Chapter 3. Performing Additional Configuration on Satellite Server
3.1. Configuring Satellite to Synchronize Content with a Local CDN Server
In a disconnected environment, you must ensure that Satellite Server contains the required content to provision systems with the latest security updates, errata, and packages. To do this, follow this procedure to download content ISO images from the Red Hat Customer Portal and import them into a local CDN server. You can host the local CDN server on the base operating system of Satellite Server or on a system that is accessible to Satellite over HTTP. Next, you must configure Satellite Server to synchronize content with the local CDN server.
Procedure
- Log on to the Red Hat Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com.
- In the upper left of the window, click Downloads and select Red Hat Satellite.
- Click the Content ISOs tab. This page lists all the products that are available in your subscription.
- Click the link for the product name, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Server (x86_64) to download the ISO image.
Copy all of Satellite Content ISO images to a system that you want to use as a local CDN server. For example, the
/root/isos
directory on Satellite Server.Note that storing the content on the same system where Satellite is installed is not a requirement. The CDN can be hosted on a different system inside the same disconnected network as long as it is accessible to Satellite Server over HTTP.
On the system that you want to use as your local CDN server, create a local directory that is accessible over httpd. For example,
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/
:# mkdir -p /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/
Create a mount point and temporarily mount the ISO image at that location:
# mkdir /mnt/iso # mount -o loop /root/isos/first_iso /mnt/iso
Recursively copy content of the first ISO image to the local directory:
# cp -ruv /mnt/iso/* /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/
If you do not plan to use the mounted binary DVD ISO image, unmount and remove the mount point:
# umount /mnt/iso # rmdir /mnt/iso
-
Repeat the above step for each ISO image until you have copied all the data from the Content ISO images into
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/
. Ensure that the SELinux context for the directory is correct:
# restorecon -rv /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/
- In the Satellite web UI, navigate to Content > Subscriptions.
- Click Manage Manifest.
Edit the Red Hat CDN URL field to point to the host name of the system that you use as a local CDN server with the newly created directory, for example:
http://server.example.com/pub/sat-import/
- Click Update and then upload your manifest into Satellite.
3.2. Importing Kickstart Repositories
Kickstart repositories are not provided by the Content ISO image. To use Kickstart repositories in your disconnected Satellite, you must download a binary DVD ISO file for the version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that you want to use and copy the Kickstart files to Satellite.
To import Kickstart repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, complete Section 3.2.1, “Importing Kickstart Repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7”.
To import Kickstart repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, complete Section 3.2.2, “Importing Kickstart Repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8”.
3.2.1. Importing Kickstart Repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
To import Kickstart repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, complete the following steps on Satellite.
Procedure
- Navigate to the Red Hat Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com/ and log in.
- In the upper left of the window, click Downloads.
- To the right of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, click Versions 7 and below.
- From the Version list, select the required version of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, for example 7.7.
- In the Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux window, locate the binary DVD version of the ISO image, for example, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.7 Binary DVD, and click Download Now.
- When the download completes, copy the ISO image to Satellite Server.
On Satellite Server, create a mount point and temporarily mount the ISO image at that location:
# mkdir /mnt/iso # mount -o loop rhel-binary-dvd.iso /mnt/iso
Create Kickstart directories:
# mkdir --parents \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/7.7/x86_64/kickstart/
Copy the
kickstart
files from the ISO image:# cp -a /mnt/iso/* /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/7.7/x86_64/kickstart/
Add the following entries to the listing files:
To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/listing
file, append the version number with a new line. For example, for the RHEL 7.7 ISO, append7.7
.To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/7.7/listing
file, append the architecture with a new line. For example,x86_64
.To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/7.7/x86_64/listing
file, appendkickstart
with a new line.Copy the
.treeinfo
files from the ISO image:# cp /mnt/iso/.treeinfo \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel/server/7/7.7/x86_64/kickstart/treeinfo
If you do not plan to use the mounted binary DVD ISO image, unmount and remove the directory:
# umount /mnt/iso # rmdir /mnt/iso
- In the Satellite web UI, enable the Kickstart repositories.
3.2.2. Importing Kickstart Repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
To import Kickstart repositories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, complete the following steps on Satellite.
Procedure
- Navigate to the Red Hat Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com/ and log in.
