Content-type: text/html Manpage of zlman

zlman

Section: Software Management System (1)
Updated: 1.0
Index

NAME

rcman - rcman is the command-line interface to Novell ZENworks Linux Management. It allows network administrators to control the distribution and installation of software across a network of Linux systems.

SYNTAX

rcman <command> [--options] <arguments>

In general, rcman commands have both a short form and a long form. The long form is assembled in the form object-actionobject. For example, the command admin-listgroups lists the groups associated with an administrator account. There are a large number of commands, but you will find that most of them are easy to remember, since there are a limited number of objects (group, package, package set, script, administrator, activation) and actions (add, delete, edit, list) to perform on them.

Arguments for a command are ordered in the same way as the command itself: for channel-addpkg, the channel is named first and the package second. Option flags always come before any arguments.

The abbreviated form of each command uses one letter from each word in the long form: In this manner, admin-listgroups is shortened to alg. Note that package sets are abbreviated "ps," so the command packageset-addpkg is abbreviated psap.

The exceptions to these general syntax rules are system commands like ping and server-version which apply directly to the server.

For file names, you may use standard shell globbing: *.rpm may be used to indicate "all files ending in .rpm."

DESCRIPTION

This program allows a network administrator to control the distribution of software throughout a network of Linux systems. It provides the same functionality as the Novell ZENworks Linux Management software management service, through a terminal-based system that does not require a web browser. It is used with an internally-hosted Red Carpet Enterprise Server installation. It is packaged with the rcreports program, which returns data about updates that have been performed; other applications in the Red Carpet family include the original graphical update tool "red-carpet," the command-line update client "rug" and the Red Carpet Daemon, rcd.

The general functions of rcman let network administrators:

Create additional administrator accounts and set their privileges.

Define channels of software to distribute.

Define client machines or groups of client machines to which software will be distributed, and organize those machines with activation profiles.

Manipulate individual client machines, setting their membership in groups and access to channels.

Every action in rcman is governed by the access limitations of the administrator, as set by the organization administrator. If you enter the channel-list command to get a list of all channels on your server, for example, you will only see those which you have permission to view. The list commands will require at least a permission level of View; other commands will require Modify or Grant. To create an association between two objects, you must have appropriate permissions on both. For more information about permissions, see the administrator's guide included in the package "rcserver."

COMMANDS

All of the commands below accept the option flags listed in the GLOBAL OPTIONS section. In addition, they accept individual options as listed with each command.

Activation Commands:
These commands allow you to create and alter activation profiles, often called simply "activations." Each activation profile consists of a multi-use key and a set of attributes to be applied to each client machine which uses the key to register with the server. Activation commands begin with "act-" in the long form, or with the letter v in the short form.

act-add (va) [options] [email]: Create a new activation code. Accepts the flag --desc=[description], to set the description for the profile.
act-addadmin (vaa) [administrator] [key] [permission]: Assign an administrator to each machine that activates a particular key. You may set the permission level View, Modify, or Grant. Note that this command is NOT equivalent to admin-addact, which allows an administrator to edit the activation profile.
act-addchannel (vac) [key] [channel-name]: Add a channel to those associated with this activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags. Machines that activate with the specified key will be granted access to the channel you name.
act-addemail (vae) [key] [email@address] [notification-type]: Add a notification email address to the activation profile. The address will be notified for transactions conducted by machines that activate with the key you name here. The "type" value may be "all" or "failure." Accepts only standard option flags.
act-addgroup (vag) [key] [group-name]: Add a group to those associated with this activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags. Machines activating with this key will be members of this group.
act-clone (vc) [options] [key]: Clones an activation key. If you don't specify a new key with the --key=[key] option, the server will autogenerate one in the usual manner. This new key is returned by rcman. After a key has been cloned, you can use it as you would any other key. Use the --email=[email] and --desc=[description] options to change the email or description of the cloned activation key.
act-del (vd) [key]: Delete the specified activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-deladmin (vda) [key] [admin]: Remove the administrator from those assigned to machines activating with the key. Accepts only standard option flags. Note that this command is NOT equivalent to admin-delact.
act-delchannel (vdc) [options] [key] [channel-name]: Remove channel from the activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-delemail (vde) [options] [key] [email]: Delete the specified notification from the activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-delgroup (vdg) [options] [key] [group-name]: Remove the group from the activation profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-list (vl) [options]: List all activation profiles. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-listadmins (vla) [key]: List all administrators that are assigned to machines activating with this key. Accepts only standard option flags. Note that this command is NOT equivalent to admin-listacts.
act-listchannels (vlc) [options] [key]: List all channels associated with this profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-listemails (vle) [options] [key]: List all notifications associated with this profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-listgroups (vlg) [options] [key]: List all groups associated with this profile. Accepts only standard option flags.
act-update (vu) [options] [key]: Update the activation. You must use at least one of the option flags --key=[key], --email=[email], or --desc=[description] with this command. The activation key, if you choose to set it, must be fewer than 64 characters.

