How to Automatically Update OS Packages on a RHEL 7 Host

Keeping your server updated is a crucial part of maintaining system security and stability. This might seem a daunting task, especially if you’re dealing with multiple servers. However, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) provides a simple and effective solution for automatic updates: yum-cron.

In this article, we will walk you through setting up yum-cron on a RHEL 7 host to automate your OS package updates.

Step 1: Install the yum-cron package

First, we need to install the yum-cron package. This package allows the system to automatically perform actions such as checking for, downloading, and applying updates. You can install it by running the following command:

sudo yum install yum-cron

Step 2: Configure yum-cron

Next, we need to modify the yum-cron configuration file. This file, located at /etc/yum/yum-cron.conf, dictates how yum-cron behaves.

Open the file using a text editor of your choice. Here, we’ll use vi:

sudo vi /etc/yum/yum-cron.conf

There are several options you may wish to adjust according to your requirements:

• update_cmd: This defines the type of updates to apply. Options include default (all updates), security (only security updates), security-severity:Critical (only critical security updates), or minimal (minimal updates).
• download_updates: Set this to yes to enable automatic downloading of updates.
• apply_updates: If you want yum-cron to install updates automatically, set this to yes.

For example, to have yum-cron automatically install all updates, use these settings:

update_cmd = default
download_updates = yes
apply_updates = yes

Save your changes and close the file once you’ve finished editing.

Step 3: Enable and Start the yum-cron service

Lastly, we need to enable yum-cron to start at boot, and start the service immediately. To do this, run the following commands:

sudo systemctl enable yum-cron
sudo systemctl start yum-cron

With these steps completed, yum-cron is set to keep your system updated automatically.

You can verify the status of the yum-cron service at any time by running sudo systemctl status yum-cron.

Conclusion

Setting up yum-cron for automatic updates can greatly simplify the task of keeping your RHEL 7 host updated. This not only saves time but also ensures that you promptly receive important updates, increasing your system’s security and stability. Happy updating!