Red Hat Network 4.1.0: Reference Guide
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# 6.6. Channels

If you click the Channels tab on the top navigation bar, the Channels category and links appear. The pages in the Channels category enable you to view and manage the channels and packages associated with your systems. In addition, you can obtain ISO images here.

## 6.6.1. Software Channels

The Software Channels page is the first to appear in the Channels category. A software channel is a list of Red Hat Enterprise Linux packages grouped by use. Channels are used to choose packages to be installed on a system.

There are two types of software channels: base channels and child channels. A base channel consists of a list of packages based on a specific architecture and Red Hat Enterprise Linux release. For example, all of the packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 for the x86 architecture make up a base channel. The list of packages in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 for the Itanium architecture make up a different base channel. A child channel is a channel associated with a base channel that contains extra packages. For instance, an organization can create a child channel associated with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 for the x86 architecture that contains extra packages needed only for the organization, such as a custom engineering application.

A system must be subscribed to one base channel only. This base channel is assigned automatically during registration based upon the Red Hat Enterprise Linux release and system architecture selected. In the case of public free channels, the action will succeed. In the case of paid base channels, this action will fail if an associated entitlement doesn't exist.

A system can be subscribed to multiple child channels of its base channel. Only packages included in a system's subscribed channels can be installed or updated on that system. Further, RHN Satellite Server and RHN Proxy Server customers have channel management authority. This authority gives them the ability to create and manage their own custom channels. Refer to the RHN Channel Management Guide for details.

Channels can be further broken down by their relevance to your systems. Two such lists emerge: Relevant and All.

### 6.6.1.1. Relevant Channels

As shown in Figure 6-18, the Relevant Channels page is shown by default when you click Software Channels in the left navigation bar. It displays a list of channels now associated with your systems. Links within this list go to different tabs of the Software Channel Details page. Clicking on a channel name takes you to the Details tab. Clicking on the number of packages takes you to the Packages tab. Clicking on the number of systems number takes you to the Subscribed Systems tab. Refer to Section 6.6.1.4 Software Channel Details for details.

Figure 6-18. Relevant Channels

### 6.6.1.2. Retired Channels

The Retired Channels page displays channels available to your organization that have reached their end-of-life dates. These channels do not receive updates.

### 6.6.1.3. All Channels

The All Channels page can be retrieved by clicking All below Software Channels in the left navigation bar. It works identically to the Relevant button with one exception; it displays all software channels offered by Red Hat Network, regardless of whether you have systems associated with them.

### 6.6.1.4. Software Channel Details

If you click on the name of a channel, the Software Channel Details page appears. This page is broken down into the following tabs:

#### 6.6.1.4.1. Software Channel Details ⇒ Details

General information about the channel and the parent channel, if it is a child channel. This is the first tab displayed when you click on a channel. It displays essential information about the channel, such as summary, description, and architecture.

— In addition, a Globally Subscribable checkbox can be seen by Organization Administrators and Channel Administrators. This signifies the default behavior of every channel allowing any user to subscribe systems to it. Unchecking this box and clicking Update causes the appearance of a Subscribers tab, which may then be used to grant certain users subscription permissions to the channel. Organization Administrators and Channel Administrators can always subscribe systems to any channel.

— Only customers with custom base channels may change their systems' base channel assignment. They may do this through the website in two ways:

- Customers with a custom base channel may assign the system to that base channel.

- Customers may revert system subscriptions from a custom base channel to the appropriate distribution-based base channel.

| Note
| The system base channel's distribution variant must match the variant installed on the system. For example, a system that has Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS v.4 for x86 cannot be registered to a Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES v.4 for x86 base channel.

#### 6.6.1.4.2. Software Channel Details ⇒ Subscribers —

List of users who have subscription permissions to the channel. This tab appears on two conditions: First, the user must be an Organization Administrator or a Channel Administrator. Second, the Globally Subscribable checkbox on the Details tab must be unchecked, thereby making the channel subscribable by user. On this tab, select the checkboxes of the users to be allowed to subscribe systems to this channel and click Update. Note that Organization Administrators and Channel Administrators automatically have subscription access to all channels.

