86 Chapter 6. Red Hat Network Website
2. Click the create new key link at the top-left corner.
Warning
In addition to the fields listed below, RHN Satellite Server customers may also populate the
Key field itself. This user-defined string of characters can then be supplied with rhnreg_ks to
register client systems with the Satellite. Do not insert commas in the key. All other characters
are accepted. Commas are problematic since they are the separator used when including two
or more activation keys atonce. Refer to Section6.4.7.2 Using Multiple Activation Keysat Once
—
for details.
3. Provide the following information:
• Description — User-defined description to identify the generated activation key.
• Usage Limit — The number of times the key can be used to register a system before the
activation key is disabled. Leave blank for unlimited use.
• Base Channel — Theprimary channel for the key.Selecting nothing will enable you to select
from all child channels, although systems can be subscribed to only those that are applicable.
• Entitlement — Theservice level forthe key, either Management orProvisioning. All systems
will be subscribed at this level with the key.
• Universal default — Whether or not this key should be considered the primary activation
key for your organization.
Click Create Key.
After creating the unique key, it appears in the list of activation keys along with the number of times it
has been used. Note that only Activation Key Administrators can see this list. At this point, you may
associate child channels and groups with the key so systems registered with it will automatically be
subscribed to them.
To change information about a key, such as the channels or groups, click its description in the key
list, make your modifications in the appropriate tab, and click the Update Key button. To disassociate
channels and groups from a key, deselect them in their respective menus by [Ctrl]-clicking their high-
lighted names. To remove a key entirely, click the delete key link in the top-right corner of the edit
page.
If you do not want a key to be used to activate a system, you can disable it by unselecting the corre-
sponding checkbox under the Enabled column in the key list. The key can be re-enabled by selecting
the checkbox. After making these changes, click the Update Keys button on the bottom right-hand
corner of the page.
6.4.7.2. Using Multiple Activation Keys at Once —
Provisioning customers should note that multiple activation keys can be included at the command
line or in a single kickstart profile. This allows you to aggregate the aspects of various keys without
having to recreate a new key specific to the desired systems, simplifying the registration and kickstart
processes while slowing the growth of your key list.
Without this stacking ability, your organization would need at least six activation keys to manage
four server groups and subscribe a server to any two groups. Factor in two versions of the operating
system, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 and 3, and you need twice the number of activation
keys. A larger organization would need keys in the dozens.
Before specifiying more than one activation key, you must understand how their values are combined
and resolved. These entities are straight unions: server groups, software packages, software child
channels, and config channels. A combination of these will be used. If there is a conflict between the
remaining properties, they will be resolved in the following manner:
