Red Hat Network

This section acts as a brief introduction to Red Hat Network (version 2.7.0 of the Red Hat Update Agent and version 1.5.0 of the RHNRC;). Depending on which version of Red Hat Linux you have installed, the Red Hat Network Registration Client and the Red Hat Update Agent might be different than the ones described here. All versions of the Red Hat Network User Reference Guide are available at http://www.redhat.com/support/manuals. Once you use Red Hat Network to update these applications, you can use the latest version of the manual.

Red Hat Network is an Internet solution for managing a Red Hat Linux system or a network of Red Hat Linux systems. All security patches, bug fixes, and software package enhancements can be downloaded directly from Red Hat Linux using the Red Hat Update Agent, a standalone application, or through a Web browser, at http://rhn.redhat.com. The features available to you are determined by your subscription status.

Both the Red Hat Network Web interface, referred to as Software Manager, and the Red Hat Update Agent allow you to view all security alerts, bug fixes, and package enhancements included in the Red Hat errata list. Only packages relevant to your system are shown, and you can configure Red Hat Network to send you email notifications of new and updated packages.

The Red Hat Network Software Manager runs inside an SSL-enabled Web browser, such as Mozilla, and does not have software dependencies. It has more features than Red Hat Update Agent, including the ability to view all of your systems simultaneously, install packages, and monitor the status of pending updates.

Red Hat Network provides significant benefits to your network security and quality assurance. All transactions between you and Red Hat Network are encrypted, and all RPM packages are signed with Red Hat Linux's GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) signature to ensure authenticity. See the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide for more on the GPG.

Before you begin using Red Hat Network, you need to create a user name, password, and system profile. The Red Hat Network Registration Client will take you through this process.

Red Hat Network Registration Client

You must be logged in as root (or at least know the root password) to register a system with Red Hat Network. If you start the Red Hat Network Registration Client as a standard user, you will be prompted to enter the root password before you can proceed.

To start the Red Hat Network Registration Client, use one of the following methods:

1. From the GNOME desktop, go to Main Menu => Programs => System => Red Hat Network.

2. From the KDE desktop, go to Main Menu => System => Red Hat Network.

3. At a shell prompt, type rhn_register.

Figure 12-1. Red Hat Network Registration Client

The registration client is very self-explanatory. Follow the instructions on the screens to register your system with the Red Hat Network.

You must use Python 1.5.2-24 or later with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support. If not, the information you transfer will not be encrypted. To determine the version of Python on your system, use the command rpm -q python. It is strongly recommended you use Python 1.5.2-24 or later.