Installation guide

Table 5.1. RHN Ent itlement Certifica te Opt ions

Opt ion Description

-h, --help Display the help screen with a list of options.

--sanity-only Confirm certificate sanity. Does not activate the Satellite

locally or remotely.

--disconnected Activates locally but not on remote RHN Servers.

--rhn-cert=/PATH/TO/CERT Uploads new certificate and activates the Satellite

based upon the other options passed (if any).

--system id=/PATH/TO/SYSTEMID For testing only - Provides an alternative s ystem ID by

path and file. T he system default is used if not

specified.

--no-ssl For testing only - Disable SSL.

To use these options, insert the option and the appropriate value, if needed, after the rhn-

satellite-activate command. Refer to Section 5.3.2, “Activating the Satellite”.

5.3.2. Activating the Satellite

You should use the options in T able 5.1, “RHN Entitlement Certificate Options” to accomplish the

following tasks in this order:

1. Validate the RHN Entitlement Certificate's sanity (or usefulness).

2. Activate the Satellite locally by inserting the RHN Entitlement Certificate into the local database.

3. Activate the Satellite remotely by ins erting the RHN Entitlement Certificate into the central RHN

(remote) database. This is typically accomplished during local activation but may require a second

step if you chose the --disconnected option.

Here are some examples depicting use of the tool and these options.

To validate an RHN Entitlement Certificate's sanity only:

rhn-satellite-activate --sanity-only --rhn-cert=/path/to/demo.cert

To validate an RHN Entitlement Certificate and populate the local databas e:

rhn-satellite-activate --disconnected --rhn-cert=/path/to/demo.cert

To validate an RHN Entitlement Certificate and populate both the local and the RHN database:

rhn-satellite-activate --rhn-cert=/path/to/demo.cert

Once you run this final command, the Satellite is running and able to serve packages locally and

synchronize with the central RHN Servers. Refer to Chapter 6, Importing and Synchronizing.

5.4. Satellite Entitlement Certificate Expiration

Satellite certificates expire at 11:59:59 PM on the date listed in the certificate's expires field, and new

certificates become active at 12:00:00 AM on their issued date.

A standard grace period of seven (7) days exists between the date of Satellite certificate expiration and

when the Satellite becomes inactive. T his grace period is provided in order for customers to contact Red

Hat Support and obtain a new certificate. During the grace period, the following things happen:

The Satellite remains active.

Each user that logs into the Satellite sees a banner on their Overview page that explains that the

Satellite certificate has expired.

Once a day, for all seven days, the Satellite Administrator's email receives notification that the

certificate has expired.

When the grace period is over, the Satellite becomes unavailable: users will be unable to login to the

web UI and all client-side tools will present an Expired Certificate message.

Finally, the Satellite Administrator receives a daily email alerting them that the certificate has expired.

Chapter 5. Entitlements