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Chapter 1. Introduction
own GPG signature, and have the local RHN Proxy Server update all of the individual systems in the
network with the latest versions of the custom software.
Advantages of using RHN Proxy Server include:
• Scalability — there can be multiple local RHN Proxy Servers within one organization.
• Security — an end-to-end secure connection is maintained: from the client systems, to the local
RHN Proxy Server, to the Red Hat Network servers.
• Saves time — packages are delivered significantly faster over a local area network than the Internet.
• Saves bandwidth — packages are downloaded from RHN only once (per local Proxy Server's
caching mechanism) instead of downloading each package to each client system.
• Customized updates — create a truly automated package delivery system for custom software
packages, as well as official Red Hat packages required for the client systems. Custom private RHN
channels allow an organization to automate delivery of in-house packages.
• Customized configuration — restrict or grant updates to specific architectures and OS versions.
• Only one Internet connection required — Because clients connect only to the RHN Proxy Server
and not the Internet, they require only a Local Area Network connection to the Proxy. Only the RHN
Proxy Server needs an Internet connection to contact the RHN Servers, unless the RHN Proxy
Server is using a RHN Satellite Server, in which case only the RHN Satellite Server requires an
Internet connection.
1.3. Terms to Understand
Before understanding RHN Proxy Server, it is important to become familiar with the following Red Hat
Network terms:
Channel
A channel is a list of software packages. There are two types of channels: base channels and
child channels. A base channel consists of a list of packages based on a specific architecture and
Red Hat release. A child channel is a channel associated with a base channel that contains extra
packages.
Organization Administrator
An Organization Administrator is a user role with the highest level of control over an organization's
Red Hat Network account. Members with this role can add other users, other systems, and system
groups to the organization, as well as remove them. A Red Hat Network organization must have at
least one Organization Administrator.
Channel Administrator
A Channel Administrator is a user role with full access to channel management capabilities. Users
with this role are capable of creating channels and assigning packages to channels. This role can
be assigned by an Organization Administrator through the Users tab of the RHN website.
Red Hat Update Agent
The Red Hat Update Agent is the Red Hat Network client application (up2date or yum) that
allows users to retrieve and install new or updated packages for the client system on which the
application is run.
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