#### 6.6.1.4.3. Software Channel Details ⇒ Managers —

List of users who have permission to manage the channel. This tab is applicable only to RHN Proxy Server and RHN Satellite Server customers with custom channel management privileges. It works much like the Subscribers tab but is available only for channels owned by the organization. There is no Globally Manageable flag like there is for subscription. A check in the Managers tab for a channel means that a user is a Channel Administrator for that channel alone. The user cannot create new channels or clone them.

#### 6.6.1.4.4. Software Channel Details ⇒ Errata

List of Errata affecting the channel. The list displays advisory types, names, summaries, and the dates issued. Clicking on an advisory name takes you to its Errata Details page. Refer to Section 6.5.2.2 Errata Details for more information.

#### 6.6.1.4.5. Software Channel Details ⇒ Packages

List of packages in the channel. To download packages as a .tar file, select them and click the Download Packages button at the bottom-left corner of the page. Clicking on a package name takes you to the Package Details page. This page displays a set of tabs with information about the package, including which architectures it runs on, the package size, build date, package dependencies, the change log, list of files in the package, newer versions, and which systems have the package installed. From here, you can download the packages as RPMs or SRPMs.

To search for a specific package or a subset of packages, use the package filter at the top of the list. Enter a substring to search all packages in the list for package names that contain the string. For example, typing `ks` in the filter might return: `ksconfig`, `krb5-workstation`, and `links`. The filter is case-insensitive.

#### 6.6.1.4.6. Software Channel Details ⇒ Subscribed Systems

List of entitled systems subscribed to the channel. The list displays system names, base channels, and their levels of entitlement. Clicking on a system name takes you to its System Details page. Refer to Section 6.4.2.8 System Details for more information.

— If it is a child channel, you also have the option of unsubscribing systems from the channel. Use the checkboxes to select the systems, then click the Unsubscribe button on the bottom right-hand corner.

#### 6.6.1.4.7. Software Channel Details ⇒ Target Systems

List of entitled systems that are eligible for subscription to the channel. This tab appears only for child channels. Use the checkboxes to select the systems, then click the Subscribe button on the bottom right-hand corner. You will receive a success message or be notified of any errors. This can also be accomplished through the Channels tab of the System Details page. Refer to Section 6.4.2.8 System Details for more information.

#### 6.6.1.4.8. Software Channel Details ⇒ Downloads

ISO images associated with the channel. This tab appears only for base channels. Links on the Easy ISOs pages bring you to this tab for the related channel. Red Hat recommends using curl or wget for ISO downloads. Click the help on using curl or wget link for precise instructions.

#### 6.6.1.4.9. Software Channel Details ⇒ License

Text of the channel's End User License Agreement. This tab is associated only with channels of third-party providers. It appears when you attempt to subscribe to such a channel through the Target Systems tab. To complete the subscription, read the agreement, click the Accept button, and then click the Confirm button. To decline the subscription, click the Cancel button.

## 6.6.2. Channel Entitlements

The Channel Entitlements page displays the list of channels for which you have paid. Click the number of systems subscribed to see a list of systems tied to the corresponding channel.

## 6.6.3. Download Software

The Download Software pages provide direct access to the ISO images available to you. These images, comprising full installations of various Red Hat operating system distributions, are actually located within the Downloads tab of the Channel Details page. This feature is available only to paid RHN subscribers.

To download an ISO image, Red Hat recommends copying its URL and using either curl or wget. Click the help on using curl or wget link for precise instructions. To obtain the URL, right-click on the disc link and choose to open the link in a new window or tab. You may then cancel the download, copy the lengthy URL from the location bar, and paste it into the curl or wget command.

