Chapter 2. Red Hat Update Agent
35
Note
Systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 need version 2.9.3-1 or higher of the
rhn_register
package. It is highly recommended you obtain the latest version before using activation keys.
Before using an activation key, you must first generate one through the RHN website. Refer to Section
4.4.7
Activation Keys
for precise steps.
To use an activation key, as root from a shell prompt on the system to be registered, run the
rhnreg_ks
command followed by the key. For example:
rhnreg_ks --activationkey=7202f3b7d218cf59b764f9f6e9fa281b
Systems running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 will use the
--serialnumber
instead of
--activationkey
, like so:
rhnreg_ks --serialnumber=7202f3b7d218cf59b764f9f6e9fa281b
In addition, Provisioning-entitled systems may use multiple activation keys at once, either at the com-
mand line or within kickstart profiles, to include a variety of values without creating a special key for
the desired results. To do this, specify the keys separated by commas, like this:
rhnreg_ks --activationkey=7202f3b7d218cf59b764f9f6e9fa281b,\
39f41081f0329c20798876f37cb9p6a3
Note
The trailing backslash (
\
) in this command example is a continuation character; it may safely be
omitted.
Refer to Section 4.4.7.2
Using Multiple Activation Keys at Once
to understand how differences in
activation keys are handled.
This command performs all the actions of the
Red Hat Network Registration Client
and the regis-
tration function of the
Red Hat Update Agent
. Do not run either of these applications for registration
after running
rhnreg_ks
.
A System Profile, including software and hardware information, is created for the system and sent
to the RHN Servers along with the unique activation key. The system is registered with RHN under
the account used to generate the key, entitled to an RHN service offering, and subscribed to the RHN
channels and system groups selected during key generation. The system will not be subscribed to
channels that contain packages not suitable for the system. For example, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux
2.1 system cannot be subscribed to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 channel.
The unique Digital Certificate for the system is generated on the system in
/etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid
.
When using activation keys to assign channels, a couple of rules should be kept in mind:
•
A key may specify either zero or one base channel. If specified, it must be a custom base channel.
If not, the base channel corresponding to the system’s Red Hat distribution will be chosen. For
instance, you may not take a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 system and subscribe it to the Red Hat
Enterprise Linux 3 channel.
Summary of Contents for NETWORK 3.5 - PROVISIONING
Page 1: ...Red Hat Network 3 5 Provisioning Reference Guide...
Page 6: ......
Page 16: ...6 Chapter 1 What is Red Hat Network...
Page 50: ...40 Chapter 3 Red Hat Network Alert Notification Tool...
Page 98: ...88 Chapter 4 Red Hat Network Website...
Page 114: ...104 Chapter 6 Red Hat Network Registration Client...
Page 122: ...112 Appendix A Command Line Config Management Tools...
Page 126: ...116 Appendix B RHN API Access...
Page 132: ...122 Glossary...
