News
Abstract
Red Hat has announced the planned termination of Red Hat Network (RHN) support as of July 31, 2017. Red Hat has recommended that current RHN users migrate to Red Hat Subscription Management (RHSM). For detailed information see article, Red Hat Subscription Management Migration FAQ in the Related information section at the bottom of this page.
Starting Oct. 31, 2017 (3 month grace period after July 31, 2017), this change will result in new Satellite Server 5.6 deployment failures when you use the RedHat OS Update Service Pattern 5.6 available with PureApplication Software.
Content
Key dates and information:
- RHN UI Shutdown: July 31, 2017. On July 31, 2017, users no longer have access to the web UI to view system details, edit properties, or make updates. Systems that need technical support, but are still registered to RHN, must migrate to RHSM in order to continue receiving support. Red Hat will provide migration support for customers that have support entitlement.
- New systems blocked from registering to RHN: Oct. 31, 2017
- RHN certificate activations and renewals will no longer work: Oct. 31, 2017
- Systems are blocked from updating through RHN (including security patches) and API shutdown: March 31, 2018
- End of service for Satellite 5.6: January 31, 2019
- If no action is taken, the existing Satellite Server 5.6 instances deployed before Oct. 31, 2017 will continue to receive updates until March 31, 2018.
- If action is taken, as specified below, the existing Satellite Server 5.6 instances deployed before Oct. 31, 2017 will continue to work until January 2019.
- New Satellite Server 5.6 deployments with Red Hat OS Update Service Pattern 5.6 available with PureApplication Software will not succeed after Oct. 31, 2017.
- The RHN termination impacts only Satellite servers. Satellite clients are not affected. Client system registration and communication to the Satellite Server 5.6 will continue to use RHN tooling. No changes are required on Satellite 5 clients.
- For the steps to obtain new Red Hat Satellite Server certificates please refer to Setting up new Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 certificates.
Action plans:
PureApplication Software customers who are currently using RHN Satellite Server 5.x RHN should migrate to one of the following solutions before Oct. 31, 2017:
- RHSM 5.6 Satellite Server
- RHSM 6.2 Satellite Server
You can migrate from RHN to RHSM on Satellite Server 5.6. Important: Be sure to stay on 5.6. Do not accidentally upgrade to RHSM 5.8 or higher. PureApplication Software does not support RHSM 5.8.
Updating to RHSM 5.6
Systems with PureApplication Software release levels earlier than 2.2.2.1 (when Satellite 6 client plug-ins were introduced) should update to RHSM 5.6.
Refer to article, Preparing Satellite 5 systems for Red Hat Network's End of Life in the Related information section at the bottom of this page for information about migration from RHN to RHSM on Satellite 5.6 before Oct. 31, 2017:
Migration Actions:
The following prerequisites must be in place before you begin the migration.
- The user must be logged in as root to perform the migration procedure.
- The RHN systemid file in /etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid must have the correct attributes and permissions set so it can be modified or deleted. Use the following commands to set the correct attributes and permissions:
# chmod 644 /etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid
- Check the value of hostname in the /etc/rhsm/rhsm.conf file. If hostname is not defined as either subscription.rhsm.redhat.com or subscription.rhn.redhat.com, use the following commands to set the correct hostname:
# mv rhsm.conf rhsm.conf.satellite
# mv rhsm.conf.kat-backup rhsm.conf
Key steps:
- Install errata (RHEA-2017:0369) on Satellite Server 5.6
- Use the following command to migrate the system from RHN to RHSM: rhn-migrate-classic-to-rhsm
- Use the following command to (re)activate the Satellite: rhn-satellite-activate
Updating to RHSM 6.2
IBM released a Satellite 6.2 Pattern in the 3rd quarter of 2017. It is recommended that customers switch to using the latest Pattern for Satellite Server 6.2 on PureApplication Software.