Once downloaded, either burn the images to CD-Rs or CD-RWs or copy them to the machine for direct installation. Refer to http://www.redhat.com/download/howto_download.html for additional download instructions and steps to burn images to discs. Refer to the operating system's respective installation guide for instructions on installing from CD-ROM or hard drive, available at http://www.redhat.com/docs/.

ISOs can be further broken down by their relevance to your systems. Two such lists emerge: Relevant and All.

### 6.6.3.1. Relevant ISOs

The Relevant ISOs page is shown by default when you click Download Software in the left navigation bar. It displays a list of ISOs by channel now associated with your systems. Links within this list go to the Downloads tab of the Channel Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.3 Download Software for instructions on use.

### 6.6.3.2. All ISOs

The All ISOs page can be retrieved by clicking All below Easy ISOs in the left navigation bar. It works identically to the Relevant button with one exception; It displays all ISOs available to you through Red Hat Network, regardless of whether you have systems associated with the related channels. Refer to Section 6.6.3 Download Software for instructions on use.

## 6.6.4. Package Search

The Package Search page allows you to search through packages using various criteria. You may search by name or name and summary, within relevant or all channels, or within specific architectures. Type a keyword, select the criterion by which to search, and click the Search button. The results appear at the bottom of the page.

## 6.6.5. Manage Software Channels

This tab allows Administrators to create, clone, and delete custom channels. These channels may contain altered versions of distribution-based channels or custom packages.

### 6.6.5.1. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Channel Details

The default screen of the Manage Software Channels tab is a listing of all available channels. This includes custom, distribution-based, and child channels.

To clone an existing channel, click the clone channels link in the upper right of the screen, select the channel to be cloned from the dropdown menu, and click the Create Channel button. The next screen presents various options for the new channel, including base architecture and GPG options. Make your selections and click the Create Channel button to complete the process.

To create a new channel, click the create new channel link in the upper right of the screen. Select the various options for the new channel, including base architecture and GPG options. Make your selections and click the Create Channel button. Note that a channel created in this manner is blank, containing no packages. You must either upload software packages or add packages from other channels. You may also choose to include Errata Updates in your custom channel.

#### 6.6.5.1.1. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Channel Details ⇒ Channel Details

This screen lists the selections you made during the channel creation process. This page includes the Globally Subscribable checkbox that permits all users to subscribe to the channel.

#### 6.6.5.1.2. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Channel Details ⇒ Managers

This subtab allows you to select which users may alter or delete this channel. Organization Administrators and Channel Administrators may alter or delete any channel.

To allow a user to alter the channel, select the checkbox next to the user's name and click the Update button. To allow all users to manage the channel, click the Select All button at the bottom of the list followed by the Update button. To remove a user's ability to manage the channel, uncheck the box next to their name and click the Update button.

#### 6.6.5.1.3. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Channel Details ⇒ Errata

This subtab allows channel managers to list, remove, clone, and add Errata to their custom channel. Custom channels not cloned from a distribution may not add Errata until there are packages in the channel. Only Errata that match the base architecture of the channel and apply to a package in that channel may be added to the channel. Finally, only cloned or custom Errata may be added to custom channels. Errata may be included in a cloned channel if they are selected during channel creation.

#### 6.6.5.1.4. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Channel Details ⇒ Packages

This subtab is similar to the Errata subtab. It allows Channel and Organization Administrators to list, remove, compare, and add packages to the custom channel.

To list all packages in the channel, click the List / Remove Packages link. Check the box to the left of any package you wish to remove, then click the Remove Packages button in the lower right of the page.

To add packages, click the Add Packages link. Choose a channel from which to select packages from the drop-down menu and click the View button to continue. Check the box to the left of any package you wish to add to the channel, then click the Add Packages button in the bottom right of the screen.

To compare packages within the current channel with those of another channel, select the other channel from the drop-down menu and click the Compare button. All packages present in either channel are compared, and the results displayed on the next screen. This information includes the architecture and version of each package.