Administrator Commands:
These commands are used to create and adjust administrator accounts. Administrator commands begin with "admin-" in the long form or the letter a in the short form.

admin-add (aa) [options] [email] [password] ["Real Name"]: Add an administrator account. Accepts one of --orgadmin or --superadmin, to make the account an organization administrator or super-administrator. An organization has all privileges on all objects within a given organization; a super-administrator has all privileges for all objects in all organizations on the server. Most deployments will have only one organization per server.
admin-addact (aav) [administrator] [activation] [permission]: Allow the administrator to access the activation profile. Note that this is NOT equivalent to act-addadmin (vaa), which assigns an administrator to machines using the profile. The permission argument may be View, Modify, or Grant. To use this command you must have Grant access for the activation, and Modify access for the administrator account.
admin-addadmin (aaa) [first admin] [target admin] [permission]: Add one administrator to the administrators accessible to the other. The first administrator account is the one considered to administer, and the second one, the target, is the administered. For example, the command rcman aaa joe@ximian.com ray@ximian.com grant would allow Joe to grant other people access to Ray's account.
admin-addchannel (aac) [administrator] [channel] [permission]: Allow the administrator you name to access the channel you name. The permission value may be Read, Modify, or Grant. As with other admin-add commands, requires Grant permission on the channel, and Modify permission on the administrator.
admin-addgroup (aag) [administrator] [group] [permission]: Allow the administrator to access the group. The permission value may be Read, Modify, or Grant.
admin-addmachine (aam) [administrator] [machine] [permission]: Allow the administrator to access the machine. The permission value may be Read, Modify, or Grant.
admin-addscript (aas) [options] [script name] [script file]: Upload a script. For security reasons, a script must have an administrator. The script name you use here is used with the trans-addscript command. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to set the administrator. If the flag is not set, the current administrator is assigned the script.
admin-del (ad) [administrator]: Delete administrator. Accepts only standard option flags.
admin-delact (adv) [administrator] [activation]: Remove an activation from those accessible to an administrator. Note that this command is NOT equivalent to act-deladmin. (vda).
admin-deladmin (ada) [administrator1] [administrator2]: Remove administrator 2 from the list of administrators accessible to administrator 1.
admin-delchannel (adc) [administrator] [channel]: Remove permission for the administrator to access the channel.
admin-delchannel (adg) [administrator] [group]: Remove permission for the administrator to access the group.
admin-delmachine (adm) [administrator] [machine]: Remove permission for the administrator to access the machine.
admin-delscript (ads) [options] [script]: Remove the script from those usable by the administrator. You may specify the administrator with the --admin=[administrator] flag. If no administrator is specified, the script is removed from the acting account.
admin-list (al): List administrators. Use the --group=[group] flag to list the administrators of a specific group, and the --channel=[channel] flag to list administrators of a specific channel.
admin-listacts (alv) [options]: List activations which are controlled by an administrator. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account. Note that this command is NOT equivalent to act-listadmins.
admin-listadmins (ala) [administrator]: List the administrator accounts to which the administrator has access. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account.
admin-listchannels (alc) [options]: List channels administered by this account. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account.
admin-listgroups (alg) [options]: List groups administered by this account. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account.
admin-listmachines (alm) [options]: List machines under the control of an administrator. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account.
admin-listscripts (als) [options]: List scripts administered by this account. Use the --admin=[administrator] flag to specify the administrator. With no flag, lists information about your own account.
admin-update (au): Update basic information about an administrator account: name, password, email address, and so forth. This command requires at least one of the option flags --email=[email@address], --name=["Real Name"], -p or --password= [password], and either --orgadmin or --superadmin.

