3.2 Viewing and Configuring the Subscription Service

To configure the Subscription Service, click Configuration in the navigation menu, and go to Configuration > Patch Management > Subscription Service Settings.

3.2.1 Subscription Service Settings

The following table describes each status item featured in Subscription Service Settings and how to start the service:

Subscription Service Setting	Definition
Start Subscription Service	Select a server from the drop-down list, and click Start to start the subscription service. After the subscription service starts running, the Start button reads Service Running. If there are multiple ZENworks Servers in your management zone, you can select any one of them to be the Patch Management Server. The Patch Management Server selected will download new patches and updates daily, so it should have good connectivity to the Internet. NOTE:Selecting the Patch Management Server can be done only once per zone in this release.
Last Subscription Poll	The date and time of the last successful update.
Subscription Replication Status	The latest status of the process of patch subscription replication.
Subscription Host	The DNS name of the Patch Management licensing server.
Subscription Communication Interval (Every Day at)	The time at which the ZENworks Server will communicate with the ZENworks Patch Subscription Network to retrieve new patches and updates.
Update Now	Enables you to manually run the replication process without waiting for the time set in the Subscription Communication Interval.
Reset ZENworks Patch Management Settings	Enables you to set all Patch Management settings, including deployments and patch policies, back to the default state.
Reset Subscription Service	Clears the assigned server and resets the download time to the default 00:00. If a new patch server is selected when the Subscription Service runs, the signature files will be downloaded to the server. This might slightly increase download time from the previous patch server. If previously downloaded patch bundles were replicated to the new server, they are not downloaded again.

Reference the mapping below for descriptions of the execution options:

Button	Action
OK	Save configuration changes and return to the Configuration page.
Apply	Save changes made to Subscription Service Settings.
Reset	Reset the replication status and initiate a complete replication with the ZENworks Patch Subscription Network.
Cancel	Cancel unsaved configuration changes.

3.2.2 Configuring the HTTP Proxy Detail

An HTTP proxy server allows a device to connect indirectly to an HTTP server. When a proxy server is configured, the ZENworks Agent communicates with a ZENworks Primary Server through the configured proxy server. A proxy responds either from the ZENworks Server or from its cache. It reduces bandwidth and improves response time by caching and reusing frequently requested web pages.

To configure HTTP Proxy Server Details:

Select Configuration in the navigation menu, and go to Configuration > Patch Management > Subscription Service Settings.

Refer to the descriptions below to configure HTTP Proxy Server Details.

HTTP Proxy Server Details	Definition
Proxy Host	The name or IP address of the proxy server.
Port	The port number that the proxy uses to route communication.
HTTP Credential	Credentials used to authenticate with the proxy, if required.

NOTE:If HTTP server credentials are required, they will need to be added to the Credential Vault before they can be configured in the HTTP Server Details.

Click Apply or OK to save changes.

3.2.3 Configuring Patch Subscription Credentials

Patch Subscription Credentials specify the network credentials associated with Linux subscription providers, Red Hat and SUSE. Credentials are stored in the Credential Vault and are used by actions and tasks that require authentication to access a particular resource. If you do not specify the patch subscription credentials, you cannot successfully download and install patches for your Red Hat and SUSE servers and agents.

Credentials are required for SUSE 11 and Red Hat distributions using the RHN subscription model. They are not required for SLE 12 and newer distributions or Red Hat distributions using RHSM. Although credentials are not required for these newer distributions and RHSM, these managed devices do need to be registered with SUSE or Red Hat, as applicable, and have access to their external networks to be able to download patch content.

IMPORTANT:All Red Hat clients need to migrate to the RHSM subscription model before July 31, 2017. RHN will no longer be supported after this date. Since RHSM uses certificate-based authentication through native vendor installations and registration, subscription credentials will no longer be required for Red Hat clients after migration.

To configure Patch Subscription Credentials for Linux distributions:

Select Configuration in the ZENworks navigation menu, and go to Configuration > Patch Management > Subscription Service Settings.
Next to the subscription credentials field you want to specify, click Browse to open a browse window to the Credentials Folder.

Click the arrow next to the Credentials option to display the list of available credentials for that subscription provider.

Operating System	Description
Red Hat Network Credentials	Credentials that authenticate with the Red Hat network. (For RHEL 5 & 6 using RHN)
SUSE Network Credentials	Credentials that authenticate with SUSE Customer Center for SUSE 11.

Select the desired credential, and then click OK to confirm credential selection.

NOTE:Red Hat and SUSE credentials will already need to be added to the Credential Vault before they will be available in Subscription Service Settings. Credentials are not required for SLE 12 and RHEL 7 or Red Hat distributions using RHSM, since those distributions use certificate-based authentication through their native vendor installations and registration.

Adding a Credential

The Credential Vault stores the credentials used by ZENworks actions and tasks that require authentication to access a particular resource.

For example, if you want to create a third-party imaging bundle by using the image files stored in a shared-network image repository that requires authentication, you can add a credential that includes the login name and password for the repository in the Credential Vault. During the creation of the third-party imaging bundle, you can specify the credential name to access the repository.

To add credentials to the Credential Vault:

Select Configuration in the ZENworks navigation menu, and scroll down to the bottom of the Configuration page until you see the Credential Vault.
In the Credential Vault panel, click New > Credential to display the Add Credential dialog box.
Fill in the fields that match your subscription login, and click OK to add the new credential.

If you need help, click the Help button.