System information

Chapter 1. Introduction to Red Hat Satellite

This chapter aims to help Red Hat Satellite 5 administrators understand and draw parallels with

Red Hat Satellite 6 concepts. It also provides a high level comparison of the key differences between

these two products, and explains deeper concepts relating to system architecture, organizational

structure, and the application life cycle.

1.1. Red Hat Sat ellit e 5

Red Hat Satellite 5 is life cycle management tool that includes the ability to deploy, manage and

monitor a large number of systems. Satellite 5 can be set up in a connected or disconnected mode in

which Red Hat software is distributed to client systems using the original pooled subscription

approach. The pooled subscription concept is similar to the way in which clients consume

entitlements from Red Hat Network Classic.

Feat u res an d Fu n ct io n alit y

The popular functionality of Satellite 5 includes the ability to provision a large number of systems

using kickstart files and activation keys to install and configure systems to a predictable state. This

provisioning process associates systems to designated organizations, software and configuration

channels, as well as placing systems in predefined system groups. The Satellite 5 provisioning

functionality enables administrators to provision thousands of systems in a consistent manner.

Another popular feature is the ability to manage software and configuration files across large

numbers of systems in local or remote environments after those systems have been provisioned. One

of the well understood concepts of managing software and configuration files in Satellite 5 is the

concept of channels. All software and configuration is managed and distributed through channels,

and any client needing access to software or configuration content needs to be associated with one

or more relevant channels. Further, the ability to clone channels enabled administrators to create the

much needed development-production environments required by most enterprises.

Ind u st ry Recog n it ion

Satellite 5 is recognized as a solid platform for managing software and configuration files for a large

number of systems. It is also well known for the simplicity and consistency of the provisioning

process. The Satellite 5 systems management platform is also well known for delivering the correct

versions and updated versions of content to the correct systems in a very structured manner.

Administrators can manage the Satellite and systems management processes through the Satellite

webUI and also through the Satellite API interfaces.

Red Hat Satellite 5 provides organizations with the benefits of Red Hat Network without the need for

public Internet access for servers or client systems. This brings together the tools, services, and

information repositories needed to maximize the reliability, security, and performance of your

systems.

Report a bug

1.2. Red Hat Sat ellit e 6

Red Hat Satellite 6 is the evolution of Red Hat's life cycle management platform. It provides the

capabilities that administrators have come to expect in a tool focused on managing systems and

content for a global enterprise. Satellite 6 covers the use cases requested by Satellite 5 customers,

but also includes functionality that enables larger scale, federation of content, better control of

Red Hat Sat ellit e 6 .0 T ransit ion G uid e