Installing the Pattern for Satellite Server 6.2 on PureApplication Software
- Click Patterns > Virtual System Patterns and verify that the Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 Pattern is listed.
Note: Complete the following steps if the pattern is not on your system:
a. Use the following link to download the Satellite Server 6.2 pattern as a .tgz file (the file name is rhus-1.0.8.0.tgz) from IBM Fix Central: (Note: If you try the link and get a failure, you might need to clear your web browser cookies and try again)
http://ibm.biz/BdjGyi
b. Click Catalog > Pattern Types to upload the pattern directly to PureApplication Software. After the upload completes, the pattern is available in Patterns > Virtual System Patterns. - Complete the steps in Setting up new Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 Pattern to acquire the certificate.
- Deploy the Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 Pattern to install Satellite Server 6.2.
Input field notes:
* The manifest is a file that defines the number and type of client virtual machines that the Satellite Server can support. For more information on generating the manifest, see https://access.redhat.com/articles/477863.
* Red Hat Customer Portal Username and Password are the credentials to log into the Red Hat Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com/.
* Specify the proxy information if the network does not have access to the Internet. - After you have confirmed that the deployment is complete, configure the Satellite Server.
Note: All steps below are done on the Satellite Server.
a. Click Content > Content Views to create a new content view.
b. Click Yum Content > Repositories to add all required repositories to the content.
c. Click Content > Activation Keys to create a new activation key and associate it with the newly created content view.
d. Click the Subscriptions tab and add sufficient subscriptions to the activation key entry.
e. Enable the repositories. Click Product Content and click Override to Yes for the Red Hat Satellite Tools 6.2 (for RHEL 7 Server) (RPMs) and Red Hat Satellite Tools 6.2 (for RHEL 6 Server) (RPMs) repositories. - Configure external vCenter access and virt-who for host-guests mappings, so that the Red Hat subscriptions can be attached to the correct hypervisors. For more information, see Post-Satellite installation virt-who configuration.
For existing systems, continue with Migrating Satellite Server 5.6 to 6.2.
For more details on configuring and setting up Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2, see Satellite 6.2 setup guides for PureApplication Systems.
Deploying Satellite Server 6.2 shared service
- Deploy the Red Hat OS Update Services (For Satellite 6.*) shared server that points to the newly deployed Satellite Server 6.2.
Note: Ensure that the Satellite Server activation key and the Organization Name fields are the same as defined earlier in this procedure. - Deploy the client virtual machines in the same cloud group in which the Shared Service was deployed. The newly deployed virtual machines can now register and receive updates from the Satellite Server.
Migrating Satellite Server 5.6 to 6.2
- Deploy a new Satellite Server 6.2 using the PureApplication Software Satellite Server 6.2 pattern. For details, see the previous procedure, Installing the Pattern for Satellite Server 6.2 on PureApplication Software.
- Remove the Satellite Shared Service 5.6 to un-register all Satellite client virtual machines from Satellite Server 5.6.
- Deploy a new Satellite Shared Service 6.2 in the same cloud group as the virtual machines in step 2. For details, see the previous procedure, Deploying Satellite Server 6.2 shared service.
Note: Ensure that the Shared Service is pointing to the Satellite Server 6.2 in step 1.
Note: Ensure that the new server has enough entitlements for the client virtual machines.
Deploying Satellite Server 6.2 pattern on racks with versions before 2.2.4
- Versions prior to version 2.2.3: The Satellite Server 6.2 pattern is backwardly compatible to version 2.2.x. When deploying the pattern, we recommend users select the RHEL7 OS image. If users want to use RHEL6, we recommend that they import the RHEL6 OS image from version 2.2.3.x or later. Older versions of the RHEL6 OS image will not work.
- Versions 2.2.3 or later: There is no restriction regarding the RHEL OS image version.
