Red Hat NETWORK 3.7 - CHANNEL MANAGEMENTT GUIDE Manual

Also see for NETWORK 3.7 -: Configuration guide Reference guide

Red Hat NETWORK 3.7 - CHANNEL MANAGEMENTT GUIDE Manual Manual pdf 15 page image

Chapter 4.Custom Channel and Package ManagementCustom channels allow administrators to use the Red Hat Network infrastructure to deploy packagesbuilt and maintained by their organizations. All channel and package management activities will takeplace in the Channels tab of the RHN website. The instructions here should be used in conjunctionwith the RHN website chapter of the RHN Reference Guide.Because of the potential problems that may arise from deploying untested packages throughout yourproduction environment, Red Hat strongly recommends creating beta channels covering select sys-tems that can be used for staging. For instance, if you have a system group of Web servers that willreceive a set of custom packages, we suggest using your channel management capabilities to installthe packages on a non-critical subset of representative systems first. These temporary channels canthen be deleted using the steps described in Section 4.8 Deleting Software Channels.4.1. Channel Management PrivilegesIn order to perform any channel management tasks, users must have obtained the proper permissions.These permissions can be modified through the Red Hat Network website. Permissions are assignedto users by Organization Administrators. Channel Administrator privileges are assigned as follows:1. Log into the Red Hat Network website as an Organization Administrator.2. On the top navigation bar, click the Users tab and then click the name of the user who will beperforming channel management functions.3. On the User Details page, scroll down to the Roles section and select the checkbox labeledChannel Administrator. Then click Update at the bottom of the page. Note that OrganizationAdministrators are automatically granted channel administration privileges.4. Have the user log into the Red Hat Network website, click the Channels tab on the top naviga-tion bar, and ensure the Manage Software Channels button appears in the corresponding leftnavigation bar.4.2. Manage Software ChannelsIn addition to the buttons and pages available to standard RHN Management-level users, RHN Satel-lite Server and RHN Proxy Server customers also have access to Manage Software Channels inthe left navigation bar. This button opens the Software Channel Management interface, where allcustom software channel management work occurs.WarningCustomers using both RHN Proxy Server and RHN Satellite Server should be managing customchannels and packages only on the Satellite, since the Proxies should be receiving updates directlyfrom it. Managing packages and channels on a Proxy in this combined configuration risks puttingyour servers out-of-sync.Clicking links within the Software Channel Management list takes you to different tabs of the Man-aged Software Channel Details page. Clicking a channel name opens the Details tab, while clickingits number of packages opens the List/Remove subtab of the Packages tab. Refer to Section 4.3Managed Software Channel Details for a full explanation of these areas.