- In the upper left of the window, click Downloads.
- Click Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.
- In the Download Red Hat Enterprise Linux window, locate the binary DVD version of the ISO image, for example, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1 Binary DVD, and click Download Now.
- When the download completes, copy the ISO image to Satellite Server.
On Satellite Server, create a mount point and temporarily mount the ISO image at that location:
# mkdir /mnt/iso # mount -o loop rhel-binary-dvd.iso /mnt/iso
Create directories for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 AppStream and BaseOS Kickstart repositories:
# mkdir --parents \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/kickstart # mkdir --parents \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/kickstart
Copy the
kickstart
files from the ISO image:# cp -a /mnt/iso/AppStream/* \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/kickstart # cp -a /mnt/iso/BaseOS/* /mnt/iso/images/ \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/kickstart
Note that for BaseOS, you must also copy the contents of the
/mnt/iso/images/
directory.Add the following entries to the listing files:
To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/listing
file, appendkickstart
with a new line.To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/listing
file, appendkickstart
with a new line:To the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/listing
file, append the version number with a new line. For example, for the RHEL 8.1 binary ISO, append8.1
.Copy the
.treeinfo
files from the ISO image:# cp /mnt/iso/.treeinfo \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/kickstart/treeinfo # cp /mnt/iso/.treeinfo \ /var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/kickstart/treeinfo
-
Open the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/kickstart/treeinfo
file for editing. In the
[general]
section, make the following changes:-
Change
packagedir = AppStream/Packages
topackagedir = Packages
-
Change
repository = AppStream
torepository = .
-
Change
variant = AppStream
tovariant = BaseOS
-
Change
variants = AppStream,BaseOS
tovariants = BaseOS
-
Change
-
In the
[tree]
section, changevariants = AppStream,BaseOS
tovariants = BaseOS
. In the
[variant-BaseOS]
section, make the following changes:-
Change
packages = BaseOS/Packages
topackages = Packages
-
Change
repository = BaseOS
torepository = .
-
Change
-
Delete the
[media]
and[variant-AppStream]
sections. - Save and close the file.
Verify that the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/baseos/kickstart/treeinfo
file has the following format:[checksums] images/efiboot.img = sha256:9ad9beee4c906cd05d227a1be7a499c8d2f20b3891c79831325844c845262bb6 images/install.img = sha256:e246bf4aedfff3bb54ae9012f959597cdab7387aadb3a504f841bdc2c35fe75e images/pxeboot/initrd.img = sha256:a66e3c158f02840b19c372136a522177a2ab4bd91cb7269fb5bfdaaf7452efef images/pxeboot/vmlinuz = sha256:789028335b64ddad343f61f2abfdc9819ed8e9dfad4df43a2694c0a0ba780d16 [general] ; WARNING.0 = This section provides compatibility with pre-productmd treeinfos. ; WARNING.1 = Read productmd documentation for details about new format. arch = x86_64 family = Red Hat Enterprise Linux name = Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1.0 packagedir = Packages platforms = x86_64,xen repository = . timestamp = 1571146127 variant = BaseOS variants = BaseOS version = 8.1.0 [header] type = productmd.treeinfo version = 1.2 [images-x86_64] efiboot.img = images/efiboot.img initrd = images/pxeboot/initrd.img kernel = images/pxeboot/vmlinuz [images-xen] initrd = images/pxeboot/initrd.img kernel = images/pxeboot/vmlinuz [release] name = Red Hat Enterprise Linux short = RHEL version = 8.1.0 [stage2] mainimage = images/install.img [tree] arch = x86_64 build_timestamp = 1571146127 platforms = x86_64,xen variants = BaseOS [variant-BaseOS] id = BaseOS name = BaseOS packages = Packages repository = . type = variant uid = BaseOS
-
Open the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/kickstart/treeinfo
file for editing. In the
[general]
section, make the following changes:-
Change
packagedir = AppStream/Packages
topackagedir = Packages
-
Change
repository = AppStream
torepository = .
-
Change
variants = AppStream,BaseOS
tovariants = AppStream
-
Change
-
In the
[tree]
section, changevariants = AppStream,BaseOS
tovariants = AppStream
In the
[variant-AppStream]
section, make the following changes:-
Change
packages = AppStream/Packages
topackages = Packages
-
Change
repository = AppStream
torepository = .
