Issued:
2013-09-30
Updated:
2013-09-30

RHBA-2013:1332 - subscription-manager bug fix and enhancement update

Synopsis

subscription-manager bug fix and enhancement update

Type/Severity

Bug Fix Advisory

Topic

Updated subscription-manager packages that fix several bugs and add various enhancements are now available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

Description

The Subscription Manager tool allows users to understand the specific products which have been installed on their machines, and the specific subscriptions which their machines are consuming.

The subscription-manager package has been upgraded to upstream version 1.8.22-1, which provides a number of bug fixes and enhancements over the previous version. Namely, this rebase addresses a number of usability issues, makes the client faster, and gives users a more consistent experience among Red Hat Enterprise Linux releases. (BZ#963413)

This update also fixes the following bugs:

  • Previously, several options were missing from the migration script which prevented the user from migrating from RHN Classic to certificate-based Subscription Management. To fix this bug, options have been added therein and the user can now migrate flawlessly. (BZ#877331)

  • Prior to this update, the parameter-parsing code was constantly updating the configuration whenever the "--insecure" option was present. Consequently, the "--insecure" option would always overwrite the configuration value. The insecure value persistence has been modified to delay until after the command completes, thus fixing the bug. (BZ#916369)

  • Previously, the repolist command did not accept the "--proxy" option, which hindered listing repositories using the HTTP proxy server. To fix this bug, the "--proxy" option has been added to the repolist command. The user can now list their repositories while also specifying their HTTP proxy server connection. (BZ#906642)

  • Prior to this update, confusing error messages were displayed when the user's identity certificate expired. With this update, a proper message has been added. The users can now see when their identity certificates expire. (BZ#845622)

  • Previously, a systemd script was missing which prevented the systemctl utility from starting the rhsmcertd daemon. Systemd-style initialization scripts for rhsmcertd have been added. As a result, rhsmcertd can now be started successfully using systemctl. (BZ#818978)

  • Due to the incorrectly placed ca_cert_dir configuration entry in the /etc/rhsm/rhsm.conf file, interpolation problems occurred. To fix this bug, the ca_cert_dir configuration line has been moved from the [server] into [rhsm] section keeping the functionality as in previous versions. (BZ#993202)

  • Previously, the firstboot utility displayed unnecessary and confusing error messages to the user. To fix this bug, the content of the messages has been changed to inform the user clearly and effectively. (BZ#997189)

In addition, this update adds the following enhancements:

  • Subscription Manager can now be configured to not upload package profile data by setting the "report_package_profile = 1" configuration option in the /etc/rhsm/rhsm.conf file. (BZ#905922)

  • The hasNow() function has been removed as it was deprecated and no longer useful for the users. (BZ#913118)

All users of subscription-manager are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which provide these bug fixes and add these enhancements.

Solution

Before applying this update, make sure all previously released errata relevant to your system have been applied.

This update is available via the Red Hat Network. Details on how to use the Red Hat Network to apply this update are available at https://access.redhat.com/site/articles/11258

Affected Products

ProductVersionArch
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Power, big endian5ppc
Red Hat Enterprise Linux for IBM z Systems5s390x
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation5x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation5i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server5x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server5ia64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server5i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server from RHUI5x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server from RHUI5i386
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop5x86_64
Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop5i386

Updated Packages

  • subscription-manager-firstboot-1.8.22-1.el5.s390x.rpm
  • subscription-manager-gui-1.8.22-1.el5.s390x.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.s390x.rpm
  • subscription-manager-migration-1.8.22-1.el5.i386.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.src.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.ia64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-firstboot-1.8.22-1.el5.ia64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-gui-1.8.22-1.el5.ppc.rpm
  • subscription-manager-debuginfo-1.8.22-1.el5.ppc.rpm
  • subscription-manager-debuginfo-1.8.22-1.el5.s390x.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.ppc.rpm
  • subscription-manager-migration-1.8.22-1.el5.ia64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-firstboot-1.8.22-1.el5.ppc.rpm
  • subscription-manager-debuginfo-1.8.22-1.el5.ia64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-debuginfo-1.8.22-1.el5.i386.rpm
  • subscription-manager-debuginfo-1.8.22-1.el5.x86_64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-gui-1.8.22-1.el5.i386.rpm
  • subscription-manager-firstboot-1.8.22-1.el5.x86_64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-migration-1.8.22-1.el5.ppc.rpm
  • subscription-manager-gui-1.8.22-1.el5.x86_64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-gui-1.8.22-1.el5.ia64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-firstboot-1.8.22-1.el5.i386.rpm
  • subscription-manager-migration-1.8.22-1.el5.x86_64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-migration-1.8.22-1.el5.s390x.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.x86_64.rpm
  • subscription-manager-1.8.22-1.el5.i386.rpm

Fixes

CVEs

(none)

References

(none)

Additional information