The applet displays a different icon, depending on the status of the updates. Table 6.1, “Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool Icons” shows the possible icons and their meaning.

If you see the icon, it is strongly recommended that you apply the updates. Refer to Section 6.4, “Applying Updates” for information on applying updates.

If you have scheduled updates to be installed, you can watch the applet icon to determine when updates are applied. The icon changes to the icon after the Errata Updates are applied.

If you apply a kernel update (or the kernel update is automatically applied), the applet displays the icon until the system is rebooted with the new kernel. If you double-click on the applet, the Available Updates tab displays a list of packages that can be updated on your system.