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RHN Satellite Server provides a solution to organizations requiring absolute control over and privacy
of the maintenance and package deployment of their servers. It allows Red Hat Network customers
the greatest exibility and power in keeping servers secure and updated.
Two types of RHN Satellite Server are available: One with a stand-alone database on a separate ma-
chine and one with an embedded database installed on the same machine as the Satellite. This guide
describes the installation of both types of Satellite.
Although the two types of RHN Satellite Server are functionally similar, some differences do exist.
These variations are primarily isolated to hardware requirements, installation steps, and maintenance
activities, but may also crop up during troubleshooting. This guide identifies distinctions between the
Satellite types by marking the differing instructions as either Embedded Database or Stand-Alone
Database.
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 Satellite Server
RHN Satellite Server allows organizations to utilize the benefits of Red Hat Network without having
to provide public Internet access to their servers or other client systems. System Profiles are stored
locally. The Red Hat Network website is served from a local Web server and is not accessible from the
Internet. All package management tasks, including Errata Updates, are performed through the local
area network.
Advantages of using RHN Satellite Server include:
Chapter 1.
Introduction
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