6.4. Systems

6.4.2.6.1.1. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Overview

A summary of the system's details. In addition to the system status message, the Overview subtab contains basic System Info, Subscribed Channels, and System Properties. Clicking the Alter Channel Subscriptions link takes you to the Channels tab, while clicking the Edit these properties link takes you to the Properties subtab. See the following sections for more information.

6.4.2.6.1.2. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Properties

The profile name, entitlement level, notification choice, daily summary, auto-Errata update, and physical location of the system, including street address, city, state, country, building, room, and rack. To modify this information, make your changes and click the Update Properties button. Note that many of these properties can be set for multiple systems at once through the System Set Manager interface. Refer to Section 6.4.4 System Set Manager — for details. The following properties deserve additional explanation:

• Receive Notifications of Updates/Errata — This setting keeps you abreast of all advisories pertaining to the system. Anytime an update is produced and released for the system, a notification is sent via email.

• Include system in daily summary report calculations — This setting includes the system in a daily summary of system events. (By default, all Management and Provisioning systems are included in the summary.) These are actions affecting packages, such as scheduled Errata Updates, and system reboots or failures to check in. In addition to including the system here, you must choose to receive email notifications in the Your Preferences page of the Your RHN category. Refer to Section 6.3.2 Your Preferences for instructions. Note that RHN will send these summaries only to verified email addresses.

• Automatic application of relevant errata — This setting allows you have all Errata Updates automatically applied to a system. This means packages associated with Errata will be updated without any user intervention. Customers should note that Red Hat does not recommend the use of the auto-update feature for production systems because conflicts between packages and environments can cause system failures. The Red Hat Network Daemon must be enabled on the systems for this feature to work.

6.4.2.6.1.3. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Hardware

Detailed information about the system, including networking, BIOS, storage, and other devices. This appears only if you selected to include the hardware profile for this machine during registration. If the hardware profile looks incomplete or outdated, click the Schedule Hardware Refresh button to schedule a Hardware Profile update for your system. The next time the RHN Daemon connects to RHN, it will update your System Profile with the latest list of hardware.

6.4.2.6.1.4. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Notes

A place to create notes about the system. To add a new note, click the create new note button, type a subject and details, and click the Create button. To modify a note, click on its subject in the list of notes, make your changes, and click the Update button. To remove a note, click on its subject in the list of notes and then click the delete note button.

6.4.2.6.1.5. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Custom Info —

Completely customizable information about the system. Unlike a note, information included here is more formal and can be searched upon. For instance, you may decide to identify an asset tag for each system. To do this, you must first create an asset key within the Custom System Info page. Refer to Section 6.4.9 Custom System Info — for instructions. Once the key exists, you may assign a value to it by clicking create new value here. Click the name of the key in the resulting list and enter a value for it in the Description field, such as "Example#456." Then click the Update Key button.

6.4.2.6.1.6. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Reactivation —

A System Profile-specific activation key. This allows you to create an activation key encompassing this system's ID, history, groups, and channels. You may then use this key only once with the rhnreg_ks command line utility to re-register this system and regain all Red Hat Network settings. Refer to Section 2.5 Registering with Activation Keys for instructions. Unlike typical activation keys, which are not associated with a specific system ID, keys created here do not show up within the Activation Keys page.

	Warning
	When kickstarting a system with its existing RHN profile, it will use the system-specific activation key created here to reregister the system and return its other RHN settings. For this reason, you should not regenerate, delete, or use this key (with rhnreg_ks) while a profile-based kickstart is in progress. If you do, the kickstart will fail.

6.4.2.6.1.7. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Remote Command —

The method for running a remote command on the system. To allow remote commands to be run on the client through RHN, first install the latest rhncfg* packages available within the RHN Provisioning child channel for the system. These may already be installed if you kickstarted the system with configuration management functionality.

