SUSE Manager Installation Guide

SUSE Manager lets you efficiently manage a set of Linux systems and keep them up to date. It provides automated and cost-effective software management, asset management,
system provisioning, and monitoring capabilities. SUSE Manager is compatible with Red Hat Network Satellite Server and offers seamless management of both SUSE Linux Enterprise and Red Hat Enterprise Linux client systems.You can download it from www.suse.com website.

This article tell you how to install and configure suse manager.

1.SUSE Manager consists of the following components:

Database
SUSE Manager can be used in conjunction with a stand-alone database (for example,the organizations' existing database) or with an embedded database. The embedded database comes bundled with SUSE Manager and is installed on the same machine as the SUSE Manager server.

Some differences exist when using SUSE Manager with an external database as opposed to the embedded database. These affect mainly hardware requirements,but also some installation steps, maintenance or troubleshooting activities. Differing instructions are either marked with embedded database or stand-alone databasethroughout this guide.
SUSE Manager
Core business logic and entry point for the update tool running on client systems.The SUSE Manager server also includes an Apache HTTP Server that serves XMLRPCrequests.
SUSE Manager Web Interface
For advanced management of systems, system groups, users, and channels.
RPM Repository
Repository for default packages (and custom RPM packages identified by the organization).
Management Tools
The following tools are available:
     ? Database and file system synchronization tools.
     ? RPM importing tools.
     ? Channel maintenance tools (Web-based).
     ? Patch management tools (Web-based).
     ? User management tools (Web-based).
     ? Client system and system grouping tools (Web-based).
     ? An update tool on the client systems.
If you have Red Hat Enterprise Linux clients that use the Red Hat Update Agent(up2date) or RHN Registration Client (rhn_register), these applications must be reconfigured to retrieve updates from the organization's internal SUSE Manager server or SUSE Manager Proxy. After this one-time reconfiguration,these client systems may retrieve updates locally using the Red Hat Update Agent, or system administrators may schedule actions through the SUSE Manager Web site.
The SUSE Manager management tools are used to synchronize the SUSE Manager database and package repository with Novell Customer Center. The SUSE Manager import tool allows the system administrator to include custom RPM packages in the package repository.

2.Requirements:

For more information,please see suse manager document:http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse_manager/

3.Installation:

Boot you machine from SUSE_Manager_Server_1.2.x86_64-1.2.0.iso,you can see follow view:

select Install/Restore SUSE-Manager-Server-1.2,enter:

Answer “yes”to continue:

Choose you Language and Keyboard Layout,click Next:

After set root password,click Next:

Accept License and click Next:

Configure Network,if you want to use static ip,select Change option to configure a static ip address,default route,hostname and dns.

Set clock and time zone:

If you want to confiure Novell Customer Center,you can select Configure Now option,or you select Configure Later.

Installation Complete view:

Suse manager console view:

4.Suse Manager Setup:

After installation,you must execute yast2 susemanager_setup to setup:

Select Setup SUSE Manager from scratch,Click Next:

First,you must enter SUSE Manager Administrator E-mail Address:

Second,enter Certificate information:

Third,database settings,suse manager prepared two database options,Local Database or Remote Database:

Local Database: When you install suse manager,it has already installed oracle XE software.

Remote Database: Before you install suse manager,you must have a  present oracle database.

Here i select Local Database option,enter Database User、Password and click Next to continue:

Novell Customer Center:

For using SUSE Manager, you need an account at the Novell Customer Center (NCC) where your purchased products and product subscriptions are defined. Make sure to have the following subscriptions:
      ? One or more subscriptions for SUSE Manager
      ? Subscriptions for the products on the client systems you want to register with SUSE Manager
      ? Subscriptions to client entitlements for the client system you want to register with SUSE Manager

After set NCC,Setup is running:

Now,you can use susemanager user to access oralce XE databse:

5.Access SUSE Manager:

After installation and setup,you can access use follow links:https://ip or hostname.You must create SUSE Manager Administrator when you access it at the first time:

After that,you can see follow view:

It seems like RedHat Network Satellite Server!

6.Manage SUSE Manager services:

You can use spacewalk-service command to start、stop、restart or check all service status:

7.Troubleshooting:

When you get follow errors:

You can edit /usr/lib64/python2.6/site-packages/jabber/jabber.py line 68,use hashlib module instead of sha module.After that,use spacewalk-service command to restart all service.