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.

About this task

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.
Note: The multiple-package baseline installation feature does not support the pre-cache option Start download before all constraints are met in Take Action.

Procedure

  1. Create a baseline.

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

  2. Add the related tasks to the new baseline. The order of the tasks as listed in the tables is important.
    RHEL 6
    Table 1. Tasks for RHEL 6
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 6 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 6 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 6
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 6
    RHEL 7
    Table 2. Tasks for RHEL 7
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 7 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 7
    RHEL 6 on System z
    Table 3. Tasks for RHEL 6 on System z
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 6 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - s390x
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 6 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 6 s390x
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 6 - s390x
    RHEL 7 on System z
    Table 4. Tasks for RHEL 7 on System z
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 7 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - s390x
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 s390x
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 7 - s390x
    RHEL 7 PPC64LE
    Table 5. Tasks for RHEL 7 PPC64LE
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 7 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - PPC64LE
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - PPC64LE
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 PPC64LE
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 7 - PPC64LE
    RHEL 7 PPC64BE
    Table 6. Tasks for RHEL 7 PPC64BE
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 7 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - PPC64BE
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - PPC64BE
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 PPC64BE
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 7 - PPC64BE
    RHEL 8 x86_64
    Table 7. Tasks for RHEL 8 x86_64
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 8 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 8
    RHEL 8 PPC64LE
    Table 8. Tasks for RHEL 8 PPC64LE
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 8 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - PPC64LE
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 PPC64LE Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8 PPC64LE
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 8 - PPC64LE
    RHEL 8 on System z
    Table 9. Tasks for RHEL 8 on System z
    Fixlet ID Task
    200 Delete RHEL 8 Package List File for Multiple-Package Baseline Installation - s390x
    300 TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 s390x Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    301 Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8 s390x
    201 Enable the Multiple-Package Baseline Installation feature - RHEL 8 - s390x
    Note: The following tasks are optional but it is suggested that these tasks are added to the new baseline.
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 6 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 6 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - PPC64LE
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 7 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - PPC64BE
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - PPC64LE
    • TROUBLESHOOTING: RHEL 8 Patching Deployment Logs - Cleanup - s390x
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 6
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 6 - s390x
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 - s390x
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 - PPC64LE
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 7 - PPC64BE
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8 - PPC64LE
    • Import RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release - RHEL 8 - s390x
  3. 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.
  4. 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 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 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.