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Old 03-01-2021, 03:00 PM   #1
PlagueMaster
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Registered: Mar 2021
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Question How to migrate OEL7 (Not UEK Version) to RHEL 7?


I know there is a way to go from RHEL to OL. My company did it when we moved from Red Hat support to Oracle. Well now we have new powers that be, that want to use RHEL.

Is there a way to convert from Oracle Linux (NON UEK) to RHEL? We do have a support contract with Red Hat, but we would first like to try to work this out (there are literally thousands of servers that could be affected), so we want to take a practical approach. Has anyone done this, and if so, what are the steps.
Obviously backup first... then what?
 
Old 03-01-2021, 03:17 PM   #2
PlagueMaster
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Registered: Mar 2021
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Nevermind... I found this document...
https://access.redhat.com/articles/2360841


How to convert from CentOS Linux or Oracle Linux to RHEL

Updated Thursday at 2:26 PM - English







This document provides instructions on how to convert your operating system from a different Linux distribution, namely CentOS Linux or Oracle Linux, to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). The conversion is performed by the Convert2RHEL utility, which is available on GitHub.

Convert2RHEL is currently unsupported by Red Hat.


IMPORTANT:
We recommend that you seek the support of Red Hat Consulting services to ensure that the conversion process is smooth.

The Red Hat packages installed as part of a successfully converted system are automatically eligible for Red Hat support.

Red Hat support may not be provided for the third-party packages that are left unchanged during the conversion process. See the Red Hat policy on supporting third-party software.

If you encounter any issues with the Convert2RHEL utility, file an issue in GitHub.



How OS conversion works

The automated conversion process is performed on a running system. The Convert2RHEL utility replaces all RPM packages from the original Linux distribution by their RHEL version. At the end of the process, it is necessary to restart the system to boot the RHEL kernel.

NOTE:
Packages that are available only in the original distribution and do not have corresponding counterparts in RHEL repositories, or third-party packages, which originate neither from the original Linux distribution nor from RHEL, are not affected by the conversion.

Available conversion paths

Currently, it is possible to convert your systems from the following Linux distributions and architectures to the corresponding major version of RHEL:


Source OS

Target OS

Architecture


CentOS Linux 8 RHEL 8 64-bit Intel
CentOS Linux 7.7 and later RHEL 7 64-bit Intel
CentOS Linux 6 RHEL 6 64-bit Intel
Oracle Linux 8 RHEL 8 64-bit Intel
Oracle Linux 7 RHEL 7 64-bit Intel
Oracle Linux 6 RHEL 6 64-bit Intel



RHEL 6 will exit the Maintenance Support 2 Phase of its life cycle on November 30, 2020. If you are unable to upgrade to RHEL 7 or upgrade to RHEL 8 after the conversion, and require continued maintenance for RHEL 6 after this date, we recommend that you purchase the Extended Life Cycle Support Add-on (ELS).

IMPORTANT
Conversions from CentOS Stream to RHEL are not currently possible.

Certain system setups are not currently supported for conversion. For more information, see Known Issues.

Prerequisites
•Back up your system and verify that you are able to restore it.

•Install the Convert2RHEL utility for the appropriate major version of the OS:


Raw
# yum install -y https://github.com/oamg/convert2rhel...el8.noarch.rpm
# yum install -y https://github.com/oamg/convert2rhel...el7.noarch.rpm
# yum install -y https://github.com/oamg/convert2rhel...el6.noarch.rpm


NOTE:
All Convert2RHEL dependencies are available in standard CentOS Linux/Oracle Linux repositories except CentOS Linux 6, which has reached end of life. CentOS Linux 6 repositories are archived in the Vault. Reconfigure your CentOS Linux 6 repositories to the Vault to make Convert2RHEL dependencies available.


•Ensure that you have an access to RHEL packages through one of the following:
◦Red Hat Content Delivery Network (CDN) through Red Hat Subscription Manager (RHSM). You must have a Red Hat account and an appropriate RHEL subscription to access RHSM. Note that the OS will be converted to the latest minor version of RHEL for the appropriate major version.
◦Custom repositories configured in the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory and pointing, for example, to RHEL ISO, FTP, or HTTP. Use custom repositories for systems that can connect to only local networks and cannot therefore access Red Hat CDN through RHSM. Note that the OS will be converted to the version of RHEL provided by these repositories. Make sure that the RHEL minor version is the same or later than the original OS minor version to prevent downgrading and potential conversion failures. See instructions on how to configure a repository.