-
Change
-
Delete the following sections from the file:
[checksums]
,[images-x86_64]
,[images-xen]
,[media]
,[stage2]
,[variant-BaseOS]
. - Save and close the file.
Verify that the
/var/www/html/pub/sat-import/content/dist/rhel8/8.1/x86_64/appstream/kickstart/treeinfo
file has the following format:[general] ; WARNING.0 = This section provides compatibility with pre-productmd treeinfos. ; WARNING.1 = Read productmd documentation for details about new format. arch = x86_64 family = Red Hat Enterprise Linux name = Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1.0 packagedir = Packages platforms = x86_64,xen repository = . timestamp = 1571146127 variant = AppStream variants = AppStream version = 8.1.0 [header] type = productmd.treeinfo version = 1.2 [release] name = Red Hat Enterprise Linux short = RHEL version = 8.1.0 [tree] arch = x86_64 build_timestamp = 1571146127 platforms = x86_64,xen variants = AppStream [variant-AppStream] id = AppStream name = AppStream packages = Packages repository = . type = variant uid = AppStream
If you do not plan to use the mounted binary DVD ISO image, unmount and remove the directory:
# umount /mnt/iso # rmdir /mnt/iso
- In the Satellite web UI, enable the Kickstart repositories.
3.3. Enabling the Satellite Tools 6.10 Repository
The Satellite Tools 6.10 repository provides the katello-agent
, katello-host-tools
, and puppet
packages for clients registered to Satellite Server.
To use the CLI instead of the web UI, see the CLI procedure.
Prerequisites
- Ensure that you import all content ISO images that you require into Satellite Server.
Procedure
- In the Satellite web UI, navigate to Content > Red Hat Repositories.
- Use the Search field to enter the following repository name: Satellite Tools 6.10 (for RHEL 7 Server) (RPMs).
In the Available Repositories pane, click on Satellite Tools 6.10 (for RHEL 7 Server) (RPMs) to expand the repository set.
If the Satellite Tools 6.10 items are not visible, it may be because they are not included in the Subscription Manifest obtained from the Customer Portal. To correct that, log in to the Customer Portal, add these repositories, download the Subscription Manifest and import it into Satellite.
-
For the
x86_64
entry, click the Enable icon to enable the repository.
Enable the Satellite Tools 6.10 repository for every supported major version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux running on your hosts. After enabling a Red Hat repository, a Product for this repository is automatically created.
CLI procedure
Enable the Satellite Tools 6.10 repository using the
hammer repository-set enable
command:# hammer repository-set enable --organization "initial_organization_name" \ --product 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server' \ --basearch='x86_64' \ --name 'Red Hat Satellite Tools 6.10 (for RHEL 7 Server) (RPMs)'
3.4. Synchronizing the Satellite Tools 6.10 Repository
Use this section to synchronize the Satellite Tools 6.10 repository from the Red Hat Content Delivery Network (CDN) to your Satellite. This repository provides the katello-agent
, katello-host-tools
, and puppet
packages for clients registered to Satellite Server.
Procedure
In the Satellite web UI, navigate to Content > Sync Status.
A list of product repositories available for synchronization is displayed.
- Click the arrow next to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server product to view available content.
- Select Satellite Tools 6.10 (for RHEL 7 Server) RPMs x86_64.
- Click Synchronize Now.
CLI procedure
Synchronize your Satellite Tools 6.10 repository using the
hammer repository synchronize
command:# hammer repository synchronize --organization "initial_organization_name" \ --product 'Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server' \ --name 'Red Hat Satellite Tools 6.10 for RHEL 7 Server RPMs x86_64' \ --async
3.5. Enabling Power Management on Managed Hosts
To perform power management tasks on managed hosts using the intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) or a similar protocol, you must enable the baseboard management controller (BMC) module on Satellite Server.
Prerequisites
- All managed hosts must have a network interface of BMC type. Satellite Server uses this NIC to pass the appropriate credentials to the host. For more information, see Adding a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) Interface in Managing Hosts.