To make the two channels identical, click the Merge Differences button in the lower right. The following screen allows you to select how conflicts are resolved. Click the Preview Merge button to view the results of the merging without making any changes to the channels. Finally, select those packages that you wish to merge and click the Merge Packages button followed by the Confirm button to perform the merge.

### 6.6.5.2. Manage Software Channels ⇒ Manage Software Packages

This tab allows you to manage custom software packages owned by your organization. You may view a list of all custom software or view only those packages in a selected custom channel. To select the channel whose custom packages you wish to view, select the channel from the drop-down menu and click the View button.

## 6.6.6. Manage Config Channels —

Provides the means to create and oversee channels containing configuration files. You must be a Configuration Administrator or Organization Administrator to view this section of the website. 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. Further, RHN allows you to include variables, or macros, that allow you to treat your configuration files as templates that can be deployed across your organization, with the relevant values populated upon individual system installation.

Please note that whenever a configuration file is deployed via RHN, a backup of the previous file including its full path is made in the `/var/lib/rhncfg/backups/` directory on the affected system. The backup retains its filename but has a `.rhn-cfg-backup` extension appended.

### 6.6.6.1. Preparing Systems for Config Management

For a system to have its configuration managed through RHN, it must have the appropriate tools and `config-enable` file installed. These tools may already be installed on your system, especially if you kickstarted the system with configuration management functionality. If not, they can be found within the RHN Tools child channel for your distribution. Download and install the latest `rhncfg*` packages. They are:

- `rhncfg` — The base libraries and functions needed by all `rhncfg-*` packages.

- `rhncfg-actions` — The code required to run configuration actions scheduled via the RHN website.

- `rhncfg-client` — A command line interface to the client features of the RHN Configuration Management system.

- `rhncfg-management` — A command line interface used to manage RHN configuration.

Next, you must enable your system to schedule configuration actions. This is done using the `rhn-actions-control` command on the client system. This command is included in the `rhncfg-actions` RPM. The RHN Actions Control (`rhn-actions-control`) enables or disables specific modes of allowable actions. Refer to Section A.1 Red Hat Network Actions Control for instructions.

### 6.6.6.2. Manage Config Channels ⇒ Config Channels —

There are two types of configuration channels: global channels and system-specific channels. A global channel contains configuration files developed across your organization. These may well be applicable to multiple systems. A system-specific channel consists of local override configuration files tied to particular systems. These files take precedent over all other configurations.

#### 6.6.6.2.1. Manage Config Channels ⇒ Config Channels ⇒ Global —

Shown by default when you click Manage Config Channels in the left navigation bar, the Global Config Channels displays a list of configuration channels managed by your organization. Links within this list go to different tabs of the Configuration Channel Details page. Clicking on a channel name takes you to the Details tab. Clicking on the number of files takes you to the Files tab. Clicking on the number of systems takes you to the Systems tab. Refer to Section 6.6.6.5 Configuration Channel Details — for instructions.

#### 6.6.6.2.2. Manage Config Channels ⇒ Config Channels ⇒ System —

The System Config Channels page can be retrieved by selecting it from the pulldown menu on the main Manage Config Channels page. It displays local override (system-specific) configuration channels and works similarly to the Global Config Channels page in that clicking the name of a system takes you to the List subtab of the Configuration Channel Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.5 Configuration Channel Details — for instructions.

### 6.6.6.3. Manage Config Channels ⇒ Manage Files —

The Manage Files page lists the configuration files managed by your organization. The files here are listed by path. A given path can exist in many configuration channels, but each instance of a path in each configuration channel is treated as a separate entity.

Clicking the number in the Config Channels column takes you to a list of channels containing the file. From there you can access tabs of the Configuration Channel Details page. Clicking the number in the Latest Revision column takes you to the Configuration File Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.6 Configuration File Details — for instructions.

### 6.6.6.4. Manage Config Channels ⇒ Quota —

The Quota page displays the amount of disk space alloted and used for storing configuration files. A summary of available and used space can be found at the top, while individual file use is listed within the table. Click the file name to go to the Configuration File Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.6 Configuration File Details — for instructions. Click the config channel name to access the Configuration Channel Details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.5 Configuration Channel Details — for instructions.