NOTE:
RHEL 8 content is distributed through two default repositories, BaseOS and AppStream. If you are accessing RHEL packages through custom repositories, you must configure both default repositories for a successful conversion. When running the Convert2RHEL utility, make sure to enable both repositories using the --enablerepo option. For more information about RHEL 8 repositories, see Considerations in adopting RHEL 8.


•Recommended: Update packages from the original OS to the latest version that is available in the repositories accessible from the system, and reboot the system:


Raw
# yum update -y
# reboot


Without performing this step, the rollback feature will not work correctly, and exiting the conversion in any phase may result in a dysfunctional system.


Converting the system

1.Start Convert2RHEL.
You can use Convert2RHEL with either RHSM or custom repositories.
◦Using RHSM:


Raw
# convert2rhel --username <username> --password <password> --pool <pool_id>


Replace username and password with your Red Hat Account credentials. Replace pool_id with the pool ID of the subscription that you want to attach to the system. If you do not know the pool ID, omit the --pool option to generate a list of all subscriptions available for the account.
◦Using custom repositories:


Raw
# convert2rhel --disable-submgr --enablerepo <RHEL_RepoID1> --enablerepo <RHEL_RepoID2> --debug


Replace RHEL_RepoID with your custom repository configured in the /etc/yum.repos.d/ directory, for example, rhel-7-server-rpms or rhel-8-baseos and rhel-8-appstream.

To display all available options, use the -h, --help option:


Raw
# convert2rhel -h



2.Before Convert2RHEL starts replacing packages from the original distribution with RHEL packages, the following warning message is displayed:


Raw
The tool allows rollback of any action until this point.
By continuing all further changes on the system will need to be reverted manually by the user, if necessary.


Changes made by Convert2RHEL up to this point can be automatically reverted. Confirm that you wish to proceed with the conversion process.


3.Wait until Convert2RHEL installs the RHEL packages.


4.If you used custom repositories for the conversion, subscribe and update your RHEL system:
◦Install the subscription-manager command line utility:


Raw
# yum install subscription-manager -y

◦Register and subscribe your system. For more information, see How to register and subscribe a system to the Red Hat Customer Portal using Red Hat Subscription-Manager.
◦Update your system:


Raw
# yum update -y



5.At this point, the system still runs with the original distribution kernel loaded in RAM. Reboot the system to boot into the newly installed RHEL kernel.


Raw
# reboot



6.Remove third-party packages from the original OS that remained unchanged (typically packages that do not have a RHEL counterpart). To get a list of such packages, use:


Raw
# yum list extras --disablerepo="*" --enablerepo=<RHEL_RepoID>



7.If necessary, reconfigure system services after the conversion.


Troubleshooting

Logs

The Convert2RHEL utility stores the convert2rhel.log file in the /var/log/convert2rhel/ directory. Its content is identical to what is printed to the standard output.

The output of the rpm -Va command, which is run automatically unless the --no-rpm-va option is used, is stored in the /var/log/convert2rhel/rpm_va.log file for debugging purposes.

Rollback

The Convert2RHEL utility provides a limited rollback functionality. If the conversion is cancelled by the user or if it fails, the utility performs a rollback of changes made during the conversion process under the following conditions:

•Only changes performed until Convert2RHEL starts replacing packages from the original distribution with RHEL packages can be reverted. This moment is indicated by the warning message:


Raw
The tool allows rollback of any action until this point.
By continuing all further changes on the system will need to be reverted manually by the user, if necessary.


followed by a question whether you wish to continue with the process.


•Access to repositories providing packages from the original distribution is required, especially to the base repository, otherwise Convert2RHEL will be unable to restore the system to the original state even if the tool execution is stopped in the early stages of the conversion. That is because Convert2RHEL removes certain packages during the conversion process and needs to preemptively download them from the original repository for the case of a rollback.


•A rollback is feasible only on a system where all packages from the original OS are updated to the latest version that is available in the repositories accessible from the system. Therefore use the yum update command before starting the conversion process.


NOTE: If the -y option is used, the question indicating the moment after which the automated rollback is no longer possible is skipped.

WARNING: If the conversion process is cancelled or fails after Convert2RHEL has started the package replacement phase, the system can become dysfunctional. In such a case, manual fixes are needed. Please contact Red Hat Consulting services for help.

Known issues
•UEFI-based systems cannot currently be converted to RHEL. (BZ#1899314)
•The conversion fails if any files are mounted directly to the /mnt/ directory or if the /sys/ directory is mounted as read-only. (BZ#1887513)

Obtaining support

IMPORTANT:
Convert2RHEL is currently not supported by Red Hat.

To report a bug in Convert2RHEL, file an issue in GitHub.
 
  


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