Next, create the necessary directory on the target system:

mkdir -p /etc/sysconfig/rhn/allowed-actions/script

Then create a run file in that directory to act as a flag to RHN signaling permission to allow remote commands:

touch /etc/sysconfig/rhn/allowed-actions/script/run

You may then identify a specific user, group, and timeout period, as well as the script itself on this page. Select a date and time to begin attempting the command, and click Schedule Remote Command.

6.4.2.6.1.8. System Details ⇒ Details ⇒ Connection

The system's path to the package repository. This tab appears for any system in an organization that has a registered RHN Proxy Server version 3.1 or later. This subtab is designed to help you determine if updates and other information are passing through one or more RHN Proxy Servers. It identifies the Proxies being used and the order in which data passes through them to reach this system. The Proxy connecting directly to the central RHN Servers or your RHN Satellite Server is numbered '1'.

6.4.2.6.3.1. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ Packages

The default display of the Packages tab describes the options available to you and provides the means to update your package list. If after exploring the packages, you believe the list is outdated or incomplete (or you installed the packages manually and did not have RHN install them), click the Update Package List button on the bottom right-hand corner of this page. The next time the RHN Daemon connects to RHN, it will update your System Profile with the latest list of installed packages.

6.4.2.6.3.2. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ List/Remove

Lists installed packages from the system's software System Profile and enables you to remove them. Click on a package name to view its Package Details page. (Refer to Section 6.6.5.3 Package Details.) To delete packages from the system, select their checkboxes and click the Remove Packages button on the bottom right-hand corner of the page. A confirmation page will appear with the packages listed. Click the Confirm button to remove the packages.

6.4.2.6.3.3. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ Upgrade

Displays a list of packages that have a new version available based on the package versions in the channels for the system. Click on the latest package name to view its Package Details page. To upgrade packages immediately, select them and click the Upgrade Packages button. If the system is Provisioning-entitled and set to allow remote commands, you then have the option of running a remote command with the package action. Refer to the Remote Command subtab description for details. To download the packages as a .tar file, select them and click the Download Packages button. Refer to Section 6.6.5.2 Package Download for details.

6.4.2.6.3.4. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ Install

Enables you to install new packages on the system from the available channels. Click on the package name to view its Package Details page. To install packages, select them and click the Install Selected Packages button. If the system is Provisioning-entitled and set to allow remote commands, you then have the option of running a remote command with the package action. Refer to the Remote Command subtab description for details.

6.4.2.6.3.5. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ Verify —

Validates the packages installed on the system against its RPM database. This is the equivalent of running rpm -V. Specifically, this tab allows you to compare the metadata of the system's packages with information from the database, such as MD5 sum, filesize, permissions, owner, group and file size and type. To verify a package or packages, select them and click the Verify Selected Packages button and then confirm this action. Once finished, you can view the results by selecting this action within the History subtab under Events.

6.4.2.6.3.6. System Details ⇒ Packages ⇒ Profiles —

Gives you the ability to compare the packages on this system with the packages of stored profiles and other Management and Provisioning systems. To make the comparison with a stored profile, select that profile from the pulldown menu and click the Compare button. To make the comparison with another system, select it from the associated pulldown menu and click the Compare button. To create a stored profile based upon the existing system, click the Create System Profile button, enter any additional information you desire, and click the Create Profile button. These profiles are kept within the Stored Profiles page linked from the left navigation bar.

— Once package profiles have been compared, Provisioning customers have the ability to synchronize the packages of the selected system with the package manifest of the compared profile. Note that this action may delete packages on the system not in the profile, as well as install packages from the profile. To install specific packages, select the checkboxes of packages from the profile. To remove specific packages already installed on the system itself, select the checkboxes of packages showing a difference of "This system only." To synchronize the system's packages with the compared profile entirely, select the master checkbox at the top of the column. Then click the Sync Packages to button. On the confirmation screen, review the changes, select a time frame for the action, and click the Schedule Sync button.

