Why does subscription-manager show status as "Partially Subscribed" ?

Solution Verified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  • Red Hat Subscription Manager

Issue

  • System registered with subsciption-manager register showing status as "Partially Subscribed"

    subscription-manager list --installed
+-------------------------------------------+
    Installed Product Status
+-------------------------------------------+
Product Name:           Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server
Product ID:             69                       
Version:                6.3                      
Arch:                   x86_64                   
Status:                 Partially Subscribed     
Starts:                                          
Expires:

Resolution

  • If a system has 4 sockets, and the available subscription only allow for 2 max [Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server, Standard (1-2 sockets)] it is necessary to "stack" 2 subscriptions to completely register this system, or purchase an entitlement that supports a 4 socket system.

  • The system is only Partially Subscribed when only 2 sockets are subscribed on a 4 socket system.

  • To "stack" two "1-2 socket" entitlements with RHSM, use the following command:

    # subscription-manager subscribe --pool ##### --quantity 2

  • NOTE: The "poolID" for the available subscriptions you want to stack can be found from the output of the following command [AFTER the system has been registered with 'subscription-manager --register']:

    # subscription-manager list --available

Root Cause

  • A 4 Socket system cannot be registered with a single "1-2 Socket" entitlement alone, it will require either a "4 Socket" entitlement or 2 "1-2 Socket" entitlements (applied by stacking).

  • From the Subscription Management documentation:

    "Some software is based on the underlying hardware or architecture of the system. For example, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux system may have 2 or 4 or more sockets, 2 or 4 or more CPUs, or a certain number of virtual guests. A subscription [the subscription attached] may not cover all of the configuration by itself. If a system requires multiple subscriptions to cover a count, but one of those subscriptions is missing or expires, then the product is only partially covered. That means that the system has an overall status of being partially subscribed (yellow)."

Diagnostic Steps

  • Verify the amount of sockets the system has in /etc/rhsm/facts/sockets.facts, or with the following command:

    # subscription-manager facts --list

  • Check the RHSM logs /var/log/rhsm/rhsm.log for errors:

    [DEBUG]  @cert_sorter.py:287 -   system has 4 sockets, 2 covered by entitlement

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