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Integrating CIQ Repositories with Red Hat Satellite

Overview

Red Hat Satellite is a content management and provisioning solution for managing systems at scale. This guide explains how to integrate CIQ repositories with your Satellite infrastructure.

Prerequisites

  • A functioning Red Hat Satellite 6.x installation
  • Administrator access to your Satellite instance
  • Your username and access token from https://portal.ciq.com/token
  • Active licenses for the CIQ products you want to integrate

Finding Repository Information

  1. Log in to https://portal.ciq.com
  2. Navigate to My Products and select a product
  3. Select the repository you want to add to Satellite
  4. Look for the Satellite Config option in the repository details

Adding CIQ Repositories to Satellite

1. Create a Custom Product

  1. Navigate to Content > Products in the Satellite web UI
  2. Click Create Product
  3. Enter product details:
    • Name: e.g., "CIQ Rocky Linux" or "CIQ Products"
    • Description: Optional
  4. Click Save

Product Organization

Consider creating separate products for different CIQ offerings (e.g., "CIQ Rocky Linux", "CIQ Bridge") for better organization.

2. Create a Repository

  1. Navigate to the product you just created
  2. Click Create Repository
  3. Enter repository details:
    • Name: Descriptive name (e.g., "Rocky Linux 9 BaseOS x86_64")
    • Type: yum
    • URL: The base URL from the Satellite Config in the Portal
    • Download Policy: Choose based on your needs:
      • Immediate: Downloads all content during sync. Best for smaller repos or when you need everything available right away.
      • On Demand: Downloads content only when clients request it. Best for large repos or limited storage.
      • Background: Metadata immediately, content syncs in background. A middle ground.
    • Verify SSL: Keep enabled (recommended)
    • Username: Your CIQ Portal username
    • Password: Your CIQ Portal access token
  4. Click Save

Credential Security

Your CIQ Portal access token is stored in Satellite. Ensure proper RBAC controls are in place.

3. Sync the Repository

  1. Navigate to the repository you created
  2. Click Sync Now
  3. Monitor sync progress in the Sync Status section

First Sync

Large repositories may take several hours for the initial sync. Subsequent syncs only transfer changes.

4. Add to Content View

  1. Navigate to Content > Content Views
  2. Create a new Content View or select an existing one
  3. Go to Yum Content > Repositories
  4. Add the CIQ repository
  5. Click Publish New Version

5. Promote to Environment

  1. In the Content View, click Versions
  2. Click Promote next to the new version
  3. Select the lifecycle environment(s) (e.g., Development, Test, Production)
  4. Click Promote

Scheduling Synchronization

  1. Navigate to Content > Sync Plans
  2. Click Create Sync Plan
  3. Configure:
    • Name: e.g., "Daily CIQ Repository Sync"
    • Interval: Daily, Weekly, or Custom Cron
    • Start Date/Time: Set to off-peak hours
  4. Click Save
  5. Go to Products tab and add your CIQ product

Registering Hosts

Register hosts to use the synced repositories:

subscription-manager register \
  --org="your_organization" \
  --activationkey="your_activation_key" \
  --serverurl=https://your-satellite.example.com

Troubleshooting

Authentication Errors

Problem: Repository sync fails with 401 or 403 errors.

Solutions:

  • Verify credentials in the repository configuration
  • Check that the token hasn't been regenerated
  • Ensure your organization has an active license for the product
  • Test credentials: 
    curl -u 'YOUR_USERNAME:YOUR_TOKEN' https://depot.ciq.com/path/to/repo/repodata/repomd.xml

Repository Not Appearing on Hosts

Problem: Registered hosts can't access the repository.

Solutions:

  • Verify the Content View is published and promoted
  • Check the activation key includes the product subscription
  • On the host, check: 
    subscription-manager repos --list
dnf repolist

Slow Sync Performance

Problem: Repository syncs are very slow.

Solutions:

  • Consider using "On Demand" download policy for large repositories
  • Verify Satellite server has adequate resources
  • Check network connectivity between Satellite and depot.ciq.com

See Also