[TOC]
Configuring Channels and Repositories
-------------------------------------
Configure channels and repositories as described [on this
page](http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/PackageManagement/Spacewalk#head-7a284eb582941c82ecd294ebc5c16c404a242e3e).
The command executed when you schedule a sync is (for example):
/usr/bin/python -u /usr/bin/spacewalk-repo-sync --channel epel-i386 --type yum
* You can then see what's happening by `tail`-ing the output of that
repository in `/var/log/rhn/reposync`. This is very helpful when
you're trying to diagnose issues.
* I couldn't get two syncs to take place simultaneously.
### Syncing repositories manually
Scheduling syncs via the Spacewalk server will almost always require you
to tail files in `/var/log/rhn/reposync` and will produce a strange
directory structure (see sections below). However, if you wanted to do
these things yourself, you could try this:
```bash
# Sync repositories to a local folder
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=base64 > /dev/null
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=updates64 > /dev/null
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=extras64 > /dev/null
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=centosplus64 > /dev/null
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=epel64 > /dev/null
reposync –arch=x86_64 -p /var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64 -d -l -g -n -q –repoid=spacewalk-client-tools64 > /dev/null
# Make the Spacewalk server aware of synced repos
rhnpush –channel=centos5basex86_64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/base/CentOS
rhnpush –channel=centos5updates64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/updates/RPMS
rhnpush –channel=centos5extrasx86-64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/extras/RPMS
rhnpush –channel=centos5plusx86_64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/centosplus/RPMS
rhnpush –channel=spacewalkclienttoolsx86_64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/spacewalk-client-tools
rhnpush –channel=epel5x86_64 –username=rhnusername –password=rhnpassword –server=http://localhost/APP –dir=/var/www/html/pub/CentOS5-x86_64/epel
```
### Determing GPG information
Adding a channel requires the key URL, ID and fingerprint. This is easy
to determine:
wget [http://dev.centos.org/centos/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-testing](http://dev.centos.org/centos/RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-testing)
gpg --import RPM-GPG-KEY-CentOS-testing
gpg --list-public-keys --fingerprint
This will produce output like:
/root/.gnupg/pubring.gpg
------------------------
pub 1024D/F24F1B08 2002-04-23 [expired: 2004-04-22]
Key fingerprint = D8CC 06C2 77EC 9C53 372F C199 B1EE 1799 F24F 1B08
uid Red Hat, Inc (Red Hat Network)
pub 2048R/C236FD2B 2010-12-20 [expires: 2011-12-20]
Key fingerprint = 8E05 7113 DF16 CB7A E7A5 0422 A8E4 0177 C236 FD2B
uid Nikhil Anand
pub 1024D/910620BF 2010-05-12
Key fingerprint = B3B6 A608 6012 F724 52C3 03F4 D085 AAC6 9106 20BF
uid Nicolai
sub 4096g/29673670 2010-05-12
pub 1024D/7203F491 2005-11-19
Key fingerprint = BCD0 0AEB A3C0 39D7 25E0 663C 5C37 C0B1 7203 F491
uid CentOS-testing (CentOS Developers testing key)
sub 2048g/537F5CB3 2005-11-19
`7203F491` is your key ID.
### Local repositories and Log files
RPMs are staged in `/var/cache/reposync` and then moved to
`/var/satellite/redhat`. The directory structure looks like this:
[root@spacewalk /var/satellite/redhat/1]# tree 62c
62c
|-- hmaccalc`
| `-- 0.9.6-3.el5
| `-- i386
| `-- 62cdfcfe805ee49082434653625f84f4
| `-- hmaccalc-0.9.6-3.el5.i386.rpm
|-- python-docs`
| `-- 2.4.3-1.1
| `-- noarch
| `-- 62cbc246046f1cb5306758842f738725
| `-- python-docs-2.4.3-1.1.noarch.rpm
`-- tkinter
`-- 2.4.3-27.el5
`-- i386
`-- 62c1a8dc30931e7ec0d947dbef6db2d7
`-- tkinter-2.4.3-27.el5.i386.rpm
Log files are stored in `/var/log/rhn`. When you schedule a sync action,
you'll see log files appear in `/var/log/rhn/reposync`. For other
actions, use `rhn_taskomatic_daemon.log` (use `ls -ltr` to see which log
files have changed after you've done something!)
Syncing Errata
--------------
[This page](http://www.bioss.ac.uk/staff/davidn/spacewalk-stuff/) has a
fantastic Python script that goes through mail archives, digests and
mailing list websites for errata and pushes them to the Spacewalk
server. It does have a few limitations you should be aware of (on the
download page). It takes care of duplicates and takes *a considerable*
amount of time.