Channel and Target Commands:
NOTE: The "pkgadd" and "pkgdel" commands have been removed in rcman 2.0; use channel-addpkg and channel-delpkg instead. Channel commands begin with "channel-" in the long form or the letter c in the short form.

channel-add (ca) [options] [channel]

Add a channel. Accepts the following options:

-i, --icon=[icon]
Specify the path to the icon you will use for this channel. Small square images do best as icons.

channel-addemail (cae) [channel] [email] [mode]

Add an email address to be notified about transactions involving this channel. Add only one email address at a time. The mode argument should be "failure" or "all," indicating whether the address is to be notified for all transactions, or only for transaction failures. Accepts only standard option flags.

channel-addmachine (cam) [channel] [machine]

Allow the machine to access the channel you specify.

channel-addpatch (capa) [options] [channel] [patch]

Add a patch to a channel. For the patch name you can can use standard shell wildcards. The channel name does not use wildcards, however. Before you add a patch to a channel, make sure that all necessary files are in place, because there is no warning given if additional files required by the patch are not located. Accepts the following option flags:

--targets=[comma-delimited-list]
Comma-delimited list of targets. For example, --targets=suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586. This flag is mandatory.

channel-addpkg (cap) [options] [channel] [package]

Add a package to a channel. For the package name you may use standard shell wildcards. The channel name does not use wildcards, however. Accepts the following option flags:

--targets=[comma-delimited-list]
Comma-delimited list of targets. For example, --targets=suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586. This flag is mandatory.

--importance=[value] Importance of the package. You may use the values 'minor,' 'feature,' 'suggested,' or 'urgent'.

--desc=[description] Description of the package.

--force-upgrade Normally, kernel packages are required to install alongside the previous version, rather than replace it. This flag causes an upgrade, rather than install, when used with kernel packages. It has no effect for non-kernel packages.

channel-addpkgset (caps) [options] [channel] [name-version-releasenumber]

Add a package set to a channel. Append the version and release numbers at the end of the package set name. For example, you might enter myset-1.2-3. Package set names must be unique within a channel. The server will add '-pkgset' to the end of the name you assign. Accepts the following option flags:

--targets=[comma-delimited-list]
Comma-delimited list of targets. For example, --targets=suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586. This flag is mandatory.

--epoch=[epoch]
Set the epoch of the package set. It is suggested that you use epochs sparingly. To that end, they are available only in rcman, and not through the web interface.

channel-addpkgsetxml (capsx) [options] [channel] [name-version-releasenumber] [xmlfile]

Add a package set to a channel using data contained in an XML document. The XML document is formatted as follows:

Append the version and release numbers at the end of the package set name. For example, you might enter myset-1.2-3. Package set names must be unique within a channel. The server will add '-pkgset' to the end of the name you assign.

Be aware that when a package set is created using this command, no attempt is made to determine whether you have included incompatible packages, or packages that do not exist in any channel. You must ensure that any packages you add to a package set are compatible and available in your channels.

Accepts the following option flags:

--targets=[comma-delimited-list]
Comma-delimited list of targets. For example, --targets=suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586. This flag is mandatory.

--epoch=[epoch]
Set the epoch of the package set. It is suggested that you use epochs sparingly. To that end, they are available only in rcman, and not through the Web interface.

--desc=[description]
Set the package set description.

channel-del (cd) [channel]

Delete the channel named as the argument. Accepts only standard option flags.

channel-delemail (cde) [channel] [email]

Remove the email address from the list of those notified about transactions involving the channel.

channel-delmachine (cdm) [channel] [machine]

Remove machine from those allowed to access the channel.

channel-delpatch (cdpa) [options] [channel] [patch]

Delete a patch from a channel. Accepts only standard option flags.

channel-delpkg (cdp) [options] [channel] [package]

Delete a package from a channel. Accepts only standard option flags.

channel-list (cl)

List all channels in your system. Accepts only standard option flags. Note that this command displays only the channels for which the user has the access level of View or greater.

channel-listadmins (cla) [channel]

List administrators for the channel.

channel-listemails (cle) [channel]

List email addresses notified about transactions involving the channel.

channel-listmachines (clm) [channel]

List machines for the channel.

channel-listpatches (clpa) [channel]

List the patches in a given channel and target. Requires the --targets flag, a comma-delimited list of targets. You may also use the flag --path-only, which displays the path to the patches, rather than naming every patch.

channel-listpkgs (clp) [channel]

List the packages in a given channel and target. Requires the --targets flag, a comma-delimited list of targets. You may also use the flag --path-only, which displays the path to the packages, rather than naming every package.

channel-listtargets (clt) [channel]

List the target platforms in the channel you name. Accepts only standard option flags.

channel-patchinfo (cpai) [channel]

List patch information from the specified channel. Accepts only standard options flags.

channel-update (cu) [options] [channel]

Update basic information about the channel. Requires at least one of the following options:

--name=[name]
Update channel name.

