Red Hat Satellite 6.3 Beta FAQ

Updated -

Red Hat is proud to announce the launch of the Satellite 6.3 public beta program!

Question: What is coming in this beta release, and why should I participate?
Answer:
The Red Hat Satellite 6.3 Beta represents the next minor release of the Satellite 6 product line, which was originally introduced in 2014. For version 6.3, customers can expect to see a continuation of the focus placed on the Satellite 6.2 monthly z-stream releases, including increased stability, supportability, and enhanced configuration and content management.

Red Hat Satellite beta programs provide interested customers and stakeholders the opportunity to learn about new capabilities planned for the Satellite offering and to help identify bugs and shape the future of the product. Red Hat invites you to download our beta code and assist us by evaluating the new functionality, product improvements, and code quality.

Question: What are some of the new and/or enhanced features in the Red Hat Satellite 6.3 Beta?
Answer:
Content Management:

  • Improved content download policies and synchronization (Lazy Sync tool)
  • New custom file type repository
  • New CCV “latest” publishing step

System Provisioning:

  • Tech Preview feature - Improved ability to manage provisioning templates (Pull templates from GIT tool)

Configuration Management:

  • Ansible Tower integration best practice documentation

Supportability:

  • Full Red Hat support for both Puppet 3.8 & 4
  • UEFI Support
  • Full Red Hat support for Satellite and Capsule servers running on AWS EC2

Security & User Access:

  • Newly defined and formalized ‘Org Admin’ role
  • New OpenSCAP tailoring files

Usability:

  • New Notification Drawer functionality to improve Satellite alerts and messaging
  • New future-dated subscriptions
  • Ability to clone existing Satellite server to a new host (Cloning tool)
  • Change the Satellite hostname while changing configurations (Renaming Tool)
  • New virt-who configuration wizard
  • Foreman-maintain tooling for health and upgrades

Question: When is the Red Hat Satellite 6.3 public Beta available?
Answer: December 7, 2017. The program will run for roughly six weeks, ending in mid-January.

Question: How can I access additional subscriptions to test the Satellite 6.3 Beta?
Answer: Please visit the Satellite 6.3 Beta Overview page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.

Question: How long will I have to test the Beta?
Answer: The entire program lasts for roughly six weeks, although beta subscriptions are good for a period of 90-days.

Question: Can I use the Satellite 6.3 beta in production?
Answer: Beta releases are made available only for testing purposes. Red Hat provides beta releases and revisions from beta repositories. This beta is not an officially supported repository, and these releases cannot be considered for a production environment. Everyone who uses the beta is encouraged to submit any bugs found in it to: bugzilla.redhat.com

Question: Will I be able to upgrade directly from the Beta to the production GA build of Satellite 6.3?
Answer: No. There will be no direct upgrade path from either Beta to Production GA versions or vice versa. Beta testing is new installations only. Satellite 6.2->6.3 upgrades will only be supported from GA release to GA release - Satellite 6.1 customers need to update to 6.1.9 GA then upgrade to 6.2.x GA before upgrading to 6.3. Capsule needs to be the same version as Satellite i.e. cannot run Capsule 6.2 with Satellite 6.3 or vice versa.

Question: How is the public Beta supported by Red Hat?
Answer: The Satellite 6.3 public beta is supported in non-production settings at a Severity 4 level.

Question: Who is eligible to participate in the Beta?
Answer: All Red Hat Satellite customers with an active subscription are eligible.

Question: How do I enroll in the public Beta?
Answer: For customers with active Satellite subscriptions, enrollment in the public beta is self-service via Customer Portal. Simply visit the Satellite 6.3 Beta Overview page on the Red Hat Customer Portal and log in as an Org Admin user. From there, click on the "Sign Up" button and complete the form. You should quickly receive a confirmation email from Red Hat with instructions on how to access your subscriptions.

Once successfully enrolled, participants will be have the following subscriptions added to their account for a period of 90 days:
2 Red Hat Satellite Server Subscriptions
5 Red Hat Satellite Capsule/Proxy Subscriptions

Question: Where can I download the beta subscriptions?
Answer: Please visit the Satellite 6.3 Beta Overview page on the Red Hat Customer Portal. This is where you can request the Beta subscriptions, download the software, and also access resources to help you navigate through the beta program.

Question: How can I provide feedback during the Beta program?
Answer: There are number of ways you can provide feedback throughout the Beta program. Whichever method you chose, PLEASE provide your feedback - it is greatly appreciated! The Satellite 6.3 Beta Navigation Guide details all the ways you can provide feedback.

Question: Where can I find all of the Beta guides and documentation?
Answer: All Satellite 6.3 beta documentation can be found here on the Customer Portal.

Question: When did previous versions of Red Hat Satellite 6 become generally available?
Answer:

  • Red Hat Satellite 6.2 GA: July 27, 2016
  • Red Hat Satellite 6.1 GA: August 12, 2015
  • Red Hat Satellite 6.0 GA: September 10, 2014

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