Procedure
To enable BMC, enter the following command:
# satellite-installer --foreman-proxy-bmc "true" \ --foreman-proxy-bmc-default-provider "freeipmi"
3.6. Configuring DNS, DHCP, and TFTP on Satellite Server
To configure the DNS, DHCP, and TFTP services on Satellite Server, use the satellite-installer
command with the options appropriate for your environment. To view a complete list of configurable options, enter the satellite-installer --scenario satellite --help
command.
Any changes to the settings require entering the satellite-installer
command again. You can enter the command multiple times and each time it updates all configuration files with the changed values.
To use external DNS, DHCP, and TFTP services instead, see Chapter 4, Configuring Satellite Server with External Services.
Adding Multihomed DHCP details
If you want to use Multihomed DHCP, you must inform the installer.
Prerequisites
Ensure that the following information is available to you:
- DHCP IP address ranges
- DHCP gateway IP address
- DHCP nameserver IP address
- DNS information
- TFTP server name
- Use the FQDN instead of the IP address where possible in case of network changes.
- Contact your network administrator to ensure that you have the correct settings.
Procedure
Enter the
satellite-installer
command with the options appropriate for your environment. The following example shows configuring full provisioning services:# satellite-installer --scenario satellite \ --foreman-proxy-dns true \ --foreman-proxy-dns-managed true \ --foreman-proxy-dns-interface eth0 \ --foreman-proxy-dns-zone example.com \ --foreman-proxy-dns-reverse 2.0.192.in-addr.arpa \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp true \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-managed true \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-interface eth0 \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-additional-interfaces eth1 \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-additional-interfaces eth2 \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-range "192.0.2.100 192.0.2.150" \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-gateway 192.0.2.1 \ --foreman-proxy-dhcp-nameservers 192.0.2.2 \ --foreman-proxy-tftp true \ --foreman-proxy-tftp-managed true \ --foreman-proxy-tftp-servername 192.0.2.3
You can monitor the progress of the satellite-installer
command displayed in your prompt. You can view the logs in /var/log/foreman-installer/satellite.log
. You can view the settings used, including the initial_admin_password
parameter, in the /etc/foreman-installer/scenarios.d/satellite-answers.yaml
file.
For more information about configuring DHCP, DNS, and TFTP services, see the Configuring Network Services section in the Provisioning Guide.
3.7. Disabling DNS, DHCP, and TFTP for Unmanaged Networks
If you want to manage TFTP, DHCP, and DNS services manually, you must prevent Satellite from maintaining these services on the operating system and disable orchestration to avoid DHCP and DNS validation errors. However, Satellite does not remove the back-end services on the operating system.
Procedure
On Satellite Server, enter the following command:
# satellite-installer --foreman-proxy-dhcp false \ --foreman-proxy-dns false \ --foreman-proxy-tftp false
- In the Satellite web UI, navigate to Infrastructure > Subnets and select a subnet.
- Click the Capsules tab and clear the DHCP Capsule, TFTP Capsule, and Reverse DNS Capsule fields.
- Navigate to Infrastructure > Domains and select a domain.
- Clear the DNS Capsule field.
Optional: If you use a DHCP service supplied by a third party, configure your DHCP server to pass the following options:
Option 66: IP address of Satellite or Capsule Option 67: /pxelinux.0
For more information about DHCP options, see RFC 2132.
Satellite 6 does not perform orchestration when a Capsule is not set for a given subnet and domain. When enabling or disabling Capsule associations, orchestration commands for existing hosts can fail if the expected records and configuration files are not present. When associating a Capsule to turn orchestration on, make sure the required DHCP and DNS records as well as the TFTP files are in place for the existing Satellite hosts in order to prevent host deletion failures in the future.
3.8. Configuring Satellite Server for Outgoing Emails
To send email messages from Satellite Server, you can use either an SMTP server, or the sendmail
command.
Prerequisites
-
Some SMTP servers with anti-spam protection or grey-listing features are known to cause problems. To setup outgoing email with such a service either install and configure a vanilla SMTP service on Satellite Server for relay or use the
sendmail
command instead.
Procedure
-
In the Satellite web UI, navigate to Administer
Settings. Click the Email tab and set the configuration options to match your preferred delivery method. The changes have an immediate effect.