--alias=[alias]
Update channel alias.

--desc=[desc]
Update channel description.

channel-updatepkgset (cups) [options] [channel] [set-name] [set-target]

Update a package set. The changes apply only to the package set as it relates to the channel specified.Requires at least one of the following options:

--name=[name]
Set a new name for the package set. Use with care: a new name may cause clients to fail to recognize new versions as updates. Note that in contrast to package set creation, the name is not set at the same time as the version numbers. The server will append '-pkgset' to any name you supply.

--major=[N]
Sets the major version number to the interger N. In the version number 1.2, the major version is 1.

--minor=[N]
Sets the minor version number to the integer N. In the version number 1.2, the minor version is 2.

--release=[N]
Sets the release number to the integer N. In the version number 1.2-3, the release number is 3.

--epoch=[N]
Sets the package set epoch to the integer N. It is suggested that you use epochs sparingly. To that end, epochs can only be set with rcman, not in the web interface.

Group Commands:
Group commands begin with "group-" in the long form, or the letter g in the short form.

group-add (ga) [group] [description]

Create a new group on the Red Carpet Enterprise server. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-addchannel (gac) [group] [channel]

Add the channel to the group. Both current and future members of the group will be able to access the channel. If machines affected by this command leave the group, they will lose access to the channel. Machines that already had access to the channel are unaffected by this command and will not lose channel access if they subsequently leave the group.

group-addemail (gae) [group] [email] [mode]

Add the specified email address to the list of addresses that get notified of the group's updates. Add only one email address at a time. The mode argument should be "failure" or "all," indicating whether the address is to be notified for all transactions, or only for transaction failures. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-addmachine (gam) [group] [machine]

Add a machine to a group, without needing to invite and receive a response. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-addtrans (gat) [group] [transaction]

Add the transaction to the group. Both current and future members of the group will execute the transaction (if they join before it occurs, or if it is a recurring transaction). Group members that were party to the transaction are unaffected by this command and will not lose channel access if they subsequently leave the group.

group-del (gd) [group]

Delete a group. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-delchannel (gdc) [group] [channel]

Remove the channel from the group. Machines in the group will not be able to access the channel, with the exception of machines that had access to the channel as individual machines, and machines that are members of other groups with access to the channel.

group-delemail (gde) [group] [email]

Remove the specified email address from the list of addresses that get notified of the group's updates. You may remove only one address at a time. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-delmachine (gdm) [group] [machine]

Delete a machine from a group. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-deltrans (gdt) [group] [transaction]

Stop the group from performing the transaction. Does not affect machines in the group that run the transaction as individual machines, and machines that are members of other groups that run the transaction.

group-list (gl)

List all groups. Accepts only standard option flags. Note that this command lists only the groups for which the administrator has at least View permission.

group-listadmins (gla) [group]

List administrators for this group. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-listchannels (glc) [group]

List channels available to the group. Some individual machines may have additional channel access apart from this list. However, no machines in the group will lack access to the channels listed here.

group-listemails (gle) [group]

List addresses notified of group actions. Accepts only standard option flags.

group-listmachines (glm) [group]

List all machines that are part of this group. Shows the alias, IP address, and last contact for each system listed. Accepts the following optional flags in addition to the standard command flags:

--list-dups Displays machines that have the same host name, but different machine ID numbers, in case you have registered a single machine twice.

--list-old=[date] Lists machines in the group which have failed to contact the server since before the date you supply. As with other date-related commands, check the TIME FORMATS section for details on acceptable formats.

--delete-old=[date] Deletes from the database clients which have failed to contact the server since before the date you supply. Machines are listed as they are deleted.

group-listtrans (glt) [group]

List all transactions performed by the group. Some individual machines may perform additional transactions apart from this list, but all machines in the group are scheduled to perform at least the transactions in this list.

group-update (gu) [options] [group]

Update group name and/or description. Requires at least one of the following option flags:

--name=[group-name]
Set the name of the group. This is the name you will use when manipulating the group with rcman.

