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Chapter 3. Hammer authentication

A Satellite user must prove their identity to Red Hat Satellite when entering hammer commands. Hammer commands can be run manually or automatically. In either case, hammer requires Satellite credentials for authentication. There are three methods of hammer authentication:

  • Hammer authentication session
  • Storing credentials in the hammer configuration file
  • Providing credentials with each hammer command

The hammer configuration file method is recommended when running commands automatically. For example, running Satellite maintenance commands from a cron job. When running commands manually, Red Hat recommends using the hammer authentication session and providing credentials with each command.

If you ran the Satellite installation with --foreman-initial-admin-username and --foreman-initial-admin-password options, credentials you entered are stored in the ~/.hammer/cli.modules.d/foreman.yml configuration file on Satellite Server. Hammer does not prompt for your credentials when you run it on Satellite Server.

If you run a standalone Hammer, add your credentials to the Hammer configuration file.

Important

If you change your credentials on Satellite Server, you must update the configuration file manually. The installer does not overwrite the configuration file.

Procedure

  • Add your credentials to the ~/.hammer/cli.modules.d/foreman.yml configuration file: 

    :foreman:
 :username: 'username'
 :password: 'password'

    Use only spaces for indentation in Hammer configuration files, do not use tabs.

3.2. Authenticating Hammer using CLI options
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If you do not have your Satellite credentials saved in the ~/.hammer/cli.modules.d/foreman.yml configuration file, Hammer prompts you for them each time you enter a command.

Note

Examples in this guide assume that you have saved credentials in the configuration file or are using a Hammer authentication session.

Procedure

  • Specify your credentials when executing a command as follows: 

    $ hammer -u username -p password subcommands

3.3. Authenticating Hammer using sessions
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The Hammer authentication session is a cache that stores your credentials, and you have to provide them only once, at the beginning of the session. This method is suited to running several Hammer commands in succession, for example a script containing Hammer commands. In this scenario, you enter your Satellite credentials once, and the script runs as expected. By using the Hammer authentication session, you avoid storing your credentials in the script itself and in the ~/.hammer/cli.modules.d/foreman.yml Hammer configuration file.

Prerequisites

  • You have enabled sessions by adding :use_sessions: true to the ~/.hammer/cli.modules.d/foreman.yml file: 

    :foreman:
 :use_sessions: true

    Note that if you enable sessions, credentials stored in the configuration file will be ignored.

  • Optional: You can change the length of a session, for example, to 30 minutes: 

    $ hammer settings set \
--name idle_timeout \
--value 30

    The default length is 60 minutes.

Procedure

  • Start a session: 

    $ hammer auth login

    You are prompted for your Satellite credentials, and logged in. You will not be prompted for the credentials again until your session expires.

Verification

  • View the current status of the session: 

    $ hammer auth status

Next steps

  • End the session: 

    $ hammer auth logout
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