefer not to use the graphical 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

Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network? 13
(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.

14 Chapter 1. What is Red Hat Network?

Chapter 2.
Red Hat Network Registration Client
Before you begin using Red Hat Network, you need to create a username, password, and System
Profile. The Red Hat Network Registration Client walks you through this process.
2.1. Configuring the Red Hat Network Registration Client
Warning
Most users do not need to configure the Red Hat Network Registration Client before registering
their systems. Do not attempt to use this option unless you must.
To start the graphical interface for configuring the application to connect through an HTTP proxy
server, type the following command at a shell prompt:
rhn_register --configure
The window shown in Figure 2-1 will appear.
Figure 2-1. Red Hat Network Registration Client Configuration
To start the command line version, use the command:
rhn_register --nox --configure
It has more configuration options than the graphical version.
You will be presented with a list of options and their current values:
0. enableProxyAuth No

16 Chapter 2. Red Hat Network Registration Client
1. noSSLServerURL http://www.rhns.redhat.com/XMLRPC
2. oemInfoFile /etc/sysconfig/rhn/oeminfo
3. enableProxy No
4. networkSetup Yes
5. httpProxy
6. proxyUser
7. serverURL https://www.rhns.redhat.com/XMLRPC
8. proxyPassword
9. debug No
Enter number of item to edit

return to exit, q to quit without saving

:
Enter the number of the item that you want to modify, and enter a new value for the option. When
you finish changing your configuration, press [Enter] to save your changes and exit. Press [q] and then
[Enter] to quit without saving your changes.
The most common options configured are enableProxy and httpProxy to enable a proxy server.
To enable a proxy server, change the value for enableProxy to Yes and the value of httpProxy to
the name of the proxy server and port number in the format http://HOST:PORT. For example, to
use the proxy server http://squid.mysite.org on port 3128, you would change the value to
http://squid.mysite.org:3128.
If you require a proxy username and password, set enableProxyAuth to Yes to enable
username/password authentication for the proxy, and set proxyUser and proxyPassword to the
appropriate username and password for the proxy.
2.2. Starting the Red Hat Network Registration Client
You must be root to register a system with RHN. If you start the Red Hat Network Registration
Client as a standard user, you will be prompted to enter the root password before proceeding. To start
the Red Hat Network Registration Client, use one of the following methods:
1. On the GNOME desktop, go to the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => Programs => System
=> Red Hat Network
2. On the KDE desktop, go to the Main Menu Button (on the Panel) => System => Red Hat
Network
3. Type the command rhn_register at a shell prompt (for example an XTerm or GNOME
terminal)
4. If you are not running the X Window System, type the command rhn_register at a virtual
console or remote terminal. Refer to Section 2.7 for further details.
Caution
You must use Python 1.5.2-24 or later with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support. If not, the infor-
mation you transfer will not be encrypted. If you have an earlier version of Python, you will see the
message shown in Figure 2-2. To determine the version of Python on your system, use the command
rpm -q python. It is strongly recommended you use Python 1.5.2-24 or later.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Network Registration Client 17
Figure 2-2. Use Python 1.5.2-24 or later
If you have already registered your system and try to register it again, the dialog box shown in
Figure 2-3 will appear. If you continue, it will overwrite your existing Digital Certificate file
(/etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid), and you will create a different System Profile. You will no
longer be able to use your previous System Profile — be sure this is what you want to do before you
choose Yes.
If you overwrite an existing system registration, you can delete the unused profile via the website at
https://rhn.redhat.com.
Figure 2-3. Warning: This System Already Registered
The opening screen for the Red Hat Network Registration Client gives you a brief overview of the
services available and the steps required to register (see Figure 2-4). Click Next to continue with the
registration process. If you click Cancel, the registration process will end and no information will be
sent.

18 Chapter 2. Red Hat Network Registration Client
Figure 2-4. Welcome Screen
Red Hat is committed to protecting your privacy (see Figure 2-5). The information gathered during
the Red Hat Network registration process is used to create a System Profile. The System Profile is
essential if you wish to receive update notifications about your system. If you have any questions
about how your information is being used, please contact us at <[email protected]>.

Chapter 2. Red Hat Network Registration Client 19
Figure 2-5. Red Hat Privacy Statement
2.3. Registering a User Account
Before you can create a System Profile, you must create a user account. The only required information
in this section is a unique username, password, and a valid email address.
In the screen shown in Figure 2-7, you must 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. 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.
Figure 2-6. Error: Username Already Exists

20 Chapter 2. Red Hat Network Registration Client
Note
If you are already a member of redhat.com, you can use the same user name and password. How-
ever, 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
•Can not contain any spaces
•Can not contain any tabs
•Can not contain any line feeds
•Can not contain the characters &, +, %, or ’
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 Network Registration Client 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.
Figure 2-7. Create a Unique Username and Password
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.
Click Next to continue.