Red Hat NETWORK PROXY 5.3.0 -, Installation Manual

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Chapter 3.
9
Example Topologies
The RHN Proxy Server can be configured in multiple ways. Select one method depending on the
following factors:
1. The total number of client systems to be served by the RHN Proxy Server
2. The maximum number of clients expected to connect
concurrently
to the RHN Proxy Server.
3. The number of custom packages and channels to be served by the RHN Proxy Server.
4. The number of RHN Proxy Servers being used in the customer environment.
The rest of this chapter describes possible configurations and explains their benefits.
3.1. Single Proxy Topology
The simplest configuration is to use a single RHN Proxy Server to serve your entire network. This
configuration is adequate to service a small group of clients and a network that would benefit from
caching Red Hat RPMs and storing custom packages on a local server.
The disadvantage of using one RHN Proxy Server is that performance will be compromised as the
number of clients requesting packages grows.
Figure 3.1. Single Proxy Topology
3.2. Multiple Proxy Horizontally Tiered Topology
For larger networks, a more distributed method may be needed, such as having multiple RHN Proxy
Servers all connecting to Red Hat Network individually. This horizontally tiered configuration balances
the load of client requests while enabling each Proxy to simultaneously synchronize with RHN.
A disadvantage of this horizontal structure is that custom packages loaded to an individual Proxy must
be distributed to its sibling servers. This situation can be addressed in one of two ways:
• The
rsync
file transfer program can be used to synchronize packages between the Proxies