Red hat network installation guide

You can do a minimal install of RHEL 7. You have to manage the server from the terminal. For this tutorial we will select local hard drive in this tutorial. Once everything is configured, your configuration window looks like this. The installation starts with option to create user and set root super user password. This can be alternate user name with super user access.

We will use username and password here. On successful registration, you will see this window. You can start exploring the system by using installed applications by using Applications drop down menu. As Red hat is a paid product , there are many opensource Linux distributions you can download and try.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Step 3. By using this website you agree to our use of cookies. Download it now for free. Depending on how long you've used Linux, you know that installation is easy but it hasn't always been.

Remember the first thing you did right after installing? If you said, "Recompile the kernel," you're correct. It was a necessary part of the installation. Then, if you wanted a graphical user interface GUI , you'd have to edit the XF86Config file and spend at least an hour tweaking video. Linux has come a long way since those dark days, but we're not quite to a forehead install yet.

A forehead install is one where if you fell asleep and your forehead hit the keyboard, the installation would begin, proceed, and finish without further interaction. There are a few things you still need to know to optimize your installation.

One of those things is your filesystem configuration. How large do you want your base filesystem to be? How many partitions do you want? Do you want separate mount points for certain directories? Are you going to configure a swap space? Do you want to use LVM vs.

Others are static vs. Start by downloading the latest RHEL 8 ISO from the customer portal or from Red Hat Developer , then begin the installation and follow along with the screenshots to explore your options. On the next screen, select your language and click Continue :. On the Installation Summary screen below , you have your system customization options:.

This screen gives you the opportunity to change any or all of the options shown. At a minimum, I suggest that you change the timezone to the one that matches your system's location.

Note: I don't install a GUI on servers because the graphical interface and all of its components are not necessarily something I want on a server system. They take up a lot of space and introduce potential vulnerabilities associated with the extra software. What you select in the right-hand window depends on your needs.

You may now synchronize it with the central RHN Servers. Refer to Chapter 6, Importing and Synchronizing. For disconnected Satellites or customers who prefer to work locally, Red Hat provides a command line tool for managing your RHN Entitlement Certificate and activating the Satellite using that certificate: RHN Satellite Activate rhn-satellite-activate.

This is included with the Satellite installation as part of the rhns-satellite-tools package. Command Line Entitlement Options. The rhn-satellite-activate tool offers a handful of command line options for activating a Satellite using its RHN Entitlement Certificate:. Table 5. Does not activate the Satellite locally or remotely. The system default is used if not specified. To use these options, insert the option and the appropriate value, if needed, after the rhn-satellite-activate command.

Refer to Section 5. Activating the Satellite. You should use the options in Table 5. This is typically accomplished during local activation but may require a second step if you chose the --disconnected option. Once you run this final command, the Satellite is running and able to serve packages locally and synchronize with the central RHN Servers. Satellite Entitlement Certificate Expiration.

Satellite certificates expire at PM on the date listed in the certificate's expires field, and new certificates become active at AM on their issued date. A standard grace period of seven 7 days exists between the date of Satellite certificate expiration and when the Satellite becomes inactive.

This grace period is provided in order for customers to contact Red Hat Support and obtain a new certificate. During the grace period, the following things happen:. The Satellite remains active. Each user that logs into the Satellite sees a banner on their Your RHN page that explains that the Satellite certificate has expired. Once a day, for all seven days, the Satellite Administrator's email receives notification that the certificate has expired.

When the grace period is over, the Satellite becomes unavailable: users will be unable to login to the web UI and all client-side tools will present an Expired Certificate message. Finally, the Satellite Administrator receives a daily email alerting them that the certificate has expired. Chapter 6. Importing and Synchronizing. After installing the RHN Satellite Server, you must provide it with the packages and channels to be served to client systems. This chapter explains how to import that data and keep it up to date whether the content is from RHN's central servers, local media, or from one Satellite within your organization to another.

The content is exported into a directory specified by the user with the -d option. Once that directory has been transported to another Satellite, the RHN Satellite Synchronization Tool may be used to import the contents, synchronizing two Satellites. The amount of time it takes rhn-satellite-exporter to export data is dependent on the number and size of the channels being exported.

Using the --no-packages , --no-kickstarts , --no-errata , and --no-rpms options reduces the amount of time required for rhn-satellite-exporter to run, but also prevents potentially useful information from being exported. For that reason, these options should only be used when you are certain that you will not need the content that they exclude.

Additionally, you must use the matching options for satellite-sync when importing the data. For example, if you use --no-kickstarts with rhn-satellite-exporter you must specify the --no-kickstarts option when importing the data. When exporting an RHN base channel, you must also export the tools channel associated with that base channel in order to kickstart machines to the distribution in the base channel. For instance, if you export rhel-ias-4 you must also export the rhn-tools-rhelas-i channel in order to kickstart machines to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 AS.

This is because the tools channels contain the auto-kickstart packages that install packages for kickstarting a machine through the Satellite. To use them, insert the option and appropriate value after the rhn-satellite-exporter command.