Also remember that you won't get the current month's errata this way.
The gzipped archives are only available at the end of every month from
the CentOS lists.
The script attempts to pull information on a given package using its ID.
If this fails, it looks at `package_dir` (see below). The **problem** is
that it expects `package_dir` to be a flat directory with all the RPMs
in it. This is not the default case.
I run this command daily. Not appending the `--password` option results
in the script asking for a RHN password.
/opt/spacewalk-errata/centos-errata.py --config=/opt/spacewalk-errata/centos-errata.cfg \
--password="XXXXXXXXX" \
--format=mail-archive.com
You can also write a small script that `gunzip`'s archive files from
[the actual mailing
list](http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/). Here's a
sample script:
```
#!/bin/sh
# Processes CentOS Errata and imports it into Spacewalk
DATE=`date +"%Y-%B" +d '1 month ago'`
# Fetch and uncompress errata data from the CentOS lists`
wget -P /opt/spacewalk-errata/errata http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos-announce/$DATE.txt.gz
gunzip -f /opt/spacewalk-errata/errata/$DATE.txt.gz
# Processes and imports the errata.
cd /opt/spacewalk-errata/ && \
/opt/spacewalk-errata/centos-errata.py --format=archive /opt/spacewalk-errata/errata/$DATE.txt \
--config=/opt/spacewalk-errata/centos-errata.cfg >> /var/log/centos-errata.log
```
I don't know why you have to supply your password; it should already be
in the config file (`/opt/spacewalk-errata/centos-errata.cfg`). Speaking
of, here's what mine looks like:
```bash
[centos errata]
#Required to identify applicable messages on the centos-announce mailing list
version=5
#Useful for interpolation below, not used by tool itself
release=6
#If true the script will attempt to use the Redhat Network to populate the errata description
scrape_rhn=False
# I only set spacewalk and not "dir" since I want the script to rely on Spacewalk
# exclusively to get package signatures
search_strategies=spacewalk
#Maximum number of errata to process at once. Only relevant to format 'mail-archive.com'
#max_errata
[spacewalk]
server=spacewalk.eng.uiowa.edu
login=admin
#The tool will prompt you if you don't specify a password
password=XXXXXXXX
[i386]
# Enter the name of the channel that the errata will link to.
channel=centos-5.5-i386-updates
[x86_64]
# Enter the name of the channel that the errata will link to.
channel=centos-5.5-x86_64-updates
```
(Stateful) Firewall Rules
-------------------------
You'll have to accept incoming connections on port 443 (HTTPS) for basic
functionality. If you want to push configs to clients, here are the
relevant stateful `iptables` rules. Port 5222 shows up in
`/etc/services` as "xmpp-client".
```bash
# On server
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 5222 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -p udp --dport 5222 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
# If you're filtering outputs on client
iptables -A OUTPUT -d $SPACEWALK_SERVER -p tcp --dport 5222 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -d $SPACEWALK_SERVER -p udp --dport 5222 -m state --state NEW -j ACCEPT
```
Error with `repodata.xml` with EPEL
-----------------------------------
For some reason `/var/cache/rhn/repodata/epel-i386` doesn't have the
`repodata.xml` file. The source I configured the repository with doesn't
have it either. I had to manually download it:
wget -P /var/cache/rhn/repodata/epel-i386/http://linux.mirrors.es.net/fedora-epel/5/i386/repodata/repomd.xml
Pertinent services
------------------
Monitoring
MonitoringScout
cobblerd
jabberd
oracle-xe
osa-dispatcher
rhn-search
taskomatic
tomcat5
`xinetd` and `tftpd` need to be started if you plan on kickstarting
nodes. `jabberd` is very essential to push configs to nodes.
Enable Monitoring
-----------------
* Go to Admin > Spacewalk Configuration > Monitoring and check
"Enable Monitoring Scout".
* You'll need to restart the RHN server after this.
Now you need to configure each client. See the appropriate section in
the client config page for how to do this. Essentially, you'll use a
keyless SSH login as user `nocpulse` (a company [acquired by Red
Hat](http://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/18828935/red-hat-set-to-acquire-nocpulse.htm;jsessionid=IzcWoAcIx174S0nNiEbNMw**.ecappj02))
to get metrics from clients.