The following example shows the configuration options for using an SMTP server:
Table 3.1. Using an SMTP server as a delivery method Name Example value Delivery method
SMTP
SMTP address
smtp.example.com
SMTP authentication
login
SMTP HELO/EHLO domain
example.com
SMTP password
password
SMTP port
25
SMTP username
user@example.com
The
SMTP username
andSMTP password
specify the login credentials for the SMTP server.The following example uses gmail.com as an SMTP server:
Table 3.2. Using gmail.com as an SMTP server Name Example value Delivery method
SMTP
SMTP address
smtp.gmail.com
SMTP authentication
plain
SMTP HELO/EHLO domain
smtp.gmail.com
SMTP enable StartTLS auto
Yes
SMTP password
password
SMTP port
587
SMTP username
user@gmail.com
The following example uses the
sendmail
command as a delivery method:Table 3.3. Using sendmail as a delivery method Name Example value Delivery method
Sendmail
Sendmail arguments
-i -t -G
The
Sendmail arguments
specify the options passed to thesendmail
command. The default value is-i -t
. For more information see the sendmail 1 man page.
If you decide to send email using an SMTP server which uses TLS authentication, also perform one of the following steps:
Mark the CA certificate of the SMTP server as trusted. To do so, execute the following commands on Satellite Server:
# cp mailca.crt /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/ # update-ca-trust enable # update-ca-trust
Where
mailca.crt
is the CA certificate of the SMTP server.-
Alternatively, in the web UI, set the
SMTP enable StartTLS auto
option toNo
.
-
Click Test email to send a test message to the user’s email address to confirm the configuration is working. If a message fails to send, the web UI displays an error. See the log at
/var/log/foreman/production.log
for further details.
For information on configuring email notifications for individual users or user groups, see Configuring Email Notifications in Administering Red Hat Satellite.
3.9. Configuring Satellite Server with a Custom SSL Certificate
By default, Red Hat Satellite 6 uses a self-signed SSL certificate to enable encrypted communications between Satellite Server, external Capsule Servers, and all hosts. If you cannot use a Satellite self-signed certificate, you can configure Satellite Server to use an SSL certificate signed by an external Certificate Authority.
To configure your Satellite Server with a custom certificate, complete the following procedures:
- Section 3.9.1, “Creating a Custom SSL Certificate for Satellite Server”
- Section 3.9.2, “Deploying a Custom SSL Certificate to Satellite Server”
- Section 3.9.3, “Deploying a Custom SSL Certificate to Hosts”
- If you have external Capsule Servers registered to Satellite Server, you must configure them with custom SSL certificates. The same Certificate Authority must sign certificates for Satellite Server and Capsule Server. For more information, see Configuring Capsule Server with a Custom SSL Certificate in Installing Capsule Server.
3.9.1. Creating a Custom SSL Certificate for Satellite Server
Use this procedure to create a custom SSL certificate for Satellite Server. If you already have a custom SSL certificate for Satellite Server, skip this procedure.
When you configure Satellite Server with custom certificates, note the following considerations:
- You must use the Privacy-Enhanced Mail (PEM) encoding for the SSL certificates.
- You cannot use the same certificate for both Satellite Server and Capsule Server.
- The same Certificate Authority must sign certificates for Satellite Server and Capsule Server.
Procedure
To store all the source certificate files, create a directory that is accessible only to the
root
user.# mkdir /root/satellite_cert
Create a private key with which to sign the Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
Note that the private key must be unencrypted. If you use a password-protected private key, remove the private key password.
If you already have a private key for this Satellite Server, skip this step.
# openssl genrsa -out
/root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_key.pem
4096Create the
/root/satellite_cert/openssl.cnf
configuration file for the Certificate Signing Request (CSR) and include the following content:[ req ] req_extensions = v3_req distinguished_name = req_distinguished_name x509_extensions = usr_cert prompt = no [ req_distinguished_name ] 1 C = Country Name (2 letter code) ST = State or Province Name (full name) L = Locality Name (eg, city) O = Organization Name (eg, company) OU = The division of your organization handling the certificate CN = satellite.example.com 2 [ v3_req ] basicConstraints = CA:FALSE keyUsage = digitalSignature, nonRepudiation, keyEncipherment, dataEncipherment extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth, clientAuth, codeSigning, emailProtection subjectAltName = @alt_names [ usr_cert ] basicConstraints=CA:FALSE nsCertType = client, server, email keyUsage = nonRepudiation, digitalSignature, keyEncipherment extendedKeyUsage = serverAuth, clientAuth, codeSigning, emailProtection nsComment = "OpenSSL Generated Certificate" subjectKeyIdentifier=hash authorityKeyIdentifier=keyid,issuer [ alt_names ] DNS.1 = satellite.example.com 3
- 1
- In the
[ req_distinguished_name ]
section, enter information about your organization. - 2
- Set the certificate’s Common Name
CN
to match the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your Satellite Server. To confirm a FQDN, on that Satellite Server, enter thehostname -f
command. This is required to ensure that thekatello-certs-check
command validates the certificate correctly. - 3
- Set the Subject Alternative Name (SAN)
DNS.1
to match the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your server.
