Content Lifecycle Management Examples

This section contains some common examples of how you can use content lifecycle management. Use these examples to build your own personalized implementation.

Creating a Project for a Monthly Patch Cycle

A project for a monthly patch cycle consists of:

  • Creating a filter for a project

  • Adding a filter to a project

  • Applying the filter to a new build environment

  • Excluding a patch from a project

  • Including a patch in a project

Creating a Filter for the Project

The By Date filter excludes all patches released after a specified date. This filter is useful for your CLM projects that follow a monthly patch cycle.

Procedure: Creating the By Date Filter

  1. In the SUSE Manager Web UI, navigate to Content Lifecycle  Filters and click Create Filter.

  2. In the Filter Name field, type a name for your filter. For example, Exclude patches by date.

  3. In the Filter Type field, select Patch (Issue date).

  4. In the Matcher field, later or equal is autoselected.

  5. Select the date and time.

  6. Click Save.

Adding the Filter to the Project

Procedure: Adding a Filter to a Project

  1. In the SUSE Manager Web UI, navigate to Content Lifecycle  Projects and select a project from the list.

  2. Click Attach/Detach Filters link to see all available filters

  3. Select the new Exclude patches by date filter.

  4. Click Save.

Applying the Filter to the Environment

The new filter is added to your filter list, but it still needs to be applied to the project. To apply the filter you need to build the first environment.

Procedure: Using the Filter

Click Build to build the first environment.

  1. OPTIONAL: Add a message. You can use messages to help track the build history.

  2. Check that the filter has worked correctly by using the new channels on a test server.

  3. Click Promote to move the content to the next environment. The build will take longer if you have a large number of filters, or they are very complex.

When you promote content from one environment to the next, a copy of the metadata is created. Filters determine which metadata will be used to define your channels, as well the packages within those channels.

Excluding a Patch from the Project

Tests may help you discover issues. When an issue is found, exclude the problem patch released before the by date filter.

Procedure: Excluding a Patch

  1. In the SUSE Manager Web UI, navigate to Content Lifecycle  Filters and click Create Filter.

  2. In the Filter Name field, enter a name for the filter. For example, Exclude openjdk patch.

  3. In the Filter Type field, select Patch (Advisory Name).

  4. In the Matcher field, select equals.

  5. In the Advisory Name field, type a name for the advisory. For example, SUSE-15-2019-1807.

  6. Click Save.

  7. Navigate to Content Lifecycle  Projects and select your project.

  8. Click Attach/Detach Filters link, select Exclude openjdk patch, and click Save.

When you rebuild a previous environment with the Build button, the new exclude filter uses the previous by date filter.

Including a Patch in the Project

In this example, you have received a security alert. An important security patch was released several days after the first of the month you are currently working on. The name of the new patch is SUSE-15-2019-2071. You need to include this new patch into your environment.

Use the Allow filters rule to select patches from a full source and add them to a previous environment. The Allow filters rule overrides the exclude function of the Deny filter rule.
Procedure: Including a Patch in a Project

  1. In the SUSE Manager Web UI, navigate to Content Lifecycle  Filters and click Create Filter.

  2. In the Filter Name field, type a name for the filter. For example, Include kernel security fix.

  3. In the Filter Type field, select Patch (Advisory Name).

  4. In the Matcher field, select equals.

  5. In the Advisory Name field, type SUSE-15-2019-2071, and check Allow.

  6. Click Save to store the filter.

  7. Navigate to Content Lifecycle  Projects and select your project from the list.

  8. Click Attach/Detach Filters, and select Include kernel security patch.

  9. Click Save.

  10. Click Build to rebuild the environment.

Update an Existing Monthly Patch Cycle

When a monthly patch cycle is complete, you can update the patch cycle for the next month.

Procedure: Updating a Monthly Patch Cycle

  1. In the by date field, change the date of the filter to the next month. Alternatively, create a new filter and change the assignment to the project.

  2. Check if the exclude filter for SUSE-15-2019-1807 can be detached from the project. There may be a new patch available to fix this issue.

  3. Detach the include filter. The filter is included by default.

  4. Complete updating your filters.

  5. Rebuild the project to create a new environment with patches for the next month.

Enhance a Project with Live Patching

This section covers setting up filters to create environments for live patching.

When you are preparing to use live patching, there are some important considerations

  • Only ever use one kernel version on your systems. The live patching packages are installed with a specific kernel.

  • Live patching updates are shipped as one patch.

  • Each kernel patch that begins a new series of live patching kernels will display the required reboot flag. These kernel patches come with live patching tools. When you have installed them, you will need to reboot the system at least once before the next year.

  • Only install live patch updates that match the installed kernel version.

  • Live patches are provided as stand-alone patches. You must exclude all regular kernel patches with higher kernel version than the currently installed one.

Exclude Packages with a Higher Kernel Version

In this example you update your systems with the SUSE-15-2019-1244 patch. This patch contains kernel-default-4.12.14-150.17.1-x86_64.

You need to exclude all patches which contain a higher version of kernel-default.

Procedure: Excluding Packages with a Higher Kernel Version

  1. In the SUSE Manager Web UI, navigate to Content Lifecycle  Filters, and click Create Filter.

  2. In the Filter Name field, type a name for your filter. For example, Exclude kernel greater than 4.12.14-150.17.1.

  3. In the Filter Type field, select Patch (Contains Package).

  4. In the Matcher field, select version greater than.

  5. In the Package Name field, type kernel-default.

  6. Leave the the Epoch field empty.

  7. In the Version field, type 4.12.14.

  8. In the Release field, type 150.17.1.

  9. Click Save to store the filter.

  10. Navigate to Content Lifecycle  Projects and select your project.

  11. Click Attach/Detach Filters.

  12. Select Exclude kernel greater than 4.12.14-150.17.1, and click Save.

When you click Build, a new environment is created. The new environment contains all the kernel patches up to the version you installed.

All kernel patches with higher kernel versions are removed. Live patching kernels will stay available as long as they are not the first in a series.

Update the Project for Next Patch Month

To update the project to the next patch month you operate similar to the case before. Important is, that you do not change the "Exclude kernel greater than 4.12.14-150.17.1: …​" Filter. With it you keep normal kernel-updates away, but take the latest live patches up to the selected month.

Switch to a New Kernel Version for Live Patching

Live Patching for a specific kernel version is only available for one year. After one year you must update the kernel on your systems. The following changes of the environment should be executed:

Procedure: Switch to a New Kernel Version

  1. Decide which kernel version you will upgrade to. For example: 4.12.14-150.32.1

  2. Create a new kernel version Filter.

  3. Detach the previous filter Exclude kernel greater than 4.12.14-150.17.1 and attach the new filter.

Click Build to rebuild the environment. The new environment contains all kernel patches up to the new kernel version you selected. Systems using these channels will have the kernel update available for installation. You will need to reboot systems after they have performed the upgrade. The new kernel will remain valid for one year. All packages installed during the year will match the current live patching kernel filter.