Although the default port for NOCpulse is 4545, you can monitor via port
22 as well. Just look for the port option when creating a probe. You can
test a connection by issuing this from the RHN server:
ssh -l nocpulse -p 4545 -i /var/lib/nocpulse/.ssh/nocpulse-identity client.com
Getting ready to register clients
---------------------------------
* Go to "Systems > Activation Keys" and generate a new key.
* It's a good idea to do this *after* setting up your base channels.
For example, I created two keys for 32-bit and 64-bit systems with
their respective channels as base channels (i.e. *not*
"Spacewalk Default").
* Make sure you check "Provisioning" if you want to push centralized
files to your systems.
* See the section above on monitoring; have the public key ready!
Working with the Oracle XE Database
-----------------------------------
Some quick points:
* The 'actual' database files are installed in `/usr/lib/oracle/xe`
for backups.
* If unset, the `$ORACLE_HOME` variable should point at
`/usr/lib/oracle/xe/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/server/`
* You should have a script which uses Oracle's RMAN to back up your
database:
$ORACLE_HOME/config/scripts/backup.sh
* There's also another one, but it merely opens up the first script in
X11:
$ORACLE_HOME/config/scripts/backupdatabase.sh
You can do a:
* 'Cold' backup: merely `rsync` the files keeping the database
*offline*
* 'Hot' backup: use the scripts above, done when DB is *online*
* Manual backup with the web interface (tedious)
I personally do a 'cold' backup since I couldn't get `startup mount` to
work with setting up `backup.sh`.
Weird Fonts in History Graphs
-----------------------------
Spacewalk uses jFreeChart for graphing. jFreeChart relies on the JVM for
font configuration. This is found in the `$JAVAHOME/lib/fontconfig.*`
files (there's [more
information](http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.5.0/docs/guide/intl/fontconfig.html)
on this).
Basically, you need to install [the
DejaVu](http://dejavu-fonts.org/wiki/Main_Page) font package on your
server if you see weird, cursive fonts:
yum -y install dejavu-lgc-fonts
Cleaning your log files
-----------------------
`reposync` generates a lot of logs and doesn't have a `logrotate`
configuration. So I added this to `crontab` to prevent things from
getting out of control:
```bash
# Clean the log directory every day at noon
0 0 * * * /usr/bin/find /var/log/rhn/reposync/ -type f -ctime +0 | xargs rm -rf
```
Sources
-------
* [The CentOS mirror
list](http://www.centos.org/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=30)
* [32-bit Spacewalk Server with 64-bit
Clients](http://thedonkeyland.com/blog/2009/07/32-bit-spacewalk-server-with-64-bit-clients-centos/)
* [Spacewalk
Setup](http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=nl&tl=en&u=http://www.falsyana.com/linux/spacewalk/)
(in Dutch but *ridiculously* helpful)
* [Backing up](http://www.markcallen.com/oracle/oracle-xe-backup) and
[recovering](http://www.markcallen.com/oracle/oracle-xe-recovery) an
Oracle XE database
* [A *fantastic* overview of Oracle DB
backups](http://www.thefreyers.net/doku.php?id=technology:databases:how_to_backup_an_oracle_xe_database)
* [Oracle's documentation on Backing up and Restoring
DBs](http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/B25329_01/doc/admin.102/b25107/backrest.htm#CIHEHCEA)
* [Script to import centos-announce messages into a spacewalk
server](http://www.bioss.ac.uk/staff/davidn/spacewalk-stuff/)
* [Configuring SpaceWalk to import
Errata](http://www.misdivision.com/blog/configuring-spacewalk-to-import-centos-errata)
* [Some statistics on Spacewalk](http://blog.delouw.ch/tag/spacewalk/)
* [Jabber and
OSAD](https://fedorahosted.org/spacewalk/wiki/JabberAndOSAD)
* [Centralized system management with Spacewalk
1.3](http://www.linux-specialist.nl/2011/02/centralized-system-management-with-spacewalk/)
(dude claims package deployment doesn't work...)
* [Scheduled Package Installs
Failing](https://www.redhat.com/archives/spacewalk-list/2011-February/msg00180.html)
(dude upgrades from 1.2 to 1.3, has checklist of how he got
package management to work)
* [RedHat's package-signing
keys](https://access.redhat.com/security/team/key/)
* [Step-by-step instructions on how to enable
monitoring](https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=492177#c0)
* [Official Red Hat documentation on the monitoring
entitlement](https://rhn.redhat.com/rhn/help/reference/rhn370/en/s1-mon-rhnmd.jsp)
* [Changing Spacewalk Server's self-signed
certificates](http://unfuckablelinux.com/2008/07/02/spacewalk-and-avoiding-self-signed-certificates/)