- It is recommended to install Satellite 6.2 on RHEL7 instead of RHEL6, because Red Hat plans to support only RHEL7 for Satellite 6.3 and later versions. It would be easier for Satellite 6.2 to upgrade in the future if it is deployed on RHEL7 at the beginning.
Setting up new Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 certificates
Step 1: Requesting the registration code for the new Satellite Server 6.2 installation
Determine how and where you will be using RedHat Registration files.
To register a SINGLE PureApplication Software system:
Open a Problem Management Report (PMR) with the PureApplication support team requesting RedHat registration files.You must provide the following before the PureApplication support team can process your request.
Note: You must open one PMR for each PureApplication Software system if the PureApplication Software system is separate and you do not have network connections to each other.
- PureApplication Software system machine serial number and Machine Type (M/T).
Click System Console > Hardware > Infrastructure Map to find the M/T on the hardware map images. You will see 82*/ on the top left side of the image. The 82 is the M/T.
M/T 8283/8558 represents W1500/W2500/W3500 systems.
M/T 8278/8536 represents W1700/W2700/W3700 systems.
The * is the serial number of the system, which starts with a "1" or a "2". - For the system being addressed in the current PMR, provide the total number of compute nodes that are in the PureApplication Software system.
From the PureApplication Software system console, click Hardware > Compute Nodes to obtain the compute node details. Alternatively, click Hardware > Infrastructure map. - The PureApplication Software system serial number where the Red Hat Satellite server will be running.
Use the following guidelines if you have more than one PureApplication Software system, but are using only one satellite server.
Open multiple PMRs with the PureApplication support team requesting Red Hat registration files.
Note: Open a separate PMR for each PureApplication Software system, list the serial number for each system, and provide the details outlined below.
If you have multiple PureApplication Software systems but will be using one Satellite server for all of the systems, you must provide the following before the PureApplication support team can process your request:
- PureApplication Software system machine serial number and Machine Type (M/T).
Click System Console > Hardware > Infrastructure Map to find the M/T on the hardware map images. You will see 82*/ on the top left side of the image. The 82 is the M/T.
M/T 8283/8558 represents W1500/W2500/W3500 systems.
M/T 8278/8536 represents W1700/W2700/W3700 systems.
The * is the serial number of the system, which starts with a "1" or a "2". - The total number of compute nodes for all of the PureApplication Software systems using the single server.
From the PureApplication Software console, click Hardware > Compute Nodes to obtain the compute node details. Alternatively, click Hardware > Infrastructure map. - The PureApplication Software system serial number where the Red Hat Satellite server will be running.
Step 2: Reviewing the prerequisites
- While PureApplication Software support is working to obtain the registration codes on your behalf from Red Hat, use the following link to review prerequisites and to ensure that they are met in your environment to allow the Satellite Server to successfully setup. https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_satellite/6.2/html/installation_guide/preparing_your_environment_for_installation
- Use the following link to set up a Red Hat account so that you can input registration codes that PureApplication Software support will provide into this account.
http://access.redhat.com
Step 3: Activate registration codes
- Use the following link to activate the registration codes after you receive the registration code files from PureApplication Software support:
www.redhat.com/activate - Use the following link to generate a manifest file. The manifest file will be used later when deploying the Red Hat Satellite Server 6.2 pattern.
https://access.redhat.com/articles/477863
Post-Satellite installation virt-who configuration
After Satellite Server 6.2 is installed using the PureApplication pattern, you must complete the following steps for it to be fully functional.
Step 1: Configuring the Red Hat subscription
A new subscription system that verifies the number of hypervisors has been introduced by Red Hat. The new system explicitly uses a tool to access VMware vCenter to verify the information. Due to this new subscription system, the Satellite virtual machine must have access to vCenter.
PureApplication Software version 2.2.3.0 or higher enabled external VMware vCenter access from PureApplication. If your PureApplication Software version is 2.2.3.0 or higher, complete Enabling VMware vCenter external access for the Satellite Server virtual machine and Configuring virt-who and host-guests mappings.
