Installation guide

Now that you have installed Red Hat Network-specific packages, implemented SSL, and reconfigured
your client systems to connect to the Red Hat Satellite, you are ready to begin registering systems and
obtaining updates.
2.1.4 .1. Regist ering Unix Systems
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. T hese 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 Activation Keys in the left navigation bar. T hen 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 2.1.2, “Satellite
Server Preparation/Configuration”.
3. After creating the key, click its name in the Activation 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 --activationkey option to register the client with the Satellite.
The string of characters that make up the key may be copied directly from the Activation Keys
list on the website. T he 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 Activated Systems tab.
2.1.4 .2. Obt aining Updates
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.
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