9.3. Synchronization via Export
The Red Hat Satellite Exporter (
rhn-satellite-exporter) tool exports content listing in an XML format, which a user imports into another Red Hat Satellite. Export the content into a chosen directory with the -d option, transport the directory to another Red Hat Satellite, and use the Red Hat Satellite Synchronization Tool to import the contents. This synchronizes the two Red Hat Satellites so they contain identical content.
The Red Hat Satellite Exporter provides the following content:
- Channel Families
- Architectures
- Channel metadata
- Blacklists
- RPMs
- RPM metadata
- Errata
- Kickstarts
To perform a Red Hat Satellite Exporter export, meet the following prerequisites:
- A successful Red Hat Satellite installation.
- Sufficient disk space in the directory specified in the
-doption. This directory will contain the exported contents.
9.3.1. Performing an Export
Export the current Red Hat Satellite configuration into a backup or storage solution by executing the following command as
root:
# rhn-satellite-exporter -d /var/rhn-sat-export --no-errata --channel [channel_name]
When finished, move the exported directory to another Red Hat Satellite or a storage solution using
rsync or scp -r.
The Red Hat Satellite Exporter offers several command line options. To use them, insert the option and appropriate value after the
rhn-satellite-exporter command.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-d DIRECTORY, --dir=DIRECTORY | Place the exported information into this directory. |
-c CHANNEL_LABEL, --channel=CHANNEL_LABEL | Process data for this specific channel (specified by label) only. NOTE: the channel's *label* is NOT the same as the channel's *name*. |
--list-channels | List all available channels and exit. |
--list-steps | List all of the steps that rhn-satellite-exporter takes while exporting data. These can be used as values for --step. |
-p --print-configuration | Print the configuration and exit. |
--print-report | Print a report to the terminal when the export is complete. |
--no-rpms | Do not retrieve actual RPMs. |
--no-packages | Do not export RPM metadata. |
--no-errata | Do not process errata information. |
--no-kickstarts | Do not process kickstart data (provisioning only). |
--debug-level=LEVEL_NUMBER | Override the amount of messaging sent to log files and generated on the screen set in /etc/rhn/rhn.conf, 0-6 (2 is default). |
--start-date=START_DATE | The start date limit that the last modified dates are compared against. Must be in the format YYYYMMDDHH24MISS (for example, 20071225123000) |
--end-date=END_DATE | The end date limit that the last modified dates are compared against. Must be typed in the format YYYYMMDDHH24MISS (for example, 20071231235900) |
--make-isos=MAKE_ISOS | Create a channel dump ISO directory called satellite-isos (for example, --make-isos=cd or dvd) |
--email | Email a report of what was exported and what errors may have occurred. |
--traceback-mail=EMAIL | Alternative email address for --email. |
--db=DB | Include alternate database connect string: username/password@SID. |
--hard-links | Export the RPM and kickstart files with hard links to the original files. |
Select the contents, such as RPMs, errata, or kickstarts, to export using these command line options.
The amount of time it takes
rhn-satellite-exporter to export data depends on the number and size of the exported channels. The --no-packages, --no-kickstarts, --no-errata, and --no-rpms options reduce the amount of time required for rhn-satellite-exporter to run, but also prevents export of potentially useful information. For that reason, only use these options when certain the content is not required and can be excluded. Additionally, use the matching options for satellite-sync when importing the data. For example, if you use --no-kickstarts with rhn-satellite-exporter, specify the same --no-kickstarts option when importing the data.
When exporting a Red Hat Network base channel, export the tools channel associated with that base channel. The tools channels contain the auto-kickstart packages, which install packages for kickstarting a machine through the Red Hat Satellite.
