Simple Content Access (SCA) is a Red Hat subscription management capability. When you enable SCA for your organization, the entitlement process is simplified. SCA eliminates the requirement to attach subscriptions at a per-system level. You register your systems, enable the repositories that each system needs, and begin installing software packages.

Simple Content Access is an optional feature of Red Hat Satellite Server and Red Hat Subscription Management. This course includes the subscription commands, as needed, if you have not yet enabled SCA.

Different options exist to register a system with the Red Hat Customer Portal. For example, you can access a graphical interface by using a GNOME application or through the RHEL web console, or you can register your system by using a command-line tool.

To register a system by using a GNOME application, launch the Red Hat Subscription Manager application from the Activities menu. Type subscription in the Type to search field and click the Red Hat Subscription Manager application. When prompted, enter the appropriate password to authenticate. In the Subscriptions window, click Register to open the Register System dialog box.

Figure 8.1: The Register System dialog box

By default, systems register to the Red Hat Customer Portal. Provide the login and the password for your Red Hat Customer Portal account and click Register to register the system. When registered, the system automatically attaches an available subscription.

Close the Subscriptions window after registering and assigning the system to a subscription. The system is now subscribed and ready to receive updates or to install new software according to the subscription that is attached to the Red Hat Content Delivery Network.

To register a system with the web console, you must log in as a privileged user. Click Subscriptions and then click Register:

Figure 8.2: Web console subscriptions

The Register System dialog box in the web console is similar to the GNOME application. Provide the login and the password for your Red Hat Customer Portal account and click Register to register the system. You can then install new software or update your system, according to its attached subscription.

Use the subscription-manager command to register a system without using a graphical environment. The subscription-manager command automatically attaches a system to the best-matched compatible subscriptions for the system.

Register a system by using the credentials of the Red Hat Customer Portal as the root user:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager register --username <yourusername>
Registering to: subscription.rhsm.redhat.com:443/subscription
Password: yourpassword
The system has been registered with ID: 1457f7e9-f37e-4e93-960a-c94fe08e1b4f
The registered system name is: host.example.com

View available subscriptions for your Red Hat account:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager list --available
-------------------------------------------
    Available Subscriptions
-------------------------------------------
...output omitted...

Auto-attach a subscription:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager attach --auto
...output omitted...

Alternatively, attach a subscription from a specific pool from the list of available subscriptions:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager attach --pool=poolID
...output omitted...

View consumed subscriptions:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager list --consumed
...output omitted...

Unregister a system:

[root@host ~]# subscription-manager unregister
Unregistering from: subscription.rhsm.redhat.com:443/subscription
System has been unregistered.

An activation key is a preconfigured subscription management file that is available for use with both Red Hat Satellite Server and subscription management through the Red Hat Customer Portal. Use the subscription-manager command with activation keys to simplify the registration and assignment of predefined subscriptions. This method of registration is beneficial for automating installations and deployments. For organizations that enable Simple Content Access, activation keys can register systems and enable repositories without needing to attach subscriptions.