--desc=[description]
Set the description of the group. It is suggested that you use quotation marks to protect spaces from the shell.

Machine Commands
Machine commands begin with "machine-" in the long form, or with the letter m in the short form. Note that not all machine operations begin with 'machine,' because equivalent commands exist already. For example, rcman offers neither machine-addchannel nor machine-addadmin, because admin-addmachine and channel-addmachine are already present. Nor is there a "machine-add" command, because machines are added when they activate against the server, and are not through any server action. In addition, you should be aware that many machine commands will work only if the package rcd-modules is installed on the client.

machine-addemail (mae) [machine] [email@address] [mode]

Set up notification for this machine's transactions. Information about the transactions conducted by the machine will be sent to the email address you specify. The mode value determines which transactions get reported. Set it to "all" for notification of all transactions, or "failure" for notification of failures only. Accepts standard options only.

machine-addlock (mal) [options] [machine] [name or pattern] [relation] [version]

Add a package lock rule to a client machine. Aside from specifying the client, this command takes the same syntax as the rug lock-add command. The options --channel (-c) for channel specification, and --importance (-i) allow you to specify the channel and importance ('minor', 'feature', 'suggested', or 'urgent') of packages to lock. For example, setting the importance to "feature" and the channel to "xd2" would prevent any updates from that channel unless they were of importance "suggested" or greater.

machine-adduser (mau) [options] [machine] [username] [password]

Add an rcd user account on the specified machine. To set the privileges for the account, use the --privs= flag with a comma-delimited list of privileges. The list of privileges may vary depending upon the modules installed, but the default list is install, lock, remove, subscribe, trusted, upgrade, view, and superuser. Use the command privs-list to check the privileges that are available. To alter an existing user, add the same user with a different privilege list.

machine-comparepkgs (mcp) [machine1] [machine2] [...]

Given a space-delimited list of machines, compares the packages installed on them. To shorten the output, add the --packages=[pkg1,pkg2...] flag with a comma-delimited list of packages to compare.

machine-del (md) [machine]

Remove a machine from the organization. The machine can be added again if it activates again.

machine-delemail (mde) [machine] [email]

Delete the email address from the list of notified email addresses for this machine.

machine-list (ml) [options]

List all visible machines in organization. If you want a shorter list, use grouplist-machines (glm). Both this command and grouplist-machines show the alias, IP address, and last contact for each system listed.

machine-listadmins (mla) [options] [machine]

List administrators for this machine.

machine-listchannels (mlc) [options] [machine]

List channels for this machine.

machine-listemails (mle) [options] [machine]

List email addresses that are notified of transactions for this machine.

machine-listgroups (mlg) [options] [machine]

List group memberships for this machine.

machine-listhardware (mlh) [options] [machine]

List the hardware installed on the machine.

machine-listmounts (mlm) [options] [machine]

List the disk space available on the machine. Use the -h or --human-readable flag to print the sizes in human-readable format rather than kilobytes. This is similar to logging into the machine and running the df command.

machine-listpkgs (mlp) [options] [machine]

List all packages on machine. This is equivalent to logging into the machine and running the command rpm -qa.

machine-listupdates (mlu) [machine]

List the updates available to the machine you name. This is equivalent to logging in to the machine and running the command rug list-updates.

machine-setpref (msf) [machine] [pref-name] [value]

Set a preference value on a particular machine. The preference names and values are the same as those used with the rug set command. See the man pages rug(1) and rcd.conf(5) for details on the preferences, or use rcman prefs-list to display a list of available settings.

machine-update (mu) [options] [machine]

Update machine hostname, alias, or description. Accepts either the machine hostname or alias as an argument, and requires at least one of the following option flags:

--hostname=[name]
Set the hostname of the machine.

--desc=[description]
Set the description of the machine.

--alias=[alias]
Set the alias of the machine.

--email=[email@address]
Set an email address associated with the machine. This email address is used to identify the owner of the machine, and is not the same as the notification emails set with rcman mae.

News Commands
News commands begin with "news-" or the letter n.

news-add (na) [title] [channel]

Add new news item to organization. You may use the option flags --url and --summary to specify a link and a summary for the news item. All news items must be associated with a channel, and you must have at least Modify permission on the channel in question to add a news item for it.

news-del (nd) [newsitem]

Delete specified news item from the list.

news-list (nl)

List news. Interactive command. Accepts only standard option flags.

news-update (nu) [options] [newsitem]

Change an existing news item. You must have at least Modify permission on the channel for a news item in order to update it. The command requires at least one of the following option flags:

--title=["title"]
Update the title of the news item.

