Architecture 

The architecture of the Red Had Network is one where there is a central server 

from which all systems are managed. In general this is the RHN server located at 

Red Hat on the Internet. For small numbers of systems and with low security 

constraints this is a feasible solution. When the number of systems in an 

enterprise grows or when security constraints prevent all systems from reaching 

the Internet, this simple architecture breaks down.

Red Hat uses three models for their solution:

Hosted model   All systems connect to the RHN server at Red Hat through 

the organization's firewall.

Figure A 1   

1

Red Hat Network   Hosted model

Proxy model   Systems connect to a proxy server running in the local 

network, which aggregates data and can perform some functions locally. The 

proxy server connects with the central RHN servers at Red Hat through the 

firewall.

1  

Copyright 2004 Red Hat, Inc.  All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission.

 Appendix A. Using enterprise management tools 

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