Walkthrough: Setting up and managing an online patch catalog for Linux

1. Log on as BLAdmin or preferably as PatchingUser.
   PatchingUser is the user account that was set up in Walkthrough: Restricting permissions for a patching administrator.
2. Expand the Depot folder and navigate to a subfolder where you want to create a patch catalog.
3. Right-click the subfolder and select New > Patch Catalog > Red Hat Linux Patch Catalog.
   The New Patch Catalog wizard opens. 
4. For Name, enter a name for the patch catalog you are creating. For example, enter Red Hat 6 x86_64.

1. Click Next.
   The Red Hat Linux Catalog page appears.
   On this page we specify the patch information to obtain for this patch catalog.
2. Under Catalog Mode, make sure Source From Vendor (Online Mode) is selected. 
   Working in online mode obtains patch data directly from the Red Hat Network.
3. Under Red Hat Network Credentials, enter a user name and password that has been granted access to the Red Hat Network.  
   These fields may be completed dynamically if your organization has globally configured patch access.
4. For Repository Location (NSH Path), enter a location on a Linux platform where patch information can be stored. This location must have ample free space–typically many gigabytes. Enter the location using a Network Shell-style path.
5. Make sure that Network URL Type for Payload Deployment is set to Copy To Agent At Staging.
   This setting means BSA copies patch payloads from the patch repository to a staging directory on the target server when you are deploying patches.
6. Click Add Filter and make the following settings on the Edit Red Hat Filter dialog box. 
   1. Select Red Hat Network.
   2. For Channel, select a channel from the list provided.
   3. Select By Errata Type. Leave all the sub-options selected.
   4. Click OK.

Optionally, on this page you can set up a notification so the Patch Catalog Job sends an email if the job fails for some reason. Updating the patch catalog is an important task, so if there's a problem, someone will want to know about it.
For email notifications to be sent, a mail server must be configured for the Application Server. This step is only required if you want to receive a notification email when the job runs.

1. Click Next
   The Notifications page appears. 
2. Select Send email to.
3. Enter an email address of someone to be notified if this job fails.
4. Check Failed.

Optionally, you can schedule a regular update to the Catalog Job, as described below. Scheduling is not essential because you can also trigger a Catalog Update Job manually. In production environments, however, BMC recommends that you schedule the job to ensure that a catalog always has the most recent patches. 

1. Click Next.
   The Schedules page appears.
   On this page we set up the job to run immediately and also to run on the first Tuesday of every month afterwards.
2. Select Execute job now to indicate the job should run as soon as you finish the wizard. 
3. Click New Schedule and define the a job schedule. In this example, we want to schedule it to update Tuesday mornings. You may want to use a different time, day, or even update less often.
   1. Click Monthly.
   2. Select First and Tuesday.
   3. Enter a time, such as 08:00.
   4. Click OK.

Click Finish.
The Patch Catalog Job starts running. You can watch its progress on the Tasks in Progress pane. 

1. When the job completes, you can use the Depot folder and navigate to the location where you created the patch catalog. You selected this location in the first step.
2. Right-click the catalog, and select Open.
   The pane at right show the definition of the patch catalog job.
3. Click the Results tab. 
   A green check indicates the job ran successfully. 

Create a patch smart group for security patches.

1. Right-click the patch catalog you just created and select New > Patch Catalog Smart Group.
   A wizard for creating smart groups opens.
2. For Name, enter a name for the patch catalog smart group, such as Production Patch Policy.
3. In the list of conditions, take the following steps:
   1. In the first column, select Redhat Errata.
   2. In the second column, select ERRATA_TYPE
   3. In the third column, select equals.
   4. In the fourth column, select Security Advisory.
      Taken together, the row should read "Any Redhat Errata where ERRATA_TYPE equals Security Advisory." 
   5. In the fifth column, select AND.
   6. Click Apply Changes .
4. Click Add New Condition . Double-click the row representing the new condition and enter the following information:
   
   1. In the first column, select Redhat Errata.
   2. In the second column, select ERRATA_SEVERITY.
   3. In the third column, select equals.
   4. In the fourth column, select Critical.
      Taken together, the row should read "Any Redhat Errata where ERRATA_SEVERITY equals Critical." 
   5. Click Apply Changes.
5. Click Finish.
   A new smart group collects all Red Hat patches that are critical security advisories.