--url=[url]
Specify a URL for the news item.

--summary=[summary]
Change the summary of news item.

--channel=[channel]
Set the channel associated with news item.

Package Commands

package-verify (pv) [options] [package] [channel] [machine1 machine2 ...]: Check to see whether a package can be safely removed or installed on one or more machines. Requires one of the following two options:
: --install
Check to see if the package can be installed or upgraded.
--remove
Check to see if the package can be removed.
pkg-addtargets (pat) [options] [channel] [packagename]: Add a target to the package or package set you specify. Requires the --targets= flag to specify targets.
pkg-listtargets (plt) [channel] [packagename]: List the targets for the you specify. You must specify a package including the channel. This command is used to check the targets set when you added the package to the channel. You will need to know the targets to edit a package set.

Package Set Commands:
Commands for working with package sets begin with "pkgset-" or the letters 'ps.' To create or update a package set, use the commands channel-addpkgset (caps) and channel-updatepkgset (cups). For additional information about how to use package sets, consult the Red Carpet Enterprise Server Administrator's Guide, included in the rcserver package.
Note that when you use these commands you must specify the channel, name, and target for the package set. All changes to a package set apply to the package set only with respect to a particular target.

pkgset-adddep (psad) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target] [dep-type] [dep-value]

Add new dependency information to package set metadata. The dep-type argument may be "obsoletes," "conflicts," or "provides." Package sets do not have "requires" dependencies: instead, add the required package to the package set. The dep-value argument contains the package name and information about the version. For version-specific information, use standard relational operators; for example, "php <= 1.4" to refer to any version of PHP less than or equal to 1.4. Use the string "(any)" to designate all versions of a package: "netscape-common (any)" refers to any version of the netscape-common package.

pkgset-addpkg (psap) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target] [pkg-channel] [pkg-name]

Add a package to package set. The first three arguments are the channel, name, and target platform for the package set. The last three are the target platform, channel, and name of the package being added. The package must already be in the Red Carpet Enterprise server.

pkgset-deldep (psdd) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target] [type] [value]

Remove dependency from package set. This command takes the same arguments as the pkgset-adddep command.

pkgset-delpkg (psdp) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target] [pkg-name]

Remove package from package set.

pkgset-listdeps (psld) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target]

List dependencies in tbe specified package set.

pkgset-listpkgs (pslp) [set-channel] [set-name] [set-target]

List packages in package set.

Server and Reporting Commands:

prefs-list (fl): List the names of preferences that can be set on machines. Does not display preferences for a particular machine. This list may vary depending on the server modules you have installed. Use this information with the machine-setprefs command.
privs-list (pl): List the privileges that may be set for users on client machines. This list may vary depending on the server modules you have installed. Use this information with the machine-adduser command.
ping: Ping the Red Carpet Enterprise Server for your network.
report-get (rg) [reportname]: Display a particular report. Reports cannot be created at the command line, but can be displayed. Use the --csv flag to get the data in a comma-separated-values format.
report-list (rl): List the transaction reports that are available on the server.
server-version: Display Red Carpet Server version.
targets: List target platforms recognized by the Red Carpet Enterprise server, and the current status of each target. Target platforms are hardware and operating system combinations, such as "suse-82-i686. Possible status values are:
: Internal: target is supported only for development and testing purposes.
Unsupported: target is not supported by the server, and there are no plans to support it.
Presupported: target is not yet supported, but support is planned.
Supported: administrators may ship software for this platform.
Deprecated: target is supported, but support will be dropped; clients are encouraged to switch to another platform.
Retired: target was supported, but support has now been dropped; clients must switch to another platform.

Transaction Commands: These commands are used to manipulate the actual package installation or removal transactions. Transaction commands begin with "trans-" in the long form, and with the letter t in the short form. Note that there is no "trans-addgroup" command: use group-addtrans instead.

trans-add (ta) [options] [transaction-name]

Create a new transaction, or new patch transaction using the --type=patch flag. Accepts the following option flags:

--starttime=[time]
Set start time. Most date formats are parsed: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS and "Monday June 14th 12:00 AM" are both valid. See the section TIME FORMATS for a complete list of valid time formats. To prevent servers being hit by all clients at once, clients begin transactions within a randomized fifteen minute window surrounding the time you specify. Note that the time you enter is converted to UTC and used without regard to time zones.