6.4.2.6.4.1. System Details ⇒ Channels ⇒ Software

Software channels provide a well-defined method to determine which packages should be available to a system for installation or upgrade, based upon its operating systems, packages and, functionality. Click a channel name to view its Channel Details page. To modify the child channels associated with this system, use the checkboxes next to the channels and click the Change Subscriptions button. You will receive a success message or be notified of any errors. To change the system's base channel, select the new one from the pulldown menu and click the Modify Base Channel button. Refer to Section 6.6.1 Software Channels for more information.

6.4.2.6.4.2. System Details ⇒ Channels ⇒ Configuration —

Assists in managing the configuration of the system. Like software channels, configuration channels store files to be installed on systems. Unlike software packages, various versions of configuration files may prove useful to a system at any given time.

To manage the configuration of a system, it must have the latest rhncfg* packages installed and the configfiles/ directory and associated files created on it. Refer to Section 6.6.6.1 Preparing Systems for Config Management for instructions. Command line options also exist for many of these functions. Refer to Appendix A Command Line Config Management Tools for instructions.

Here are the options available within the system's Configuration tab, each of which results in a separate subtab:

• Managed Files — List all configuration files currently associated with the system. The Overrides column identifies which config file from which channel will apply if the system is unsubscribed from the config channel that provides the file now. For instance, if a system has '/etc/foo' from channel 'bar' and '/etc/foo' from channel 'baz' is in the Overrides column, then unsubscribing from channel 'bar' will mean that the file from channel 'baz' will be applicable. Also, if nothing is in the 'Overrides' column for a given file path, then unsubscribing from the channel providing the file will mean that the file is no longer managed (though it will (not remove the file from the system).

• Verify — Validate the configuration files installed on the system by comparing them to versions stored in RHN's central configuration manager. Select the files to be verified and click Verify.

• Config Channels — Set the subscription and rank of configuration channels that may be associated with the system, lowest first. Enter numbers in the Rank fields to establish the order in which channels are used. Channels with no numeric value are not associated with the system. Your local configuration channel will always override all other channels for this system and therefore cannot have its rank adjusted from 1. All other channels are created in the Manage Config Channels interface within the Channels category. Refer to Section 6.6.6 Manage Config Channels — for instructions. When satisfied, click Update.

• Local Overrides — View and manage the default configuration files for the system. If no files exist, click the add, edit, or remove files link within the description to access the system's Config Channel Files page. If a file exists, click its name to go to the Configuration File Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.6 Configuration File Details — for instructions. To replicate the file within a config channel, select its checkbox, click the Copy to Config Channel button, and select the destination channel. To remove a file, select it and click Delete Selected Files.

• Sandbox — Manipulate configuration files without deploying them. This sandbox provides you with an area to experiment with files without affecting systems. To add files, click the import new files link, select an option for their addition from the dropdown menu, and click Go. Ensure you have the latest rhncfg* packages. The rest of the functions work like those on the Local Overrides subtab.

6.4.2.6.5.1. System Details ⇒ Groups ⇒ List/Remove —

Lists groups to which the system belongs and enables you to cancel those associations. Only System Group Administrators and Organization Administrator can add and remove the system from groups. To remove the system from groups, select the groups' checkboxes and click the Leave Selected Groups button. Click on a group's name to go to its System Group Details page. Refer to Section 6.4.3.3 System Group Details — for more information.

6.4.2.6.5.2. System Details ⇒ Groups ⇒ Join —

Lists groups that the system may be subscribed to. Only System Group Administrators and Organization Administrator can add and remove the system from groups. To add the system to groups, select the groups' checkboxes and click the Join Selected Groups button.

6.4.2.6.6.1. System Details ⇒ Snapshots ⇒ Snapshots —

The default display of the Snapshots tab lists the reason, dates, and times for snapshots taken. To revert to a previous configuration, click the snapshot taken at the desired date and time and review the potential changes on the provided subtabs. When satisfied with the reversion, return to the Rollback subtab and click the Rollback to Snapshot button. To see the list again, click Return to snapshot list.

