OpenUp RPM Update Server

What is OpenUp?

OpenUp is an open source server for the up2date client. Itt provides RPMS and dependency information to clients to assist with updating and installing packages on RPM-based distributions.

What's the difference between OpenUp and the Red Hat Network™?

OpenUp only provides enough functionality to use the up2date client. It does not support centralized management of machines, scheduled updates, or email notifications. Additionally it does not keep track of registered machines or users. It is essentially a smart FTP client. If you need system management functionality, or the ability to automatically update systems, please use Red Hat Network.

How do I use OpenUp

OpenUp uses the up2date client with a few minor modifications. In order to use it, the following need to be done:

  1. If you have registered for RHN, back up your /etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid file.
  2. Run rhn_register --nox --configure and change the serverURL to https://openup.mullicrusher.org/XMLRPC and the noSSLServerURL to http://openup.mullicrusher.org/XMLRPC (Note that you can also edit /etc/sysconfig/rhn/rhn_register by hand)
  3. Run up2date --nox --configure and and change the serverURL to https://openup.mullicrusher.org/XMLRPC and the noSSLServerURL to http://openup.mullicrusher.org/XMLRPC (Note that you can also edit /etc/sysconfig/rhn/up2date by hand)
  4. In /usr/share/rhn/register/rhnreg.py and /usr/share/rhn/up2date_client/up2date.py, comment out s.use_CA_chain(rhns_ca_cert) using a # character.
  5. Run rhn_register. All data that is submitted is redirected to /dev/null, so fake values should work just fine.

You are now configured to use OpenUp. To update your system, run up2date.

Known bugs

Unsupported Architecture/Version

At this time only Red Hat Linux 7.2 on i386 is supported. This server is only for demonstration purposes, but a full production server can support many more versions and architectures.

Wrong arch is chosen

Due to a bug in the up2date client, the athlon kernel and i686 glibc will always be chosen if a kernel or glibc update is available. This is due to the architecture scoring algorithum used in up2date, and hopefully will be fixed in the next release of up2date.

Function not implemented

There are several functions that are not implemented in OpenUp, and will cause up2date to print an error message. OpenUp is a work in progress. Some functions may be implemented in the future, however there are no plans to implement certain functionality, such as automated updates.

Source Availability

OpenUp is open source software, and is freely redistributable. The current version is openup-0.8.tar.gz.

Other Questions?

If you have other questions not covered here, please mail openup@caffeinexchange.org.

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