Dell Power Solutions

LINUXlocation of the entitlement certificatefile can be specified, or theinformation can be entered in theprovided spaces.Administrators also have theoption of using an embedded databaseserver or a separate databaseserver. A database is required aspart of the Satellite Server model tomanage channel content as well asthe package content of each internalserver. In the Dell lab, the localembedded database option wasselected for ease of installation.The Red Hat NetworkSatellite Server modelcan provide an excellentway to manage updatesand software deploymentsfor Red Hat EnterpriseLinux systems.The option to create a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificateis also presented during installation. To help maintain the highestlevel of security for the system, administrators should completethis step.A final option in the setup is to create a bootstrap script. Thisscript can greatly simplify the client systems’ configuration andconnection to the Satellite Server. The required fields should beprepopulated with the necessary information based on informationentered in previous steps. In the Dell lab, the bootstrap file was savedin the /var/www/html/pub/bootstrap directory.During the installation process, the Red Hat Network SatelliteServer will update itself to all the proper patch levels. Best practicesstrongly recommend that administrators reboot this serverafter completing the installation process. If a kernel update isincluded, then administrators must reboot so that the system canboot with the new kernel.Satellite Server configurationIn the Dell lab, the two NICs in the Satellite Server were connectedand configured so that one NIC has access to the Internet and theother NIC is connected to the isolated lab network. The NIC withaccess to the Internet is disabled by default at boot and only enabledduring downloads of Red Hat Network content from the Red Hathosted servers on the Internet. To ensure this, the Dell team createda simple script for calling the Red Hat Network update that includesthe enablement and disablement of the NIC as part of the updatedownload process.Script execution includes downloading all entitled channels.The initial download of channel packages can take several hours,depending on the connection speed, because there are up to 3 GBof packages per channel. Subsequent channel updates download onlythe incremental changes and usually complete in less than an hour,depending on connection speed.For the initial channel synchronization, loading the channelcontent through Red Hat Network CD-ROMs is recommended.The Red Hat Network Web site provides CD-ROM ISO image filesthat can be used to create the CD-ROMs. Using the CD-ROMscan greatly reduce the time required for the initial channel synchronization.The Satellite Server can still download incrementalupdates from the Internet if the initial process is performedusing CD-ROMs.Once the channel content has been loaded onto the SatelliteServer, the server is ready for use. Administrators should enterthe fully qualified host name of the Satellite Server into a Webbrowser to launch the administration tool. A Satellite Serveradministrator account must be created the first time the serveris used; this account information will be required for entry onsubsequent visits.Updating and managing servers with the Satellite ServerNew clients can be added to the Red Hat Network Satellite Serverby using the bootstrap script that was created during the SatelliteServer installation. The bootstrap script for Red Hat EnterpriseLinux 2.1 is bootstrap-AS-2.1.sh, and the script for Red HatEnterprise Linux 3 is bootstrap.sh. The following command shouldbe executed on the client with the appropriate script name:wget –O – https://Satellite_Server_Name/pub/bootstrap/bootstrap script | /bin/bashThis command will download the script and then executeit in a bash shell. While this command is executed on eachclient, the bootstrap script updates the necessary Red HatNetwork components, registers each system with the SatelliteServer, and performs the initial update with the channel contentto which the system has been subscribed. Any configurationfiles for already installed packages will be saved with.rpmsave or .rpmnew added to the end of the filename. In theUsing the Satellite Servermodel, the Dell labwas able to completelyautomate the deploymentof the latest Red Hatpatches and updatesto its Red Hat EnterpriseLinux–based servers.Dell lab, the update of a systemthat was running the initialversion of Red Hat EnterpriseLinux AS 2.1 was completed inless than 5 minutes, eventhough the server required morethan 100 updates.If the bootstrap script is notused to accomplish all these tasks,administrators can perform themindividually. The Red Hat NetworkClient Configuration Guide and theRed Hat Network Satellite Server3.2 with Embedded DatabaseInstallation Guide provide detailedinstructions on the specific stepswww.dell.com/powersolutions POWER SOLUTIONS 115