Installation guide

Chapter 1.

Introduction

1.1. Red Hat Network

Red Hat Network (RHN) is the environment for system-level support and management of Red Hat

systems and networks of systems. Red Hat Network brings together the tools, services, and informa-

tion repositories needed to maximize the reliability, security, and performance of their systems. To use

RHN, system administrators register the software and hardware proﬁles, known as System Proﬁles,

of their client systems with Red Hat Network. When a client system requests package updates, only

the applicable packages for the client are returned (based upon the software proﬁle stored on the RHN

Servers).

Advantages of using Red Hat Network include:

• Scalability — with Red Hat Network, a single system administrator can set up and maintain hun-

dreds or thousands of Red Hat systems more easily, accurately, and quickly than they could maintain

a single system without Red Hat Network.

• Standard Protocols — standard protocols are used to maintain security and increase capability. For

example, XML-RPC gives Red Hat Network the ability to do much more than merely download

ﬁles.

• Security — all communication between registered systems and Red Hat Network takes place over

secure Internet connections.

• View Errata Alerts — easily view Errata Alerts for all your client systems through one website.

• Scheduled Actions — use the website to schedule actions, including Errata Updates, package in-

stalls, and software proﬁle updates.

• Simpliﬁcation — maintaining Red Hat systems becomes a simple, automated process.

1.2. RHN Proxy Server

An RHN Proxy Server is a service deployed within a corporate network with advanced Red Hat

Network functionality, such as a package-caching mechanism for reduced bandwidth usage and cus-

tomizable channels enabling custom package deployment.

This service allows a business or corporation to cache RPM Updates on an internal, centrally located

RHN Proxy Server and have the client systems download the updates from that server instead of from

one of the RHN Servers

over the Internet. The clients’ System Proﬁles and user information are

stored on the secure, central RHN Servers, which also serve the RHN website (rhn.redhat.com). The

Proxy acts as a go-between for client systems and Red Hat Network (or an RHN Satellite Server).

Only the package ﬁles are stored on the RHN Proxy Server. Every transaction is authenticated, and

the Red Hat Update Agent checks the GPG signature of each package retrieved from the local RHN

Proxy Server.

In addition to storing ofﬁcial Red Hat packages, the RHN Proxy Server can be conﬁgured to deliver an

organization’s own custom packages from private RHN channels, using the RHN Package Manager.

1. Throughout this document, replace RHN Server with RHN Satellite Server if the RHN Proxy Server connects

to a RHN Satellite Server instead.