6.4.2.6.6.2. System Details ⇒ Snapshots ⇒ Snapshot Tags —

Provides a means to add meaningful descriptions to your system snapshots. This can be used to indicate milestones, such as a known working configuration or a successful upgrade. To tag the most recent snapshot, click create new system tag, enter a descriptive term in the Tag name field, and click the Tag Current Snapshot button. You may then revert using this tag directly by clicking its name in the Snapshot Tags list. To delete tags, select their checkboxes, click Remove Tags, and confirm the action.

6.4.2.6.7.1. System Details ⇒ Kickstart ⇒ Session Status —

The default display of the Kickstart tab, if you've scheduled a kickstart, shows where the system's kickstart stands. Details include the kickstart profile used, its state, and pending and latest actions. Kickstarts that do not complete within approximately two hours will be marked as failed here. Click the profile name to access the Kickstart Details page. Click the view link to see the actual kickstart configuration file generated by RHN. To force this page to reload at a set interval, select one from the pulldown menu and click the Change Reload Time button.

6.4.2.6.7.2. System Details ⇒ Kickstart ⇒ Session History —

Displays particular points in a kickstart session's progress. Like Session Status, this subtab appears only if you've scheduled a kickstart. It lists individual actions, such as package installs, as they occur. Click the name of an action to see information about it, including summary, details, and time. Failed kickstarts are shown here, as well. To force this page to reload at a set interval, select one from the pulldown menu and click the Change Reload Time button.

6.4.2.6.7.3. System Details ⇒ Kickstart ⇒ Schedule —

Allows the kickstarting of the selected system. To schedule a kickstart, select a distribution, identify the type (IP address or manual selection of kickstart profile), and click Continue. Note that IP address kickstarts require ranges to be defined in kickstart profiles.

On the next page, finish choosing from the options available. Using the existing RHN profile will rely upon the system-specific activation key created within the Reactivation tab to reregister the system. Do not regenerate, delete, or use this key while a profile-based kickstart is in progress. Selecting the Deploy Configuration checkbox will re-install configuration files from any config channels associated with the system. When finished, click the Schedule Kickstart button.

	Caution
	It is imperative the kickstart profile selected match the installation files supplied. For instance, it is possible a given IP address could be associated with a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 kickstart profile, but you insert an IP address kickstart CD-ROM built for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. This would result in errors and cause the kickstart to fail.

6.4.2.6.8.1. System Details ⇒ Events ⇒ History

The default display of the Events tab lists the type and status of events that have failed, occurred or are occurring. This list is automatically generated. To view details of an event, click its summary in the System History table. To again view the table, click Return to history list at the bottom of the page.

6.4.2.6.8.2. System Details ⇒ Events ⇒ Pending

Lists events that are scheduled but have not begun. A prerequisite action is required to complete successfully before a given action will be attempted. If an action has a prerequisite, there will not be a checkbox available to cancel that specific action. Instead, there will be a checkbox next to the prerequisite action; Cancelling the prerequisite action will cause the action in question to fail.

Actions can be chained in this manner so that action 'a' requires action 'b' which requires action 'c'. Action 'c' will be the first one attempted, and will be the one with the checkbox next to it until it is completed successfully - if any action in the chain fails, the remaining actions also fail. To unschedule a pending event, select the event and click the Cancel Events button at the bottom of the page. The following icons indicate the type of events listed here:

• — Package Event

• — Errata Event

• — Preferences Event

• — System Event

6.4.4.6.2.1. System Set Manager ⇒ Channels ⇒ Config Channels ⇒ Subscriptions —

On this subtab, enter numbers in the Rank column to establish the order in which channels are used, lowest first. Channels with no numeric value are not associated with the systems. Your local configuration channel will always override all other channels. Once you've established the rank of the config channels, you must decide how they should be applied to the selected systems.