PureApplication Software versions below 2.2.3.0 do not provide VMware vCenter access. You must upgrade to 2.2.3.0 to have secure access to vCenter.
Note: Install Satellite 6.2 on RHEL7 instead of RHEL6, because Red Hat plans to support only RHEL7 for Satellite 6.3 and future versions.
Step 2: Enabling VMware vCenter external access for the Satellite Server virtual machine
This step is required to enable access to the VMware vCenter from the Satellite Server virtual machine. This allows the satellite server agent virt-who to obtain a mapping of ESXi hypervisors and guest virtual machines from the VMware vCenter in later steps.
- Enable VMware vCenter IP Address.
a. From the PureApplication Software console, click System > Network Configuration.
b. Expand Virtual Manager external ip address under the Optional entries.
c. Select the Configure IPv4 addresses check box.
d. In the Virtual manager IP address field, specify an IP address that is on the same subnet as the gateway listed.
Note: Select an IP address that is not currently in use and pingable.
e. Click Save.
f. Make note that this is your purevc IP address. The IP address should become pingable after a few minutes. - Add external access to VMware vCenter.
a. From the PureApplication Software console, click System > System Settings.
b. Expand External Application Access Settings.
c. Click Create to create a new entry.
d.Specify any value in the Name field.
e. Select Everything for the access scope.
f. Select the cloud group, if the cloud group cannot be selected, skip this step and continue to the next step.
g. Select Read Only for the Virtual Manager Privilege Set field.
h. Do not select the storage and compute node access fields.
i. Click OK. A new entry is created in the table.
j. In the row for the entry that was just created, select the Details icon in the Actions column. A dialog showing multiple user IDs and passwords is displayed. Take note of the Virtual Manager ID and passwords. - Modify the local hosts file to resolve the purevc name.
a. Use the following file paths to locate the host file for your local operating system:
Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
Note: Right-click the file and select Run as Administrator to launch the editor in administrator mode in order to save changes made to the host file.
UNIX/Linux: /etc/hosts
b. Add the virtual manager IP address to the host file. You must create a new row to associate your virtual manager IP address with the purevc hostname.
For example: 172.26.120.122 purevc
c. Open the VMware vSphere web client to test the VMware vCenter connection. Find the credential in the external access created in the previous step: https://purevc/vsphere-client/
Note: You must use purevc for the hostname. Attempting to connect using an IP address or another name will be rejected.
Step 3: Configuring virt-who and host-guests mappings
This step is required so that the subscription manager on the Satellite Server knows how to properly entitle client virtual machines based on the host and guest mappings.
- Install virt-who.
a. Run the following command to subscribe to the Satellite Tools repository for 6.2..
For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: # subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-7-server-satellite-tools-6.2-rpms
For Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: # subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-6-server-satellite-tools-6.2-rpms
b. Run the following command to verify that the server is subscribed to the Satellite Tools repository for 6.2:
# subscription-manager repos --list-enabled
c. Run the following command to install the virt-who package:
# yum install virt-who - Configure virt-who to connect to VMware vCenter.
a. Run the following command to encrypt the password of the account to be used to connect to VMware vCenter: virt-who-password
b. Copy the template configuration file to a new file.
Note: Use the VMware vCenter host’s name as the new file’s name to identify the configuration file for each hypervisor. In the following example, the host name is v Centerhost1.
# cp /etc/virt-who.d/template.conf /etc/virt-who.d/vcenterhost1.conf
c. Edit the configuration file you just created ensuring to change the example values with those specific to your configuration.
Use the following requirements along with the figure to understand the input parameter requirements:
Parameter 1: Provide a unique name for each virt-who instance. Use the VMware vCenter’s host name to make it easy to identify the configuration file for each hypervisor.
Parameter 2: Specifies that this virt-who connection is to a VMware vCenter.
Parameter 3: You must use the "uuid" word string.
