UI Red Hat Network Service Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

Answers

What is Red Hat Enterprise Linux?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is the Linux operating system sold and supported by Red Hat for corporate and enterprise use. To receive patches and support after the initial purchase, an annual support fee must be paid to Red Hat.

The University of Iowa maintains subscriptions for RHEL Client and Server on behalf of University students, faculty, and staff. Contact the ITS Campus Software Program to acquire a license.

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What are the differences between RHEL Client and Server?

With RHEL 5, here are now two offerings, Client (which could be Desktop or Workstation) or Server.

Client Offerings

  • Red Hat offers 4 flavors of the Client software:
    Basic supports 1 CPU, 4GB of memory, but no virtualization
  • Multi OS supports 1 CPU, 4GB of memory and virtualization (4 guests max)
  • Workstation supports 2 CPU's, Unlimited Memory, but no virtualization
  • Workstation + Multi OS Supports 2 CPU's, Unlimited Memory, and Unlimited Virtualization guests

The first two also exclude server applications such as Apache, Samba, and NFS. More information can be found here: https://www.redhat.com/apps/store/desktop/.

We have not heard from Red Hat what versions we'll be offering to replace the old WS. The implication is the Installation Number will vary depending upon what you're allowed to install, but we're not 100% sure of that. We don't know at this point if you can install Workstation software on a Basic system once you're connected to the Satellite.

Server Offerings:

Red Hat offers 2 levels of Server Software, with optional packages on top of them.

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
    Supports servers with up to 2 processor sockets
    Available for 32/64-bit x86, Itanium2, IBM POWER
    Available with Basic, Standard or Premium support
    Supports 4 virtual guests
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform
    Supports servers of any size
    Available for 32/64-bit x86, Itanium2, IBM POWER
    Available with Standard or Premium support
    Supports unlimited virtual guests and storage virtualization

More information can be found here: https://www.redhat.com/rhel/purchasing_guide.html.

Software Installation Number

RHEL 5 requires an Installation Number as part of the install (Client or Server versions); this is how RHN determines which channels to subscribe your system to. You can skip entering this number, but you'll be severely limited as to what you can install or update with RHN if you do.

Please note that this number is not the same as the Activation Key you use to register your machine with our RHN Satellite. You'll need both numbers for RHEL 5 installs.

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What is Red Hat Fedora?

The Fedora Project is an open-source and Red Hat sponsored project which provides a version of Linux that may be used without an annual fee. For details, see: http://fedoraproject.org/.

Note: Fedora is not available for the UI RHN service.

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Where is the UI RHN service located?

The University of Iowa maintains a RHN Satellite server at https://rhnsat.uiowa.edu/. This service is available to University departments maintaining RHEL systems.

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Who can use the UI RHN service?

Any University department managing RHEL Client or Server systems may request licenses and an account for the UI RHN service from the ITS Campus Software Program.

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What Red Hat channels (distributions) are available on the UI RHN service?

In general, the UI RHN service provides access to RHEL software which is still within its Red Hat "lifecycle". To see the specific channels available, log into your UI RHN account and select the "Channels" tab.

Contact the ITS Help Desk to request a new UI RHN channel.

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What is my UI RHN user ID and password?

To use the UI RHN service, you must first be authorized. Once authorized, you can use your Hawk ID and password to authenticate.

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How do I get help using the UI RHN service?

The following support is available for the UI RHN service:

In addition to the above, there is also a local mailing list called UIOWA-LINUX-RHN. This mailing list is primarily used for UI RHN service announcements, but may also be used to discuss the service.

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How can I subscribe to the UIOWA-LINUX-RHN mailing list?

When a new UI RHN account is created, the owner is automatically added to the UIOWA-LINUX-RHN mailing list. Other e-mail addresses may be added by request, but only if the requestor works for a University department using the UI RHN service.

For general campus Linux discussion, the UIOWA-LINUX mailing list is available. See http://list.uiowa.edu for more information on joining a University Listserv.

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How often are the channels and errata updated on the UI RHN service?

Between midnight and 02:30 hours every day.

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How can I force a client system to update immediately?

If you are using RHEL 3 or 4, log into the client system as root and type: rhn_check –v.

If you are using RHEL 5 Client or Server, log into the system as root and type: yum update.

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Why might a system stop checking in with RHN?

Some possible causes include:

  • The system may be off the network, perhaps because it’s a laptop.
  • The "rhnsd" process may not be running on the system.
  • A duplicate, ghost entry may have been created if you re-registered the system (see next question).

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I re-installed the OS and now get an error when trying to re-register (bootstrap) with the UI RHN.

Every time the Red Hat OS is installed, or re-installed, it creates a unique system id (located in /etc/sysconfig/rhn) that is then passed along to the Satellite during the bootstrap process.

If you do not have a departmental license (e.g. you are a home user) and plan on reinstalling the OS, you need to first have the old system deleted from UI RHN by someone at the Campus Software Office before you try to re-register the system with the UI Satellite. If the old system is not deleted before the "new" system is registered you will get an error from the UI Satellite, and the registration/bootstrap process will fail.

If you have a departmental license for Red Hat, you should log into UI RHN, delete the old system, and then re-register the newly installed version.

How do I download the RHEL ISO images?

ISO images for the latest version of RHEL are available via the ITS Software Download Site: http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/software/signin.htm.

If the software or hardware distribution you require isn't listed, open a support request with the ITS Help Desk. Please include complete software and hardware version information (e.g., Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server version 5 for 32-bit x86 hardware or RHEL Client version 5 for 64-bit AMD hardware).

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Is there a regularly-scheduled maintenance window for the RHN satellite service?

The UI RHN service has a standing weekly downtime window of 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. every Thursday morning. ITS may or may not make use of this time to perform maintenance on the system as needed. When and where possible, ITS will make a best effort to notify users (via the UIOWA-LINUX-RHN@LIST.UIOWA.EDU mailing list) of planned work during this downtime window; however, we advise customers not to plan their own maintenance or other business functions that may depend on the UI RHN service during this window.

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How do I configure the rhn-applet on my RHEL Client to use the UI RHN service?

Edit the/etc/sysconfig/rhn/rhn-applet file to include these settings: server_url=https://rhnsat.uiowa.edu/APPLET
use_ca_cert=/usr/share/rhn/RHN-ORG-TRUSTED-SSL-CERT

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How do I install updates on my RHEL 5 Client Desktop?

Starting with RHEL 5, the RHN Applet is no longer utilized. Instead use either yum from the command line, or from the desktop, access Applications, System Tools, Software Updater. If you have not already registered your RHEL 5 Client with the UI RHN service, you will need to do so before using the Software Updater. See: http://cs.its.uiowa.edu/software/redhatlinux.shtml

What is the process for increasing my RHEL license count?

License count increases are handled by the ITS Campus Software Program . You'll need to provide your RHN group name and the number of additional licenses you require. A confirmation e-mail will be sent when the increase is completed.

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Will my RHN subscription/license expire? Is there an annual renewal?

Annual renewal is done by ITS on behalf of the University. There is no annual fee for RHEL WS licenses as they are fully funded by ITS. An annual fee is collected for RHEL ES and AS licenses. (Contact the ITS Campus Software Program for more details.)

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How do I download source RPMs?

The UI RHN service does not support source RPM download, however they are available from Red Hat: http://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/enterprise/
http://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/linux/updates/enterprise/

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