Installation guide
Saves bandwidth — packages are downloaded from RHN only once (per local Proxy Server's
caching mechanism) instead of downloading each package to each client system.
Customized updates — create a truly automated package delivery system for custom software
packages, as well as official Red Hat packages required for the client systems. Custom private RHN
channels allow an organization to automate delivery of in-house packages.
Customized configuration — restrict or grant updates to specific architectures and OS versions.
Only one Internet connection required — Because clients connect only to the RHN Proxy Server and
not the Internet, they require only a Local Area Network connection to the Proxy. Only the RHN Proxy
Server needs an Internet connection to contact the RHN Servers, unless the RHN Proxy Server is
using a RHN Satellite Server, in which case only the RHN Satellite Server requires an Internet
connection.
1.3. Terms to Understand
Before understanding RHN Proxy Server, it is important to become familiar with the following Red Hat
Network terms:
Channel
A channel is a list of software packages. T here are two types of channels: base channels and
child channels. A base channel consists of a list of packages based on a specific architecture
and Red Hat release. A child channel is a channel associated with a base channel that contains
extra packages.
Organizat ion Administrator
An Organization Administrator is a user role with the highest level of control over an
organization's Red Hat Network account. Members with this role can add other users, other
systems, and system groups to the organization, as well as remove them. A Red Hat Network
organization must have at least one Organization Administrator.
Channel Administrator
A Channel Administrator is a user role with full access to channel management capabilities.
Users with this role are capable of creating channels and assigning packages to channels.
This role can be assigned by an Organization Administrator through the Users tab of the RHN
website.
Red Hat Update Agent
The Red Hat Update Agent is the Red Hat Network client application (up2date or yum ) that
allows users to retrieve and install new or updated packages for the client system on which the
application is run.
Traceback
A traceback is a detailed description of "what went wrong" that is useful for troubleshooting the
RHN Proxy Server. T racebacks are automatically generated when a critical error occurs and are
emailed to the individual(s) designated in the RHN Proxy Server's configuration file.
For more detailed explanations of these terms and others, refer to the Red Hat Network Reference
Guide available at http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/satellite/ and the Help page on the Satellite
Chapter 1. Introduction
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