Spacewalk Server: Installation and Configuration Guide; Version 0.3
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5.2. Configuring the Client Software

By default, the Spacewalk Registration Client and the Red Hat Update Agent that ship with Red Hat Linux refer to the main Spacewalk Servers. Users must reconfigure client systems to refer to the Spacewalk Server.

To reconfigure the Red Hat Update Agent, as root, run the following command:

/usr/sbin/up2date --configure --nox

Change the serverURL option to the FQDN of the Spacewalk Server. Retain the /XMLRPC at the end of the new serverURL.

Note Warning
 

Systems running Red Hat Linux 8.0 have registration functionality built into the Red Hat Update Agent and therefore do not have the Spacewalk Registration Client installed. Systems running earlier versions of Red Hat Linux and Red Hat Linux Advanced Server still need to reconfigure and use the Spacewalk Registration Client, as well as the Red Hat Update Agent.

To reconfigure the Spacewalk Registration Client, as root, run the following command:

/usr/sbin/rhn_register --configure --nox 

Change the serverURL option to the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the Spacewalk Server. Retain the /XMLRPC at the end of the new serverURL.

After configuring the client software to use the Spacewalk Server, register a client machine using either the Red Hat Update Agent (for RHL 8.0) or the Spacewalk Registration Client. The commands are up2date --register and rhn_register, respectively.

Alternately, a client machine may be registered via an activation key by using rhnreg_ks. This will be the preferred method for users who will be registering systems through automated processes such as kickstart.

5.2.1. Activation Keys

Activation keys can be generated through the Spacewalk Server website. Each unique key can then be used to register one or more client systems, entitle them, and subscribe them to specific channels and system groups through the command line utility rhnreg_ks. Thus, channel and group subscriptions can be automated along with registration, without having to run either up2date --register or rhn_register on each client system and entitle each system through the Spacewalk Server website.

Note Note
 

Version 2.7.20 or higher of the rhn_register package is required on older Red Hat Linux systems. It is highly recommended you use the latest version before using activation keys.

To generate an activation key:

  1. From the Spacewalk Server Web interface, select Systems in the top navigation bar, then Activation Keys from the left navigation bar.

  2. Click create new key in the top-right corner of the page.

  3. Provide the following information:

    • Description — User-defined description to identify the generated activation key.

    • Usage Limit — The maximum number of active systems that may be registered with this key.

    • Base Channel — Base channel to be associated with the system.

    • Channels — Channels to subscribe the system to as applicable.

    • Groups — System groups to subscribe the system to after registering it.

  4. Click Create Key.

After creating the unique key, it appears in the list of activation keys, along with the maximum number of active systems that may be registered with this key.

To change information about a key, such as the channels, click its name in the activation keys list. Make any changes and click Update Key.

To delete a key, click its name in the activation keys list and click delete key in the top-right corner of the page.

If you do not want the key to be used to activate a system, you can disable it by unselecting the corresponding checkbox under the Enabled column in the activation keys list and then clicking Update Keys. The key can be re-enabled by selecting the checkbox.

To use an activation key, as root from a shell prompt on the system to be registered, type the rhnreg_ks command and key. For example:

rhnreg_ks --serialnumber=7202f3b7d218cf59b764f9f6e9fa281b

This command performs all the registration functions of the up2date --register and rhn_register commands. Do not run either of these commands after running rhnreg_ks.

A System Profile, including software and hardware information, is created for the system and sent to the Spacewalk Server along with the unique activation key. The system is registered under the account used to generate the key, entitled, and subscribed to the RHN channels and system groups selected during key generation. The system will not be subscribed to channels containing packages not suitable for it. For example, a Red Hat Linux 8.0 system can not be subscribed to the Red Hat Linux 7.2 channel.

The unique Digital Certificate for the system is generated on the system in /etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid.

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