How to update Redhat OS version to update 8

[Gary L]

Hi

A simple question:
My Linux current OS version is: Redhat ES 3 update 4, how to upgrade to update 8 except use 4 U8 installation CDs re-install/upgrade.

thanks

[Steven E. Protter · Accepted solution]

Shalom Gary,

1) Your question is not simple.
2) You boot off the new media and look for an upgrade option instead of new install. I'm not sure if that feature exists, but it will be obvious on the annaconda screen.

You could also set up a yum respository of all current updates on rpms and use yum to update the system. This is actually supported.

I'm not at work now where I have all this stuff set up and bookmarks. Use my ITRC profile to contact me privately and I'll give this stuff to you Tuesday, when work resumes for me. If its really urgent I could log into work for you and see my bookmarks, but I'm feeling kinda lazy today.

I'll check the post again prior to the Sabbath here in about 8 hours.

:-)

SEP

[Brendan Murphy_5]

Hi Gary,
The official Redhat supported method is to register with RHN & use the up2date command, however if you've burned the Update 8 ISO's to cd you can do something similar to the following:

TAKE A BACKUP!!!

mount each CD one at a time & copy the ../RedHat/RPMS/*.rpm files to a local directory eg : /var/spool/U8

cd /etc/sysconfig/rhn
cp sources sources.orig
Now edit the sources file & comment out the line

up2date default

and add a line similar to below

dir RHEL3U8 /var/spool/U8/

Next run the up2date command. It should use your own system as an up2date repository. I'm not sure, but it may be that you have to update the kernel modules manually using rpm.

Also take a look at http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_80_8682.shtm

Regards,

Brendan

[Gary L]

Hi Brendan and Steven

thank you very much for your helps.

I will try your method to update my linux OS to u8.
BTW, my company firewall have some special setting, could not use up2date to online upgrade.
I will check brendan's hyperlink.

thanks agasin!

[Gary L]

Hi Brendan

Through checked your hyperlink and re-checked your explanation, this method will receive allthe updates from the local /var/soppl/u8 direcotory no need to connect internet. That's a good idea, I will try it.

BTW, where could download "yum" for Redhad Linux ES version and SUSE.

thx

[Brendan Murphy_5]

try http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/packages/yum/ for RHEL. Some of these packages may not be the latest, but it's a start. Also http://dries.ulyssis.org/rpm/

Not sure about SuSe. YaST is very good. I'd try looking at the SuSE website first. You might also have a look at the following article. http://liquidat.wordpress.com/2006/05/16/yum-on-suse-linux-101/

[Gary L]

Questions:
According as Brendan's steps and hyperlink, 1. I copied all the *.rpm of all the /Redhat/RPMS/ to /var/spool/u8
2. modified /etc/sysconfig/rhn/sources file: comment the line of up2date default
and add line: dir RHEL3U8 /var/spool/u8
3. when I run: up2date on command line system responds:

# up2date
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/share/rhn/up2date_client/gui.py", line 416, in onPrivacyPagePrepare
rhnreg.getCaps()
File "/usr/share/rhn/up2date_client/rhnreg.py", line 204, in getCaps
rpcServer.doCall(s.registration.welcome_message)
File "/usr/share/rhn/up2date_client/rpcServer.py", line 174, in doCall
raise up2dateErrors.CommunicationError(e.errmsg)
up2date_client.up2dateErrors.CommunicationError: Error communicating with server
. The message was:
Proxy authentication required

I think, through up modified the up2date command should receive all the updates from the /var/spool/u8, but this case it maybe connect to internet. our linux box have limited, do not allow server connect to internet.

how can i do next.

[Vitaly Karasik_1]

Probably you should register before use up2date?

[Gary L]

Hi Vitaly

thank you very much for your reply.
Qestions:
1. how to register up2date, I could not register with my linux box as the firewall.

2. I think, above method will get data from local dir right? or I need change more up2date file(s), let it do not access the internet get data from local

thanks

[Brendan Murphy_5]

Hi Gary,
Yes you're correct. Using the method supplied, you should not have to register with RHN. I'm uncertain what's wrong with your system, Can you post a listing of the contents of /etc/sysconfig/rhn & a copy of your sources file. Are you sure that the "dir" entry in the sources file correct points to the local directory containing all the Update8 rpm files.

Brendan

[Gary L]

Hi Brendan

contents of /etc/sysconfig/rhn:
#ls
1q rhn-applet sources up2date up2date-uuid
clientCaps.d rhnsd sources.orig up2date-keyring.gpg

the sources.orig is the backup of old sources
according as your steps.

In sources file I just did:
1. # up2date default
2. dir RHEL3U8 /var/spool/u8
according as your steps above
below is the copy of my the update sources file:

# cat sources
### this describes the various package repos up2date will look into
### for packages. It currently supports apt-rpm repos, yum repos,
### and "dir" repos


### format is one repo entry per line, # starts comments, the
### first word on each line is the type of repo.

### the defalt rhn (using "default" as the url means
### use the one in the up2date config file
### This is required.
# up2date default

### When a channel-label is required for the non up2date repo's,
### the label is soley used as an internal identifier and is not
### based on the url or any other info from the repo.

### an apt style repo, this time arjanv's 2.6 kernel repo
### format is:
### type channel-label service:server path repo name

#apt arjan-2.6-kernel-i386 http://people.redhat.com ~arjanv/2.5/ kernel

### Note that for apt repos, there can be multiple repo names specificed
### space seperated.

### an yum style repo
### format:
### type channel-label url

#yum fedora-9-i386-stable http://download.fedora.us/fedora/redhat/9/i386/yum/stable


### an local directory full of packages
### format
#dir my-favorite-rpms-i386-9 /var/spool/RPMS/
dir RHEL3U8 /var/spool/u8


# multiple versions of all repos except "up2date" can be used. Depenencies
# can be resolved "cross-repo" if need be.

I copied all the *.rpm file of all 4 update 8 CDs to /var/spool/u8
#pwd
/var/spool
#ls
at clientmqueue cron cups lpd mail mqueue postfix repackage samba squid squirrelmail u8 up2date vbox

but when I run "up2date" above erro appear, the seem like up2date wanna access the internet, be denied by proxy

thanks

[Brendan Murphy_5]

I'm stumped. Works fine for me.

The other important configurationfile in the /etc/sysconfig/rhn directory is the up2date file. Maybe you should examine it's contents. Alternately run the command up2date --configure. But before you do take a backup of it. Within here there is are switches that enables/disable proxies, like enableProxy, httpProxy and enableProxyAuth. One or more of these may be set & causing problems.

Brendan