Chapter 11. Upgrades

This chapter examines how to upgrade a pre-existing Red Hat Satellite to version 5.7. Make sure to meet the requirements listed in Section 11.1, “Upgrade Requirements” before running the upgrade procedure.

11.1. Upgrade Requirements

An upgrade from one version of Red Hat Satellite to another requires the following items:
  • An updated Red Hat Satellite certificate
  • The Red Hat Satellite Upgrade Package (rhn-upgrade)
  • The installation media for the latest version of Red Hat Satellite
The following procedure explains how to obtain these items.

Procedure 11.1. Preparing for Red Hat Satellite Upgrade

  1. Obtain Red Hat Satellite Certificate and installation media from the Red Hat Customer Portal

    1. Obtain a Red Hat Satellite 5 entitlement certificate from the Red Hat Customer Portal by following the instructions in Chapter 3, Entitlement Certificate.
    2. Save this certificate on your Red Hat Satellite server.

  2. Obtain Red Hat Satellite Upgrade Package (rhn-upgrade)

    1. Ensure the Satellite is registered to the Red Hat Satellite Channel.
    2. Install the rhn-upgrade package with the following command: 
      # yum install rhn-upgrade
      This package installs scripts and a comprehensive set of instructions for a Red Hat Satellite upgrade within the /etc/sysconfig/rhn/satellite-upgrade directory.

  3. Obtain Installation Media

    1. Obtain a Red Hat Satellite 5.7 ISO from the Red Hat Customer Portal at https://access.redhat.com/home under Downloads.
    2. Download this ISO to your Red Hat Satellite server.

  4. Backup your Satellite 5 Server

    1. Backup your database. Use the following commands: 
      # db-control stop
# db-control backup $BACKUP_DIR

      Important

      Due to an updated version of the PostgreSQL Embedded Database, the database location has changed from /var/lib/pgsql in Red Hat Satellite 5.6 to /opt/rh/postgresql92/root/var/lib/pgsql in Red Hat Satellite 5.7. Make sure to allocate enough hard disk space to this location.
    2. Backup your RPM packages. The default location is /var/satellite unless you have changed this directory in your /etc/rhn/rhn.conf configuration file.
    3. Backup the /etc/rhn/rhn.conf configuration file, especially if you have made any modifications to it for authentication or changing default directory locations. The upgrade process overwrites this file with new settings. Retain the old version your old file so you can reference your Satellite 5 server settings.