### 6.6.6.5. Configuration Channel Details —

If you click on the name of a channel in a list, the Configuration Channel Details page will appear. This page contains the following tabs:

#### 6.6.6.5.1. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Details —

General information about the channel. This is the first tab you see when you click on a channel. It displays basic information about the channel, including name and description, and provides the means to alter this information. To make changes, enter new values in the text fields and click the Edit Config Channel button.

#### 6.6.6.5.2. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Files —

Configuration files associated with this channel. Use the subtabs to view, upload, and create files.

##### 6.6.6.5.2.1. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Files ⇒ List —

Displays the files and directories associated with the configuration channel. Files are represented by a paper icon while directories display folder icons. Click the name of a file or directory to go to its details page. Refer to Section 6.6.6.6 Configuration File Details — for instructions. To replicate a 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.

##### 6.6.6.5.2.2. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Files ⇒ Upload —

Enables you to import files from your system into RHN's central configuration manager. The Deploy File Path is the path to which the file will be deployed on a target system, and Local File is the file you want to upload from your system to RHN.

To upload a file, populate all fields, browse for the file, and click the Upload File button. Note that files larger than 16 KB cannot be edited through the RHN website. The file path is the location to which the file will be deployed. The user, group, and mode fields allow you to set the file's ownership and permissions.

##### 6.6.6.5.2.3. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Files ⇒ Create File —

Allows you to create a configuration file from scratch within the interface. The fields here work similarly to those on the Upload subtab: Path is the location to which the file will be deployed. The user, group, and mode fields allow you to set the file's ownership and permissions. Include the file contents in the Contents field. When finished, click the Create Config File button.

| Note

You must enter a valid user and group for the system to which the file (or directory) will be deployed. If either is not valid, the deployment of the file fails with an error message similar to the following:

    Error: unable to deploy file /root/example-config-file, information on user 'jdoe' \
    could not be found.

##### 6.6.6.5.2.4. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Files ⇒ Create Directory —

Allows you to create a configuration directory within the interface. The fields resemble those on the Upload and Create File subtab: Path is the absolute location of the directory on the system. The user, group, and mode fields allow you to set the directory's ownership and permissions. When finished, click the Create Config Directory button. Note that the user and group must be valid.

#### 6.6.6.5.3. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Systems —

Identifies the systems subscribed to this configuration channel. Clicking a system name takes you to the System Details page.

#### 6.6.6.5.4. Configuration Channel Details ⇒ Target Systems —

Displays all of the systems that have Provisioning entitlements but are not yet subscribed to this config channel. To associate systems with the config channel, select their checkboxes and click the button matching the rank to be assigned. Subscribe with Highest Rank overrides all other config channels, except local configs. Subscribe with Lowest Rank ranks this config channel below all others. When done, the selected systems will appear in the Systems tab.

### 6.6.6.6. Configuration File Details —

If you click on the name or number of a file in a list, the Configuration File Details page will appear. You may remove the file at anytime by clicking delete file in the upper-right corner of the page. This page contains the following tabs:

#### 6.6.6.6.1. Configuration File Details ⇒ Details —

General information about the file. This is the first tab you see when you click on a file. It displays basic information about the file, including path, associated channel, revision, and date. It also provides links to download, view and edit the file, and to identify whether it is binary. Note that files larger than 16 KB cannot be edited through the RHN website. In addition, you can define macros (variables) here that will have different values interpolated when installed on various systems. Refer to Section 6.6.6.7 Including Macros in your Configuration Files for a full description of this feature.

