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5.2. Attaching Subscriptions to a System
Basically, a subscription grants access to software downloads and updates, along with defining support levels. For a system to be able to use software, it must have a subscription which grants it that access. The tab controls what subscriptions are attached to a system.
The tab shows what subscriptions are currently attached to a system. Clicking the link shows all of the subscriptions that are available to the system, based on what subscriptions are compatible with the hardware.
Note
Available subscriptions can also be determined by subscriptions which are compatible with currently installed products. This view of subscriptions is only available in the Red Hat Subscription Manager local clients, since Customer Portal Subscription Management has no perspective into what products are currently installed on the system. It only knows what its subscriptions are based on the subscription service inventory.
The list of available subscriptions provides three important pieces of information for the product (aside from its name):
- The service level for the subscription.
- The contract number for the purchase of the subscription, which is important for record keeping and tracking.
- The quantity still available for that subscription. Subscriptions are purchased in quantities; this number tells how many are still left of the total quantity purchased.
- The start and end dates of the subscription. This keeps you from attaching a subscription that may only be valid a few days before it expires or which are not yet active.
Note
Using the Filter box can help narrow down the list of subscriptions, which is useful if the account has many subscriptions, which can require navigating through pages of results.
- Open the system entry, as in Section 4.2, “The System List: Viewing the Inventory”.
- Open the tab.
- Click the link.
- Click the checkboxes by all of the subscriptions to attach.
Normally, subscriptions are listed only if they are compatible with the system, meaning they match the system's recognized hardware, architecture, and preferences (service level or release version). To list all subscriptions, even those that aren't compatible with the system's hardware or service level preference, then deselect the appropriate Only Show... checkbox. - Click the Attach Selected button.
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