Parameter 4: Run the following command to list available organizations: hammer organization list
Identify the organization that you want the virtual hosts to be assigned to and use the matching entry found in the LABEL column.
Parameter 5: Specifies the environment in which the host is placed. You must use "Library".
Parameter 6: Specifies the VMware vCenter server’s fully qualified host name or IP address.
Parameter 7: Specifies the account name by which virt-who is to connect to the hypervisor. You must use the "domain_name/account_name" format.
Note: Only a single backslash separates the two values. If you are using a domain account and the global configuration /etc/sysconfig/virt-who file, then two backslashes are required. For additional information, see the Red Hat Knowledgebase solution, How to use a Microsoft Windows domain account with virt-who?
Parameter 8: Specifies the encrypted password for the account specified by the username parameter.
d. Add the following configuration lines to configure virt-who to report to the Satellite Server, ensuring to replace example values with those specific to your environment.
Use the following requirements along with the figure to understand the input parameter requirements:
Parameter 1: Specifies the Satellite Server’s fully-qualified host name, For example: satellite.example.com
Parameter 2: Specifies the Satellite user used by the virt-who daemon to connect to the Satellite Server. If necessary, refer to the Red Hat procedure, Creating a User for virt-who.
Parameter 3: Specifies the encrypted password for the user specified by rhsm_username. If necessary, refer to the Red Hat procedure, Creating a User for virt-who.
Parameter 4: You must use "/rhsm".
- Configure the virt-who service for Satellite.
a. Edit the global /etc/sysconfig/virt-who configuration file to set the following pfarameter to specify that virt-who is to communicate with a Satellite host. For example, VIRTWHO_SATELLITE6=1.
b. Allow an HTTP proxy between virt-who and guest virtual machines. If there is an HTTP proxy between the server on which virt-who is running and the hypervisors or virtualization managers, edit the global /etc/sysconfig/virt-who configuration file and set the following parameter:
http_proxy=http://proxy-ip-or-hostname:port-number
c. Start and enable the virt-who service.
Run the following commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7:
# systemctl start virt-who.service
# systemctl enable virt-who.service
Run the following commands on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6:
# service virt-who start
# chkconfig virt-who on
d. Verify that the virt-who service started successfully.
Run the following command on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: # systemctl status virt-who.service
Run the following command on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: # service virt-who status - Restart the virt-who service.
You must restart the virt-who service if one or more of the virt-who configuration files is changed, or the environment in the Satellite configuration changes. For example, you must restart virt-who after changing the virt-who account’s password or moving a hypervisor to a new organization.
Run the following command on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7: # systemctl restart virt-who.service
Run the following command on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6: # service virt-who restart
All hypervisors are displayed in the Red Hat Satellite Server user interface, distinguished by their universally unique identifiers.
Step 4: Attaching host-based subscriptions to the newly created hypervisors
- From the Satellite Server user interface, locate the new virt-who hypervisor instance and add the necessary subscriptions to it.
Note: Obtain the subscriptions from IBM Support.
a. Click the Subscriptions tab.
b. Click the Add tab.
c. Select the subscription to add.
d. Repeat for all virt-who hypervisors.
- From the Satellite Server, click Content > Activation Key to create a new activation key that contains only the hypervisor subscriptions.
Note: Select only the activation keys labeled with "x out of Unlimited" in the Attached column. Do not select any with the "Physical" subscription type.
- Use the newly created activation key to register client virtual machines. Automate this step by deploying a RHUS shared service that specifies the newly created key.
Virtual machines are now able to get yum updates from their hypervisor hosts. The following figure displays the working state of Satellite Server.
Note:
- All physical subscriptions are attached only to hypervisor hosts.
- The "x out of Unlimited" virtual guest subscriptions are used by the client virtual machines that are registered to those hypervisor hosts.
Related Information
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Modified date:
15 June 2018
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swg22002750