Generate the Certificate Signing Request (CSR):
# openssl req -new \ -key /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_key.pem \ 1 -config /root/satellite_cert/openssl.cnf \ 2 -out /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_csr.pem 3
Send the certificate signing request to the Certificate Authority. The same Certificate Authority must sign certificates for Satellite Server and Capsule Server.
When you submit the request, specify the lifespan of the certificate. The method for sending the certificate request varies, so consult the Certificate Authority for the preferred method. In response to the request, you can expect to receive a Certificate Authority bundle and a signed certificate, in separate files.
3.9.2. Deploying a Custom SSL Certificate to Satellite Server
Use this procedure to configure your Satellite Server to use a custom SSL certificate signed by a Certificate Authority. The katello-certs-check
command validates the input certificate files and returns the commands necessary to deploy a custom SSL certificate to Satellite Server.
Procedure
Validate the custom SSL certificate input files. Note that for the
katello-certs-check
command to work correctly, Common Name (CN) in the certificate must match the FQDN of Satellite Server.# katello-certs-check \ -c /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert.pem \ 1 -k /root/satellite_cert/satellite_cert_key.pem \ 2 -b /root/satellite_cert/ca_cert_bundle.pem 3
If the command is successful, it returns two
satellite-installer
commands, one of which you must use to deploy a certificate to Satellite Server.To install the Red Hat Satellite Server with the custom certificates, run:
satellite-installer --scenario satellite \ --certs-server-cert "/root/satellite_cert/satellite.example.com_cert.pem" \ --certs-server-key "/root/satellite_cert/satellite.example.com_cert_key.pem" \ --certs-server-ca-cert "/root/satellite_cert/CA-Chain.pem"
To update the certificates on a currently running Satellite installation, run:
satellite-installer --scenario satellite \ --certs-server-cert "/root/satellite_cert/satellite.example.com_cert.pem" \ --certs-server-key "/root/satellite_cert/satellite.example.com_cert_key.pem" \ --certs-server-ca-cert "/root/satellite_cert/CA-Chain.pem" \ --certs-update-server \ --certs-update-server-ca
Depending on your requirements, enter the
satellite-installer
command that installs a new Satellite Server with custom SSL certificates or updates certificates on a currently running Satellite Server. The output of thekatello-certs-check
command may not be accurate in some cases. Therefore, you must follow the steps mentioned above instead of the command outputs.If you are unsure which command to run, you can verify that Satellite is installed by checking if the file
/etc/foreman-installer/scenarios.d/.installed
exists. If the file exists, run the secondsatellite-installer
command that updates certificates.ImportantDo not delete the certificate archive file after you deploy the certificate. It is required, for example, when upgrading Satellite Server.
-
On a computer with network access to Satellite Server, navigate to the following URL:
\https://satellite.example.com
. - In your browser, view the certificate details to verify the deployed certificate.
3.9.3. Deploying a Custom SSL Certificate to Hosts
After you configure Satellite Server to use a custom SSL certificate, you must also install the katello-ca-consumer
package on every host that is registered to this Satellite Server.
Procedure
On each host, install the
katello-ca-consumer
package:# yum localinstall \ http://satellite.example.com/pub/katello-ca-consumer-latest.noarch.rpm
3.10. Using External Databases with Satellite
As part of the installation process for Red Hat Satellite, the satellite-installer command installs PostgreSQL databases on the same server as Satellite. In certain Satellite deployments, using external databases instead of the default local databases can help with the server load.
