Oracle Linux Package Management

Oracle Linux Update Types

OS Management Hub categorizes updates into several types. The updates applied to the instance depend on the OS.

For Oracle Linux instances, OS Management Hub applies updates based on the following types:


OS Management Hub Category	Description
Security	An update that addresses security vulnerabilities found during development, testing, or reported by users. Security fixes usually have one or more associated CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure) names to identify the vulnerabilities.
Ksplice	An update used by Ksplice for installing zero-downtime security patches. The update job can include only Ksplice kernel updates, only Ksplice userspace updates, or both. See Using Ksplice for Oracle Linux for how to configure an instance to receive Ksplice updates.
Bug Fix	An update that fixes issues reported by users or discovered during development or testing.
Enhancement	An update that introduces new features, improved functionality, or enhanced performance in the package's software.
Other	An update that's not associated with any errata.

Using Ksplice for Oracle Linux

For OS Management Hub to apply Ksplice updates, Oracle Linux instances must have access to the Ksplice software sources and the Ksplice client installed.

For general information about Ksplice in Oracle Linux, see Oracle Linux Ksplice User's Guide.

Note

Ksplice doesn't apply to lifecycle environments. Instead, you manage content updates through versioned custom software sources and promotion. See Promoting a Versioned Custom Software Source to a Lifecycle Stage.

Adding the Ksplice software sources

You must add the Ksplice software source to OS Management Hub. The availability of the software source can vary depending on instance type. For OCI instances, Ksplice is automatically available. For on-premises or third-party cloud instances, Ksplice is restricted. You must add the entitlements to make the software source available.

After adding the software sources to the service, verify that the individual instances have the appropriate Ksplice software sources attached. See Listing Software Sources Attached to an Instance.

If necessary, attach the software source to the instance or group.

Installing the Ksplice client

Instances must have the Ksplice client installed to receive Ksplice updates from OS Management Hub.

OCI instances

For instances using a platform image, the ksplice package is installed by default.

To verify the package is installed, see Listing Packages Installed on an Instance.

On-premises or supported third-party cloud instances

Check if the conflicting uptrack package is installed and remove it (uptrack-offline is ok).

See the following (search for uptrack):
- Removing Packages from an Instance
- Removing Packages from a Group
Install the latest version of the ksplice-offline package.

See the following (search for ksplice-offline):
- Installing Packages on an Instance
- Adding Packages to a Group

Note

If the install job fails for the group, an instance in the group might have a conflicting Ksplice client. See ksplice-offline Package Fails to Install.

Verifying Ksplice Updates

Use the following methods to verify Ksplice updates are being applied.

Check the effective kernel

View the instance details and verify the effective kernel value has been updated. A blank value (-) indicates that no Ksplice kernel updates have been applied.

Check change history

View the change history report for the instance. Look for entries with a summary of "Update ksplice kernel" or "Update ksplice userspace". Click the entry's date to view job details.

Note

If you don't see Ksplice entries in the change history, the update job might have failed. See Listing Jobs Associated with an Instance and examine the error messages in any failed jobs.

Sizing the management station mirror volume

For on-premises or third-party cloud instances, ensure the management station's mirror storage has enough space for the Ksplice software source. Insufficient space can cause the mirror sync to fail and prevent the latest Ksplice updates from being applied. Ksplice software sources are large and can grow to several terabytes over the lifecycle of an Oracle Linux release. Allocate enough storage for each Oracle Linux version.

To check mirror volume capacity and sync status, see Viewing Management Station Details.

Understanding Modules for Oracle Linux

Oracle Linux 8 and later releases provide modules, module streams, and profiles to enable the management of different versions of software within a single OS release.

Modules: Modules are a set of RPM packages that are grouped together and must be installed together. They can contain several streams that consist of multiple versions of applications that you can install. You enable a module stream to provide system access to the RPM packages that are contained in that module stream.
Module Streams: Module streams hold different versions of content contained within a module. Modules can have multiple streams, where each stream contains a different version of packages and their dependencies. Each stream receives updates independently.
Profiles: Profiles provide a list of certain packages that are installed at the same time for a particular use case. Profiles are also a recommendation by the application packagers and experts. Each module stream can have one or more profiles.

For more information about DNF modules, streams, and profiles, see Use DNF Modules and Application Streams in the Oracle Linux documentation.

For important guidelines, caveats, and warnings when performing package operations on modules and streams, see About Modular Dependencies and Stream Changes in the Oracle Linux documentation.

Module Status

The module stream can be in one of the following states:

Enabled: Stream can provide packages to the instance.
- (hyphen): Stream isn't enabled but can provide packages to the instance to satisfy package dependencies.
Disabled: Stream can't provide packages to the instance until enabled.

Instance Package Management Tasks

After registering instances with a software source profile in OS Management Hub, perform the following tasks to manage packages and modules on the instance.

Note

These tasks only apply to instances that aren't members of a group or a lifecycle environment.

Package Management

Module Management

Software Source Management

Group Package Management Tasks

After registering instances with a group profile in OS Management Hub, perform the following tasks to manage packages and modules for the instances that are members of the group:

Group Content Management

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation