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1.1. Red Hat Network
Red Hat Network (RHN) is the environment for system-level support and management of Red Hat
systems and networks of systems. Red Hat Network brings together the tools, services, and informa-
tion repositories needed to maximize the reliability, security, and performance of their systems. To use
RHN, system administrators register the software and hardware profiles, known as System Profiles,
of their client systems with Red Hat Network. When a client system requests package updates, only
the applicable packages for the client are returned (based upon the software profile stored on the RHN
Servers).
Advantages of using Red Hat Network include:
Scalability — with Red Hat Network, a single system administrator can set up and maintain hun-
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dreds or thousands of Red Hat systems more easily, accurately, and quickly than that same admin-
istrator could maintain a single system without Red Hat Network.
Standard Protocols — standard protocols are used to maintain security and increase capability. For
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example, XML-RPC gives Red Hat Network the ability to do much more than merely download
files.
Security — all communication between registered systems and Red Hat Network takes place over
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secure Internet connections.
View Errata Alerts — easily view Errata Alerts for all your client systems through one website.
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Scheduled Actions — use the website to schedule actions, including Errata Updates, package in-
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stalls, and software profile updates.
Simplification — maintaining Red Hat systems becomes a simple, automated process.
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1.2. RHN Proxy Server
An RHN Proxy Server is a service deployed within a corporate network with advanced Red Hat
Network functionality, such as a package-caching mechanism for reduced bandwidth usage and cus-
tomizable channels enabling custom package deployment.
This service allows a business or corporation to cache RPM Updates on an internal, centrally located
RHN Proxy Server and have the client systems download the updates from that server instead of
from one of the RHN Servers
are stored on the secure, central RHN Servers, which also serve the RHN website (rhn.redhat.com).
The Proxy does not serve the website itself; It acts as a go-between for client systems and Red Hat
Network. Only the RPM files are stored on the RHN Proxy Server. Every transaction is authenticated,
and the Red Hat Update Agent checks the GPG signature of each package retrieved from the local
RHN Proxy Server.
In addition to storing official Red Hat packages, the RHN Proxy Server can be configured to deliver
an organization's own custom RPM packages from private RHN channels, using the RHN Package
Manager. For instance, an organization could develop its own software, package it in an RPM, sign it
1. Throughout this document, replace RHN Server with RHN Satellite Server if the RHN Proxy Server connects
to a RHN Satellite Server instead.
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over the Internet. The clients' System Profiles and user information
Chapter 1.
Introduction
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