Installation guide

Channel metadata
Metadata of all packages in that channel
Metadata for all Errata that affect that channel
Note
All analysis is performed on the RHN Satellite; the central RHN Servers deliver only an
export of its channel information and remain ignorant of any details regarding the RHN
Satellite.
3. After the analysis of the export data, any differences are imported into the RHN Satellite database.
Please note that importing new packages may take variable lengths of time. For a large update, an
import can take many hours.
The satellite-sync command can be us ed in two modes: via RHN and via local media.
6.3.1. Synchronizing Errata and Packages Directly via RHN
For cus tomers who want to s ync data as frequently as possible and who can initiate connections
outside of their own environments, the satellite sync can be run over the Internet through SSL. This is
the default setting for the satellite sync script. For example:
satellite-sync -c rhel-i386-as-3
This connects to central Red Hat Network Servers and performs the process described above. Multiple
channels can be included by repeating the option. If no channels are specified, all channels on the
Satellite will be refreshed.
6.3.2. Synchronizing Errata and Packages via Local Media
For cus tomers who cannot connect their Satellite directly to RHN, Red Hat recommends downloading
Channel Content ISOs to a separate, Internet-connected system and then transferring them to the
Satellite. Refer to Section 6.2.2.1, “Preparing Channel Content ISOs” for instructions on downloading the
ISOs. For ease of import, we recommend that the data be copied from media directly into a common
repository through a command such as the following:
cp -rv /mnt/cdrom/* /var/rhn-sat-sync/
Then, the following command:
satellite-sync -c rhel-i386-as-3 --mount-point /var/rhn-sat-sync
This can be used to perform the sync process described above, using the dump files in /var/rhn-
sat-sync to perform the necessary comparisons and imports. See Section 6.2.3, “Running the Import”
for precise steps.
6.4. Inter-Satellite Sync
RHN Satellite 5.3 or greater s upports synchronization between two Satellites. This synchronization, also
called Inter-Satellite Sync, allows administrators to simplify the process of coordinating content from one
RHN Satellite source to another or several others.
The following are the basic requirements for Inter-satellite Sync.
At least two RHN Satellite 5.3 or greater servers
At least one RHN Satellite populated with at least one channel
Master RHN Satellite SSL certificate available on each of the slave RHN Satellites for secure
connection
6.4.1. Recommended Models for Inter-Satellite Sync
The Inter-Satellite Sync feature for Satellite provides facilities for synchronizing content between two or
more Satellites. The following are some of the more typical uses that show the possibilities of Inter-
Satellite Sync and help guide you in determining how to make the most of this feature in your
environment.
Note
If you are not sure if the Inter-Satellite Sync feature is right for your organization, please note that
you can continue to use RHN Satellite 5.3 or greater in the typical manner. Installing or upgrading
to RHN Satellite 5.3 or greater does not require that you make use of this feature.
Figure 6.1. Sta ging Sa te llite
In this example, the Stage Satellite is used to prepare the content and perform quality assurance (QA)
work — to make sure that packages are fit for production use. After content is approved to go to
production, the Production Satellite will then synchronize the content from the Stage Satellite.
Figure 6.2. Ma ster Server a nd Sla ve Pe ers tha t include their own cust om cont ent
In this example, the master Satellite is the development channel, from which content is distributed to all
production slave Satellites. Some slave Satellites have extra content not present in master Satellite
channels. These packages are preserved, but all changes from mas ter Satellite are synchronized to
Red Hat Network Satellite 5.4 Installation Guide
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