Table 6. These can be used as values for --step. There must be sufficient disk space in the directory specified in the --dir option to contain the exported contents. Although it is not a requirement for the export to succeed, the export will be most useful when performed on a Satellite that has populated channels.

Running the Export. First, be sure to configure the Satellite in the manner that you would either like to duplicate in another Satellite or back up to a storage solution. Second, select the contents you would like to export. You can choose not to export RPMs, errata, or kickstarts by using the options mentioned in Section 6.

Finally, execute the command as root. The following is an example command:. When finished, the export directory may be moved to another Satellite or a storage solution using rsync or scp -r. This section describes the process for importing packages and other channel data. To populate custom channels correctly, you must first populate at least one Red Hat base channel. The RHN Satellite Synchronization Tool creates the necessary directory structures and permissions; without these, the custom channel tools will not work properly.

For this reason, you should use these instructions to set up your base channel s and then refer to the RHN Channel Management Guide for steps to establish custom channels. To launch it, execute the following command as root:. This tool can be used in a closed environment, such as the one created with a disconnected install, or it may obtain data directly over the Internet.

For it to obtain Errata information, it must first know the packages contained. For the packages to be updated, the tool must first identify the associated channel s. Each of these steps can be initiated individually for testing purposes with the effect of forcing the tool to stop when that step is complete. All steps that precede it, however, will have taken place. Therefore, calling the rpms step will automatically ensure the channels and channel-families steps take place first.

To initiate an individual step, use the --step option, like so:. To be used in closed environments such as those created during disconnected installs. Multiple channels can be included by repeating the option. If no channels are specified, all channels on the Satellite will be freshened. Typically used in testing. Open man satellite-sync for more information. If no options are included, satellite-sync synchronizes all channels that already exist in the Satellite's database.

By default, the --step all steps option is enabled. Keep in mind that the --channel option requires the channel label, not its name. For instance, use "rhel-ias-3" not "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 i All displayed channels are available for importing and synchronizing. Preparing for Import from Local Media. It takes a long time to populate a channel from scratch over the Internet. After logging in, click Channels in the top navigation bar.

Then, click on the RHN Satellite Server channel, making sure to select the Satellite channel that corresponds to your version of Satellite. Channel Content ISOs are mounted and then copied to a temporary repository directory. Before mounting the ISOs, ensure the temporary repository has enough disk space to copy all the contents into a single directory.

For a single channel, the approximate required space is 3 GB. Each channel consists of several ISOs. Once finished, the administrator should delete the temporary directory and all of its contents. Follow these steps:. Mount the ISO file from within the directory containing it using the command:.

In order to perform the import from data previously exported using RHN Satellite Exporter, you must first copy that data onto the local system. Steps such as the following will enable you to procede to running the import as described in Section 6. Make the export data available on the local machine in the directory created in the previous step. This can be done by copying the data directly, or by mounting the data from another machine using NFS.

It is perhaps easiest to copy the data into the new directory with a command such as the following:. Running the Import. The rhns-satellite-tools package provides the satellite-sync program for managing all package, channel, and errata imports and synchronizations.

The first step in importing channels into the database is listing the channels available for import. This is accomplished with the command:. The next step is to initiate the import of a specific channel. Do this using a channel label presented in the previous list. The command will look like:. Importing package data can take up to two hours per channel. You may begin registering systems to channels as soon as they appear in the RHN Satellite Server's website.

No packages are necessary for registration, although updates cannot be retrieved from the Satellite until the channel is completely populated. You may repeat this step for each channel or include them all within a single command by passing each channel label preceded by an additional -c flag, like so:. Populating the tables describing common features for channels channel families. Creating a particular channel in the database and importing the metadata describing the channel.

Moving the RPM packages from the temporary repository into their final location. Parsing the header metadata for each package in the channel, uploading the package data, and associating it with the channel.

Identifying Errata associated with the packages and including them in the repository. After running the preceding sample command, the population of the channel should be complete. An update channel is only as useful as the freshness of the information in that channel. Refer to Section 6. For a particular channel, the following information is analyzed:. After the analysis of the export data, any differences are imported into the RHN Satellite Server database.

Please note that importing new packages may take variable lengths of time. For a large update, an import can take many hours. The satellite-sync command can be used in two modes: via RHN and via local media. For customers who want to sync data as frequently as possible and who can initiate connections outside of their own environments, the satellite sync can be run over the Internet through SSL.

This is the default setting for the satellite sync script. For example:. This connects to central Red Hat Network Servers and performs the process described above. If no channels are specified, all channels on the Satellite will be refreshed.

Synchronizing Errata and Packages via Local Media. For ease of import, we recommend that the data be copied from media directly into a common repository through a command such as the following:. See Section 6. Chapter 7. This chapter provides tips for determining the cause of and resolving the most common errors associated with RHN Satellite Server. Log in using your Satellite-entitled account to see your full list of options.

In addition, you may package configuration information and logs from the Satellite and send them to Red Hat for further diagnosis. Log Files. Virtually every troubleshooting step should start with a look at the associated log file or files. These provide invaluable information about the activity that has taken place on the device or within the application that can be used to monitor performance and ensure proper configuration.