The three buttons below the channels reflect your options. Clicking Add with Highest Rank places all the ranked channels before any channels already subscribed to by the systems. Clicking Add with Lowest Rank places the ranked channels after channels subscribed to by the systems. Clicking Replace Existing Config Channels removes any existing association and starts cleanly with the ranked channels, leaving every system with the same config channels in the same order.

In the first two cases, if any of the newly ranked config channels is already in a system's existing config channel list, the duplicate channel is removed and re-added according to the new rank, effectively reordering the system's existing channels. When such conflicts exist, you're presented with a confirmation page to ensure the intended action is correct. When the change has taken place, a message appears at the top of the page indicating the update was successful.

6.4.4.6.2.2. System Set Manager ⇒ Channels ⇒ Config Channels ⇒ Deploy —

Use this subtab to distribute configuration files from your central repository on RHN to the selected systems at once. The table lists the configuration files associated with any of the selected systems. Clicking the name of a file opens its Configuration File Details page. Clicking its system count displays the systems already subscribed to the file.

To subscribe the selected systems to the available configuration files, select the checkbox for each desired file. When done, click Deploy Configuration and schedule the action. Note that the files deployed are of the latest version at the time of scheduling and do not account for versions that may appear before the action takes place.

6.4.4.6.2.3. System Set Manager ⇒ Channels ⇒ Config Channels ⇒ Verify —

Use this subtab to validate configuration files on the selected systems against copies in your central repository on RHN. The table lists the configuration files associated with any of the selected systems. Clicking the name of a file opens its Configuration File Details page. Clicking its system count displays the systems already subscribed to the file.

To compare the configuration files deployed on the systems with those in RHN, select the checkbox for each file to be validated. Then click Verify Configuration and schedule the action. Note that the files verified are of the latest version at the time of scheduling and do not account for versions that may appear before the action takes place. Then find the results within the main Schedule category or within the System Details ⇒ Events tab.

6.4.10.4.5.1. Kickstart Details ⇒ Pre ⇒ --interpreter —

Enables you to specify an interpreter and specific commands to be interpreted before the rest of the %pre section. Identify the interpreter, such as /usr/bin/python, in the top field then include the commands to be intepreted below it, and click Update Pre.

6.4.10.4.6.1. Kickstart Details ⇒ Post ⇒ Details —

Allows editing of the %post script and inclusion of other options to be set after initial kickstart. You may alter individual commands within the script, identify the package profile to be used during synchronization, and include the activation key to be used for registration. If you plan to include multiple activation keys, first refer to Section 6.4.7.2 Using Multiple Activation Keys at Once — for an explanation of how conflicts are resolved.

In addition, you may predetermine whether configuration management and remote commands may be carried out on the system using the checkboxes at the bottom of the page. Make your changes and click the Update Post button.

6.4.10.4.6.2. Kickstart Details ⇒ Post ⇒ GPG and SSL keys —

Displays all of the GPG and SSL keys created by your organization. To include GPG and SSL keys you have created in the %post section, select the keys and click the Update Keys button. Refer to Section 6.4.10.8 Kickstart ⇒ GPG and SSL Keys — for instructions on creating keys.

Caution

When kickstarting systems receiving updates through either an RHN Proxy Server or RHN Satellite Server:, you must import that server's SSL certificate at the Kickstart/GPG and SSL Keys page and associate it with all relevant kickstart profiles. This association should be made on the GPG and SSL keys subtab of the Kickstart Details page. Not doing this will result in SSL_CERTIFICATE errors, and the kickstart will never report as complete in the RHN website.

6.4.10.4.6.3. Kickstart Details ⇒ Post ⇒ --nochroot —

Allows for the inclusion of commands to be executed before commands in the regular %post section and outside of the chroot. Refer to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide for potential uses.

6.4.10.4.6.4. Kickstart Details ⇒ Post ⇒ --interpreter —

Like the same subtab under Pre, this enables you to specify an interpreter and specific commands to be interpreted before the rest of the %post section. Identify the interpreter, such as /usr/bin/python, in the top field then include the commands to be intepreted under it, and click Update Post.