Red Hat does not provide support or tools for external database maintenance. This includes backups, upgrades, and database tuning. You must have your own database administrator to support and maintain external databases.
To create and use external databases for Satellite, you must complete the following procedures:
- Section 3.10.2, “Preparing a Host for External Databases”. Prepare a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 server to host the external databases.
- Section 3.10.3, “Installing PostgreSQL”. Prepare PostgreSQL with databases for Satellite, Candlepin and Pulp with dedicated users owning them.
-
Section 3.10.4, “Configuring Satellite to use External Databases”. Edit the parameters of
satellite-installer
to point to the new databases, and runsatellite-installer
.
3.10.1. PostgreSQL as an External Database Considerations
Foreman, Katello, and Candlepin use the PostgreSQL database. If you want to use PostgreSQL as an external database, the following information can help you decide if this option is right for your Satellite configuration. Satellite supports PostgreSQL version 12.1.
Advantages of External PostgreSQL:
- Increase in free memory and free CPU on Satellite
-
Flexibility to set
shared_buffers
on the PostgreSQL database to a high number without the risk of interfering with other services on Satellite - Flexibility to tune the PostgreSQL server’s system without adversely affecting Satellite operations
Disadvantages of External PostgreSQL
- Increase in deployment complexity that can make troubleshooting more difficult
- The external PostgreSQL server is an additional system to patch and maintain
- If either Satellite or the PostgreSQL database server suffers a hardware or storage failure, Satellite is not operational
- If there is latency between the Satellite server and database server, performance can suffer
If you suspect that the PostgreSQL database on your Satellite is causing performance problems, use the information in Satellite 6: How to enable postgres query logging to detect slow running queries to determine if you have slow queries. Queries that take longer than one second are typically caused by performance issues with large installations, and moving to an external database might not help. If you have slow queries, contact Red Hat Support.
3.10.2. Preparing a Host for External Databases
Install a freshly provisioned system with the latest Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 server to host the external databases.
Subscriptions for Red Hat Software Collections and Red Hat Enterprise Linux do not provide the correct service level agreement for using Satellite with external databases. You must also attach a Satellite subscription to the base operating system that you want to use for the external databases.
Prerequisites
- The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 server must meet Satellite’s Storage Requirements.
Procedure
- Use the instructions in Attaching the Satellite Infrastructure Subscription to attach a Satellite subscription to your server.
Disable all repositories and enable only the following repositories:
# subscription-manager repos --disable '*' # subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-server-rhscl-7-rpms \ --enable=rhel-7-server-rpms --enable=rhel-7-server-satellite-6.10-rpms
3.10.3. Installing PostgreSQL
You can install only the same version of PostgreSQL that is installed with the satellite-installer
tool during an internal database installation. You can install PostgreSQL using Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 7 repositories or from an external source, as long as the version is supported. Satellite supports PostgreSQL version 12.1.
Procedure
To install PostgreSQL, enter the following command:
# yum install rh-postgresql12-postgresql-server \ rh-postgresql12-syspaths \ rh-postgresql12-postgresql-evr
To initialize PostgreSQL, enter the following command:
# postgresql-setup initdb
Edit the
/var/opt/rh/rh-postgresql12/lib/pgsql/data/postgresql.conf
file:# vi /var/opt/rh/rh-postgresql12/lib/pgsql/data/postgresql.conf
Remove the
#
and edit to listen to inbound connections:listen_addresses = '*'
Edit the
/var/opt/rh/rh-postgresql12/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
file:# vi /var/opt/rh/rh-postgresql12/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
Add the following line to the file:
host all all Satellite_ip/24 md5
To start, and enable PostgreSQL service, enter the following commands:
# systemctl start postgresql # systemctl enable postgresql
Open the postgresql port on the external PostgreSQL server:
# firewall-cmd --add-service=postgresql # firewall-cmd --runtime-to-permanent
Switch to the
postgres
user and start the PostgreSQL client:$ su - postgres -c psql
Create three databases and dedicated roles: one for Satellite, one for Candlepin, and one for Pulp:
CREATE USER "foreman" WITH PASSWORD 'Foreman_Password'; CREATE USER "candlepin" WITH PASSWORD 'Candlepin_Password'; CREATE USER "pulp" WITH PASSWORD 'Pulpcore_Password'; CREATE DATABASE foreman OWNER foreman; CREATE DATABASE candlepin OWNER candlepin; CREATE DATABASE pulpcore OWNER pulp;
Exit the
postgres
user:# \q
From Satellite Server, test that you can access the database. If the connection succeeds, the commands return
1
.# PGPASSWORD='Foreman_Password' psql -h postgres.example.com -p 5432 -U foreman -d foreman -c "SELECT 1 as ping" # PGPASSWORD='Candlepin_Password' psql -h postgres.example.com -p 5432 -U candlepin -d candlepin -c "SELECT 1 as ping" # PGPASSWORD='Pulpcore_Password' psql -h postgres.example.com -p 5432 -U pulp -d pulpcore -c "SELECT 1 as ping"
3.10.4. Configuring Satellite to use External Databases
Use the satellite-installer
command to configure Satellite to connect to an external PostgreSQL database.
