[rhn-users] list *all* available package updates using XMLRPC API

[Con Tassios]

On Fri, 4 Sep 2009, Steve Huff wrote:

> I'm trying to query the RHN XMLRPC API in order to generate a list of all the
> available updated packages for our various RHN-subscribed hosts;
> unfortunately, what I get from the API and what I get from `yum check-update`
> differ dramatically.
>
> For example, running `yum check-update` on a host that's currently running
> RHEL5.3, I see 176 updated packages available (that's the RHEL5.4 update).
> However, when I issue the 'system.listLatestUpgradablePackages' API call, I
> only see updates available for packages associated with specific errata in
> RHN, which is a much smaller subset.
>
> Is there a different API call that I should be using that will give me an
> equivalent list?


I too use the XMLRPC RHN API and have also noticed that some systems that have
RHEL 5.3 still show no available updates even though RHEL 5.4 has been out
about 5 days now.  yum check-update shows the available updates.

Logging into the RHN web site shows the same results as the API returns (no
updates available), as you would expect.  It seems that when a major RHEL
update is released it takes several more days than usual for RHN to update the
available updates for each system.