Chapter 1 provides a basic overview of how you can manage patches on an individual Linux system. Techniques that we describe cover RHEL, SUSE Linux (formerly known as SUSE Linux Professional), SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Debian Linux, Fedora Linux, and some of the rebuilds of RHEL. This chapter also previews some of the tools you can use to create a patch management repository on your own network.
Chapter 2 starts by providing a model of how you can create a repository for Fedora Linux. It continues with a focus on the Red Hat Network, specifically the associated Proxy Server, which can help you cache updates. It also adds more detail on how you can manage patches on systems with RHEL rebuild distributions.
Chapter 3 is focused on the patch management tools created by SUSE and Novell for their Linux systems. It also describes how you can use rsync to mirror update servers for all Linux distributions. You can point YaST Online Update to a variety of local or network sources, such as a local patch management server, which you can copy from the mirror of your choice. Finally, we describe how Zenworks Linux Management can be installed on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server or even RHEL to administer patches on a variety of SUSE and RHEL clients.
Chapter 4 guides you through the fundamentals of the apt commands, along with their capabilities. By the time you complete this chapter, you'll know how to use various apt commands, the aptitude utility, and the GUI Synaptic Package Manager to manage your system. Finally, this chapter guides you through different tools available for downloading and synchronizing your local repository with the mirror of your choice.
Chapter 5 helps you learn to install and use many of the apt tools from Chapter 4 on RPM-based distributions, such as Fedora and SUSE Linux. Based on the work of Conectiva (now Mandriva) Linux, you can use the tools described in Chapter 5 to create and maintain an apt repository for several different RPM-based distributions.
Chapter 6 supports the use of yum as a client on RPM-based distributions. Many Linux users prefer yum because of its Python-based compatibility with RPM systems. It's now the default update tool for Fedora Linux. You can even install and use yum on RHEL (and rebuild distributions). While GUI tools for yum are not yet stable, the Yum Extender appears to be most promising.
Chapter 7 helps you design, populate, and manage your own yum Repository on a RHEL computer. You can use this repository to maintain Fedora Linux systems. It includes guidelines that can help you minimize the downloads required to create the repository. Finally, if you have authorized subscriptions, this chapter provides instructions on how you create a yum repository for a network of RHEL computers.