--frequency=[N]
How frequently the transaction repeats. Use N in seconds, or add a space and a unit. Valid units are "minutes," "hours," "days," "weeks," "months" or "years." Both singular ("1 month") and plural ("2 weeks") are acceptable, but abbreviations ("min") are not.

--allow-removals=[0|1] Permit (1) or deny (0) the removal of packages that conflict with your transaction instructions. Default is 0.

--preposition=[time]
Set a time for pre-positioning, which allows client machines to begin downloads in advance. Accepts the same time formats as the --starttime flag.

--dry-run=[1|0]
To test the transaction without actually performing it, set the value to 1. To remove the dry-run flag, set it to 0 again with the trans-update command. Note that this differs from the equivalent flag in rug, which is used without arguments. The default is 0.

--server-dry-run=[0|1] Set (1) or unset (0) the transaction as a server-side dry run. In a server-side dry run, the server checks its stored list of the client machine's contents against the transaction, resolves any dependencies, and then reports whether the transaction should work. It does not actually contact the client machine.

--type=[patch] Creates a new patch transaction. Patch transactions can contain only patches. After a transaction is created as a patch transaction, it cannot be converted to a non-patch transaction. This flag is required only for patch transactions, as other transaction types are detected using other options.

trans-addchannel (tac) [options] [transaction] [channel] [action]

Add a channel to transaction. The action value should be "I" to have machines install all the packages in the channel, or "U" to have them install only updates to packages they have installed previously.

trans-addmachine (tam) [options] [transaction] [machine]

Add a machine to the transaction. You may use the machine host name or alias. The added machine will conduct the transaction.

trans-addpatch (tapa) [options] [transaction] [patch] [channel]

Add a patch to transaction. In order to add a patch to a transaction, the transaction must be created using the --type=patch flag. Patch transactions can contain only patches.

trans-addpkg (tap) [options] [transaction] [package] [channel] [action]

Add package to transaction. The action argument may be U for update (install software only if an earlier version is present) or I for install (install software even if the package is completely new).

trans-addrollback (tar) [options] [transaction] [date]

Set the transaction to roll back software to the date you specify. The date you enter will be the date to which the system or systems will be returned. See TIME FORMATS for acceptable time formats. Rollback cannot be set for recurring, dry run, or pre-position transactions.

trans-addscript (tas) [transaction] [script type] [script name]

Add script to transaction. The script will be executed on the client side during the transaction. The script type must be "pre" or "post," and determines whether the script runs before or after the rest of the transaction. The type does not indicate the language (bash, sed, perl, etc.) of the script; use a #! at the beginning of the script for that. The script name is the name assigned to the script when it was uploaded to the server using the admin-addscript command. You can check the names of scripts available to you with the admin-listscripts command.

trans-clone (tc) [options] [transaction] [newtransaction]

Creates a clone of the transaction specified by [transaction] with the name specified by [newtransaction]. After a transaction has been cloned, you can use it as you would any other transaction. Accepts only standard option flags.

trans-del (td) [options] [transaction]

Delete the transaction.

trans-delchannel (tdc) [options] [transaction] [channel]

Remove channel from transaction. Machines conducting this transaction will not check for updates or for packages to install in this channel. They do not, however, lose access to the channel.

trans-delmachine (tdm) [options] [transaction] [machine]

Remove the specified machine from this transaction. You may use the machine host name or the alias.

trans-delpatch (tdpa) [options] [transaction] [patch] [channel]

Remove patch from transaction. You must specify both the patch and the channel, since a patch can exist in multiple channels.

trans-delpkg (tdp) [options] [transaction] [package] [channel]

Remove package from transaction. You must specify both the package and the channel, since a package can exist in multiple channels.

trans-delrollback (tdr) [options] [transaction] [date]

Remove the rollback action from the transaction. The time entered is the time to which you would have rolled back software; use trans-listrollback to display the rollback instructions.

trans-delscript (tds) [options] [transaction] [scriptname]

Remove script from transaction.

trans-dryrun (tr) [transaction-name]

Run the named transaction as a dry run right now. Performs only a server-side dry run.

trans-list (tl) [options]

List all transactions.

trans-listchannels (tlc) [options] [transaction]

List channels for transaction.

trans-listmachines (tlm) [options] [transaction]

List machines which will conduct this transaction.

trans-listpatches (tlpa) [options] [transaction]

List patches for transaction.

trans-listpkgs (tlp) [options] [transaction]

List packages for transaction.

trans-listrollback (tlr) [options] [transaction]

List the rollback instructions, if any, for the transaction.

trans-listscripts (tls) [options] [transaction]

List scripts for transaction

trans-update (tu) [options] [transaction]

Update the transaction. Requires at least one of the following option flags:

--starttime=[time]
Set start time. Most date formats are parsed: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS and "Monday June 14th 12:00 AM" are both valid.