See Table 7. Table 7. General Problems. To begin troubleshooting general problems, examine the log file or files related to the component exhibiting failures. A useful exercise is to issue the tail -f command for all log files and then run up2date --list. You should then examine all new log entries for potential clues. A common issue is full disk space. An almost sure sign of this is the appearance of halted writing in the log files.

If logging stopped during a write, such as mid-word, you likely have filled disks. In addition to log files, you can obtain valuable information by retrieving the status of your RHN Satellite Server and its various components. This can be done with the command:.

For instance, to view the status of the Apache Web server, run the command:. For more information, see Section 8. To obtain the status of the Satellite's Embedded Database, if it exists, run the command:. To derive the character set types of your Satellite's database, run the command:. If the traceback mail is marked from dev-null rhn. Note that Section 6. If up2date or the push capability of the RHN Satellite Server ceases to function, it is possible that old log files may be at fault.

Stop the jabberd daemon before removing these files. To do so, issue the following commands as root:. Red Hat Update Agent , Red Hat Network Registration Client , and the Apache Web server are particularly prone to this problem with the RHN applications issuing errors of "host not found" and the Web server stating "Could not determine the server's fully qualified domain name" upon failing to start. One of these has to succeed for the Apache Web server to start and the RHN client applications to work.

It may look like this:. If they still fail, explicitly identify the IP address of the Satellite in the file, such as:. Replace the value here with the actual IP address of the Satellite. This should resolve the problem. Keep in mind, if the specific IP address is stipulated, the file will need to be updated when the machine obtains a new address.

Connection Errors. During the Satellite installation process, SSL certificates are created with inaccurate times. If the Satellite's time is then corrected, the certificate start date and time may be set in the future, making it invalid.

To troubleshoot this, check the date and time on the clients and the Satellite with the following command:. The results should be nearly identical for all machines and within the "notBefore" and "notAfter" validity windows of the certificates. Check the client certificate dates and times with the following command:.

Check the Satellite server certificate dates and times with the following command:. By default, the server certificate has a one-year life while client certificates are good for 10 years. If you find the certificates are incorrect, you can either wait for the valid start time, if possible, or create new certificates, preferably with all system times set to GMT.

Verify the client systems are configured to use the appropriate certificate. Make sure client systems are not using firewalls of their own, blocking required ports as identified in Section 2. Updated Software Components. Subscribing to these channels and updating your Satellite such as by running up2date , may install newer, incompatible versions of critical software components, causing the Satellite to fail. Satellite Debugging by Red Hat.

If you've exhausted these troubleshooting steps or want to defer them to Red Hat Network professionals, Red Hat recommends you take advantage of the strong support that comes with RHN Satellite Server. The most efficient way to do this is to aggregate your Satellite's configuration parameters, log files, and database information and send this package directly to Red Hat.

RHN provides a command line tool explicitly for this purpose: The Satellite Diagnostic Info Gatherer , commonly known by its command satellite-debug. To use this tool, issue the command as root. You will see the pieces of information collected and the single tarball created, like so:. Chapter 8. Because of the RHN Satellite Server's unique closed environment, its users are provided with abilities not available to any other Red Hat Network customers.

In addition, the Satellite itself also requires maintenance. This chapter discusses the procedures that should be followed to carry out administrative functions outside of standard use, as well as to apply patches to the RHN Satellite Server. Managing the Satellite Service. Since the RHN Satellite Server consists of a multitude of individual components, Red Hat provides a master service that allows you to stop, start, or retrieve status information from the various services in the appropriate order: rhn-satellite.

This helper service accepts all of the typical commands:. Use the rhn-satellite service to shut down and bring up the entire RHN Satellite Server and retrieve status messages from all of its services at once.

Updating the Satellite. Apache RPMs do not restart the httpd service upon installation. Therefore, after conducting a full update of an RHN Satellite Server such as with the command up2date -uf , Apache may fail. To avoid this, make sure you restart the httpd service after upgrading it. Then, they can be applied manually by the customer according to instructions in the Errata Advisory. Additional configuration steps may be required to apply certain RHN Satellite Server updates, especially if they involve the database.

In such cases, the advisory will contain specific and detailed information about necessary steps that may be required. If instead of installing new Satellite packages, you are attempting to update the server's RHN Entitlement Certificate, such as to increase its number of client systems, refer to Chapter 5, Entitlements for instructions.

Backing Up the Satellite. Regardless of the method chosen, the associated database also needs to be backed up. For the Stand-Alone Database, consult your organization's database administrator. For the Embedded Database, refer to Section 8. In case of failure, this will save lengthy download time. In addition, Red Hat packages would need to be resynchronized using the satellite-sync tool.

Another method would be to back up all of the files and directories mentioned above but reinstall the RHN Satellite Server without reregistering it. The final and most comprehensive method would be to back up the entire machine.

This would save time in downloading and reinstalling but would require additional disk space and back up time. This command line utility allows you to do everything from make, verify, and restore backups to obtain database status and restart it when necessary. To begin, switch to the oracle user:. DB Control Options. To use them, as oracle insert the option and the appropriate value, if needed, after the db-control command. Table 8. Returns the timestamp of backup creation and reports on its contents.