[rhn-users] rhn subscribe to additional channels using command line

[nathan r. hruby]

On Wed, 1 Dec 2004, Franco M. Bladilo wrote:

> Is there any other way to subscribe already registered systems to new 
> channels without manually going to the rhn web interface ?
> We have created several private channels to distribute custom sofware and we 
> currently have a lot of machines that may need to
> join some/all of these new channels.
>

As far as I can tell, No.  Channels seem to be a function of the RHN
server you are using, clients are dumb and only know what packages they
can see from what the server tells them.

There is a --channel option that allow you to use up2date to force
installation from a specific channel, so the "dumb client" paradigm is not
*totally* true, though I think it is for membership.

I think the easiest way to do this would be using groups and the System
Set Manager your RHN website.  So if you have 5 groups that contain the boxes
you want to push this channel onto
- Select them all from the Systems->System Groups screen
- Click Work with [Intersection|Union]
- You should then be presented with a list-o-systems and at the top of the
   page you should have "N systems selected".  This should be the System
   Set Manager Page, if not go to Systems->System Set Manager
- There should be a bar under the "System Set Manager" text with links for
   the various actions you can perform on the machines, Click on Channels
- Futz with your channel subscriptions
- Click Alter Subscriptions

And it should be done.  After that you can use a similar procedure to use
SSM to push the software you want onto the box.

Of course, if you have 100's of boxen and no groups, you'd need to
manually select your boxes from t eh systems list which would be, er..
tedious.  It might behoove you to do that process once to stick boxes into
general groups (a box can be in multiple groups at the same time) just so
next time it's easier.

Of course, this is all wild speculation, YMMV. :)

-n

-- 
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nathan hruby <nhruby at uga.edu>
uga enterprise information technology services
production systems support
metaphysically wrinkle-free
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