Prerequisites
- You have installed and configured a PostgreSQL database on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux server.
Procedure
To configure the external databases for Satellite, enter the following command:
satellite-installer --scenario satellite \ --foreman-db-host postgres.example.com \ --foreman-db-password Foreman_Password \ --foreman-db-database foreman \ --foreman-db-manage false \ --katello-candlepin-db-host postgres.example.com \ --katello-candlepin-db-name candlepin \ --katello-candlepin-db-password Candlepin_Password \ --katello-candlepin-manage-db false \ --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-manage-postgresql false \ --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-host postgres.example.com \ --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-db-name pulpcore \ --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-password Pulpcore_Password --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-user pulp
To enable the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol for these external databases, add the following options:
--foreman-db-sslmode verify-full --foreman-db-root-cert <path_to_CA> --katello-candlepin-db-ssl true --katello-candlepin-db-ssl-verify true --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-ssl true --foreman-proxy-content-pulpcore-postgresql-ssl-root-ca <path_to_CA>
3.11. Tuning Satellite Server with Predefined Profiles
If your Satellite deployment includes more than 5000 hosts, you can use predefined tuning profiles to improve performance of Satellite.
Note that you cannot use tuning profiles on Capsules.
You can choose one of the profiles depending on the number of hosts your Satellite manages and available hardware resources.
The tuning profiles are available in the /usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/sizes
directory.
When you run the satellite-installer
command with the --tuning
option, deployment configuration settings are applied to Satellite in the following order:
-
The default tuning profile defined in the
/usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/common.yaml
file -
The tuning profile that you want to apply to your deployment and is defined in the
/usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/sizes/
directory -
Optional: If you have configured a
/etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file, Satellite applies these configuration settings.
Note that the configuration settings that are defined in the /etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file override the configuration settings that are defined in the tuning profiles.
Therefore, before applying a tuning profile, you must compare the configuration settings that are defined in the default tuning profile in /usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/common.yaml
, the tuning profile that you want to apply and your /etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file, and remove any duplicated configuration from the /etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file.
- default
Number of managed hosts: 0-5000
RAM: 20G
Number of CPU cores: 4
- medium
Number of managed hosts: 5001-10000
RAM: 32G
Number of CPU cores: 8
- large
Number of managed hosts: 10001-20000
RAM: 64G
Number of CPU cores: 16
- extra-large
Number of managed hosts: 20001-60000
RAM: 128G
Number of CPU cores: 32
- extra-extra-large
Number of managed hosts: 60000+
RAM: 256G
Number of CPU cores: 48+
Procedure
Optional: If you have configured the
custom-hiera.yaml
file on Satellite Server, back up the/etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file tocustom-hiera.original
. You can use the backup file to restore the/etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file to its original state if it becomes corrupted:# cp /etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml \ /etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.original
-
Optional: If you have configured the
custom-hiera.yaml
file on Satellite Server, review the definitions of the default tuning profile in/usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/common.yaml
and the tuning profile that you want to apply in/usr/share/foreman-installer/config/foreman.hiera/tuning/sizes/
. Compare the configuration entries against the entries in your/etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file and remove any duplicated configuration settings in your/etc/foreman-installer/custom-hiera.yaml
file. Enter the
satellite-installer
command with the--tuning
option for the profile that you want to apply. For example, to apply the medium tuning profile settings, enter the following command:# satellite-installer --tuning medium