Installing multiple packages in a baseline

The multiple-package baseline installation feature helps you to save time when deploying Fixlets with multiple unique packages from a baseline.

Before you begin

  • Set the client download precache size to at least 2GB. Use the _BESClient_Download_PreCacheStageDiskLimitMB setting to set the suggested size for the precache.
  • Set the client download cache size to at least 2GB. Use the _BESClient_Download_DownloadsCacheLimitMB setting to set the suggested size for the cache.
  • Ensure that you have at least 4GB of free disk space on each endpoint.
  • Install and enable GPG keys on the endpoints. You can use the Import RPM-GPG-KEY-centos-release task (ID# 301), available from the Fixlet sites, to import the necessary keys.

About this task

To run a single YUM call to install or update packages for all Fixlets in the baseline, you must add the task to enable the feature and add the appropriate multiple-package baseline installation task into the baseline. For a list of the available tasks, see Multiple-Package Baseline Installation.

Notes:
  • For CentOS 8, you need to sync all the Baselines before proceeding with installation because having superseded fixlets in the Baseline would lead to errors or installation failures. Only latest available packages are deployed with the Baseline.
  • Packages with broken dependencies are skipped whenever possible. However, there are cases when packages cannot be skipped and the installation is canceled. These are some of the known cases:
    • Packages with dependency issues with CentOS.
    • Packages with dependency errors occur during installation, which is usually indicated by the following error message: File conflicts happen when two packages attempt to install files with the same name but different contents.
  • Fixlets with (vault x.y) in the title will not work within multiple-package installation baselines.
  • The multiple-package baseline installation feature does not support the pre-cache option Start download before all constraints are met in Take Action.
Important: The Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature and Multiple-Package Baseline Installation tasks must be added in the same baseline in order for this feature to work. Also, the order of the tasks and Fixlets are crucial to the baseline installation, therefore take careful note of the steps as they must be taken in the correct order.

Procedure

  1. Create a baseline.

    Highlight the Fixlets from a Fixlet site and select Add to New Baseline from the context menu. You can also select Create New Baseline from the Tools menu.

  2. Optional: Add the Delete CentOS 6 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation task, Delete CentOS 7 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation task, or the Delete CentOS 8 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation task before adding any of the Fixlets.
    Ensure that the Baseline will be relevant on applicable computers where this component is relevant option is not selected.
    Figure 1. Baseline component option

    Baseline component option
  3. Add the appropriate Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature task.
    Ensure that the Baseline will be relevant on applicable computers where this component is relevant option is not selected.
  4. Selectively add the patch Fixlets in the baseline.
    Ensure that for all Fixlets the Baseline will be relevant on applicable computers where this component is relevant option is selected.
    Note: If you add two or more Fixlets to the baseline that affect different versions of the same package, the installation task will skip the older versions of the package and install the latest one only.
  5. Add the appropriate Multiple-Package Baseline Installation task at the end of the baseline. With this task, you can deploy any of the following actions:
    • Run a preview of the installation, without actually installing the packages, to check for possible issues.
    • Install all the RPMs in a single YUM transaction.
    Ensure that the Baseline will be relevant on applicable computers where this component is relevant option is not selected.

What to do next

Before running the baseline, ensure that you meet the following requirements:
  • The repositories that are registered on the endpoint must contain the target packages and all the required dependency packages.
  • Allow enough time for a Fixlet, which is using the multiple-package installation method, to complete all YUM transactions and refresh the status on the endpoints before individually deploying the same Fixlet.
  • Do not run multiple baselines from the same site on the same endpoint.
  • Follow the Baseline Best Practices documented in the following technote: https://hclpnpsupport.service-now.com/csm?id=kb_article&sys_id=d288c2021b098c9477761fc58d4bcbdf
Note: When you deploy the baseline, the initial sub-action status for all the patch Fixlets will show that they failed. This is the expected behavior. The process for downloading and installing the packages in the baseline is not done at the Fixlet action level, but in the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation task. When the baseline completes, the baseline sub-action status of the Fixlets will reflect the final state of each patch installation.