Installation guide

4.1.8 .1 . Re gist ering UNIX Syst em s
This section describes the Red Hat Network registration process for UNIX systems. You must use the
rhnreg _ks command to accomplish this; the use of activation keys for registering your systems is
optional. These keys allow you to predetermine settings within Red Hat Network, such as base
channels and system groups, and to apply those automatically to systems during their registration.
Since activation key generation and use is covered extensively in other chapters, this section
focuses on differences when applying them to UNIX variants.
To register UNIX systems with your Red Hat Satellite, accomplish the following tasks in this order:
1. Log into the Satellite's web interface and click the Systems tab in the top navigation bar
followed by Acti vati o n Keys in the left navigation bar. Then click the create new key
link at the top-right corner of the page.
2. On the following page, select the base channel you created at the end of Section 4.1.6,
“ Satellite Server Preparation and Configuration”.
3. After creating the key, click its name in the Acti vati o n Keys list to enhance its Red Hat
Network settings by associating software and configuration channels and system groups.
4. Open a terminal on the client system to be registered and switch user to root.
5. Use rhnreg _ks along with the --acti vati o nkey option to register the client with the
Satellite. The string of characters that make up the key may be copied directly from the
Acti vati o n Keys list on the website. The resulting command will look something like the
following:
rhnreg_ks --activationkey=b25fef0966659314ef9156786bd9f3af
6. Go back to the website, click the name of the activation key, and ensure the new system
appears within the Acti vated Systems tab.
4.1.8 .2 . Obt aining Updat e s
Package updates in UNIX are handled differently compared to Linux. For instance, Solaris relies on
Patch Clusters to update multiple packages at once, while Red Hat operating systems use Errata
Updates to associate upgrades with specific packages. In addition, Solaris uses answer files to
automate interactive package installations, something Linux doesn't understand, while Red Hat
offers the concept of source packages. For this reason, this section seeks to highlight differences in
using Red Hat Network tools on UNIX systems. (Note: Red Hat Network does not support Solaris
answer files in the current release; such support is planned for future releases.)
Despite inherent differences, such as the lack of Errata, the channel and package management
interfaces within the Red Hat Network website on the Satellite work largely the same for UNIX systems.
All software channels designed to serve UNIX variants can be constructed almost exactly as the
custom channels described in the Red Hat Satellite Getting Started Guide. The most significant
difference is the architecture. When creating a UNIX software channel, ensure you select the base
channel architecture appropriate for the systems to be served.
Break down your packages into base and child channels depending on their nature. For example,
on Solaris, installation packages should go in the Solaris base channel, while patches and Patch
Clusters should go in a child channel of the Solaris base channel. Extra installation packages can
go in a separate Extras child channel.
⁠Chapt er 4 . Red Hat Sat ellit e and Solaris- specific Informat ion
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