--allow-removals=[0|1] Permit (1) or deny (0) the removal of packages that conflict with your transaction instructions. Default is 0.

--frequency=[N] How frequently the transaction repeats. Use N in seconds, or add a space and a unit. Valid units are "seconds," "minutes," "hours," "days," "weeks," "months" or "years." Both singular ("1 month") and plural ("2 weeks") are acceptable, but abbreviations ("min") are not. If the frequency is unspecified or set to 0, the transaction will not repeat. Frequency cannot be set for dry run, rollback, or pre-position transactions.

--name=[name] Set the name of the transaction. --preposition=[time] Set a time for pre-positioning, which allows client machines to begin downloads in advance. Pre-position cannot be set for dry run, rollback, or recurring transactions.

--dry-run=[0|1] To test the transaction but not actually perform it, set the value to 1. To remove the dry-run flag, set it to 0. Note that this differs from the equivalent flag in rug, which is used without arguments. Dry run cannot be set for rollback, pre-position, or recurring transactions.

GLOBAL OPTIONS

The following options can be applied to any rcman transaction:

--help, -?: Used without a command, this flag displays a list of commands and exits. Used with a command, it displays a list of available options for the command.
--normal-output: Normal output (the default mode). This is somewhere between "verbose" and "terse."
-P, --password <password>fR>: Specify password to be used. Used with the -U flag.
-q, --quiet: Quiet output: print only error messages.
--read-from-file <filename>: Get additional arguments from the file you specify.
--read-from-stdin: Get arguments from stdin.
-t, --terse: Terse output.
-U, --user=<username>: Specify a user name for this transaction. Used with the -P flag.
-V, --verbose: Verbose mode; displays extra information for the transaction, if any is available.

The following option is used alone, without any command at all:

--version: Displays the version number of rcman and exits. To check the version of the Red Carpet Enterprise Server, use the command rcman server-version or rpm -q rcserver.

EXAMPLES

Syntax matters: first the global options like -U or -P, then the specific command, followed by its options, and finally the arguments.

rcman al --group=<groupname>: Lists administrators in the group. This has the same effect as the command rcman group-listadmins <groupname>
rcman ga testers "Group of people beta-testing our software.": Adds a group named testers with the description "Group of people beta-testing our software."
rcman -U=rupert chanadd-pkg --targets="suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586" --importance="feature" desc="Software package" testing-channel /home/rupert/packages/packagename.rpm: Here, a user with the username "rupert" is adding a the package "filename" to the channel "testing-channel" for SuSE Linux 8.2 and SuSE Linux Desktop 1. Rupert has assigned this package the importance level of "Feature." Note that multiple targets must be separated by commas and not spaces, and that file paths must be absolute.
rcman -U=rupert chanadd-pkg --targets="suse-82-i586,sld-10-i586" --importance="feature" desc="Software package" testing-channel /home/rupert/packages/*.rpm: Here the same person adds all RPM files in the directory to that same channel.

TIME FORMATS

rcman understands a variety of time formats. You may use:

UNIX time:: The number of seconds since January 1, 1970. For example, 1064503775.
Written date formats:: Thu May 29 13:28:47 2003, Thu May 29 13:28:47 EDT 2003 and 29 May 2003 13:28:47 EDT are all valid.
Numeric date formats: All-numeric date formats such as 2003-05-29 13:28:47 or 03-05-29 13:28:47 will work. Dashes indicate dates, and colons indicate times. The order of the date numerals will vary by locale settings.
24-hour or 12-hour time: Both 13:28:47 and 1:28:47 PM are acceptable.

All times are converted to UTC, and used without regard to time zones. If you wish to execute a transaction at a particular local time, you will need to create one transaction for each time zone.

AUTHORS

This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 15:48:27 GMT, October 06, 2005