#### 6.6.6.6.2. Configuration File Details ⇒ Revisions —

A list of the revisions of this configuration file in the current config channel. Every change to a configuration file creates a new revision of that file in the given config channel. The latest revision of a configuration file is always the only one provided by that channel. Revision numbers for a file are tied to a channel. So revision 3 of `/etc/example1` in config channel "config1" is completely independent of revision 3 of `/etc/example1` in config channel "config2". You can examine revisions in the list or use the Browse and Upload File buttons to upload a more recent revision.

#### 6.6.6.6.3. Configuration File Details ⇒ Diff —

A list of configuration files available for comparison. Click the name of the channel containing the file, then the name of the file itself. A list of differences will appear.

#### 6.6.6.6.4. Configuration File Details ⇒ Copy —

A list of configuration channels that may receive a copy of the file. To copy the file to a channel, select the channel's checkbox and click the Copy File button.

- Copy to Config Channel — Displays the global config channels for your organization. To copy the latest revision of this file to channels, select the appropriate checkboxes, and click the Copy File button.

- Copy to System — Displays the system-specific config channels for your organization. To copy the latest revision of this file to channels, select the appropriate checkboxes, and click the Copy File button.

### 6.6.6.7. Including Macros in your Configuration Files

Being able to store and share identical configurations is useful, but what if you have many variations of the same configuration file? What do you do if you have configuration files that differ only in system-specific details, such as hostname and MAC address?

In traditional file management, you would be required to upload and distribute each file separately, even if the distinction is nominal and the number of variations is in the hundreds or thousands. RHN addresses this by allowing the inclusion of macros, or variables, within the configuration files it manages for Provisioning-entitled systems. In addition to variables for custom system information, the following standard macros are supported:

- rhn.system.sid

- rhn.system.profile_name

- rhn.system.description

- rhn.system.hostname

- rhn.system.ip_address

- rhn.system.custom_info(key_name)

- rhn.system.net_interface.ip_address(eth_device)

- rhn.system.net_interface.netmask(eth_device)

- rhn.system.net_interface.broadcast(eth_device)

- rhn.system.net_interface.hardware_address(eth_device)

- rhn.system.net_interface.driver_module(eth_device)

To use this powerful feature, either upload or create a configuration file through the Configuration Channel Details page. Then, open its Configuration File Details page and include the supported macros of your choosing. Ensure that the delimiters used to offset your variables match those set in the Macro Start Delimiter and Macro End Delimiter fields and do not conflict with other characters in the file. The delimiters must be two characters in length and cannot contain the percent (%) symbol.

As an example, you may have a file applicable to all of your servers that differs only in IP address and hostname. Rather than manage a separate configuration file for each server, you may create a single file, such as `server.conf`, with the IP address and hostname macros included, like so:

    	 hostname={@ rhn.system.hostname @}
    	  ip_address={@ rhn.system.net_interface.ip_address(eth0) @}

Upon delivery of the file to individual systems, whether through a scheduled action in the RHN website or at the command line with the Red Hat Network Configuration Client (`rhncfg-client`), the variables will be replaced with the hostname and IP address of the system, as recorded in RHN's System Profile. In the above configuration file, for example, the deployed version resembles the following:

    hostname=test.example.domain.com
    ip_address=177.18.54.7

To capture custom system information, insert the key label into the custom information macro (rhn.system.custom_info). For instance, if you developed a key labeled "asset" you can add it to the custom information macro in a configuration file to have the value substituted on any system containing it. The macro would look like this:

    asset={@ rhn.system.custom_info(asset) @}

Upon deployment of the file to a system containing a value for that key, the macro gets translated, resulting in a string similar to the following:

    asset=Example#456

To include a default value, for instance if one is required to prevent errors, you can append it to the custom information macro, like so:

    asset={@ rhn.system.custom_info(asset) = 'Asset #' @}

This default is overridden by the value on any system containing it. For instructions on developing custom system information keys, refer to Section 6.4.8 Custom System Info — .

Using the Red Hat Network Configuration Manager (`rhncfg-manager`) will not translate or alter files, as that tool is system agnostic — `rhncfg-manager` does not depend on system settings. Binary files cannot be interpolated.

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