Subscription#

Note

Available only on Rocky Linux based systems

A NethServer 8 cluster can be registered to a web portal to enable additional services.

When a cluster has an active subscription, the following services are enabled:

  • Remote support by Nethesis

  • Resources monitoring and alerting

  • Upload of leader node inventory

  • Scheduled updates for node operating systems, core components, and applications

  • Upload of cluster backup (Enterprise only)

Regarding software repositories, only the subscription repository remains enabled.

Hint

Please avoid enabling third-party repositories and refrain from installing software not covered by the subscription plan

Register the cluster#

Depending on your subscription type, log in to my.nethserver.com or my.nethesis.it and obtain a unique subscription token for the cluster. Follow the portal-documented procedures to obtain it.

Warning

The subscription token is a secret: never communicate or share it with someone else

Once you have copied the token to the clipboard, go to the Settings page and click the Subscription card. Paste the token in the Authentication token field, then click the Register button.

If the procedure is successful the Subscription page displays the System ID, Plan type and Expiration date.

Terms and Conditions#

Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully. By maintaining an active NethServer 8 subscription, you confirm that you accept the Terms and Conditions and agree to abide by them. If you do not agree to these Terms and Conditions, you may not activate or continue your subscription.

Details of subscription plans can be found on the NethServer website.

Personal identification information is stored and processed when necessary to fulfill a contract to which the data subject is a party, or to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract. This information may also be used to share updates and news related to the subscribed service.

The data controller is Nethesis S.r.l unipersonale CF/PI/RI IT 02734760412, located at Strada degli Olmi 8 – 61122 Pesaro (PU) – Italy.

Any requests concerning the processing of personal identification information (PII) may be addressed to privacy@nethesis.it.

Scheduled updates#

A scheduled overnight task automatically installs software updates available from Nethesis-managed repositories. This task runs daily from Tuesday through Friday, within a randomly selected time slot between midnight and 6 AM. The randomization helps distribute the load on network and server resources. The updates include:

  • Operating system: Updates are sourced from the DNF repositories labeled ns-baseos and ns-appstream. These repositories provide delayed snapshots of Rocky Linux repositories to avoid distributing updates that could cause unexpected issues.

  • Core components: Updates are fetched from the subscription repository.

  • Applications: Updates are also sourced from the subscription repository.

Managed repositories follow a conservative update policy to ensure stability and thorough testing of updates, making them suitable for automated updates.

It is possible to override the managed update policy by manually installing or updating core components or applications via the Software Center page. The metadata for applications and core components from the subscription repository is refreshed hourly in the Software Center.

Scheduled updates are inhibited when an NS7 node joins the cluster to migrate applications. This is necessary because the migration procedure requires specific application versions to function correctly. Scheduled updates will be re-enabled once the NS7 migration is finished and the NS7 node is automatically removed from the cluster.

Remove the subscription#

Go to the Settings page and click the Subscription card. Alternatively, go to the cluster dashboard page and click the Go to Subscription link.

In the Subscription page, click the Remove subscription button. The action must be confirmed.

Remote support#

Note

Available in Nethesis Enterprise only

Depending on the subscription type and plan, the Subscription page can allow starting and controlling a remote support session:

  • Click Start session to activate a special access for the Nethesis support team. Both SSH and cluster-admin administrative access are granted to the support team. Support connections are routed in a private VPN tunnel.

    When the access is granted, a unique Session ID secret is displayed: copy and paste it in your support request.

  • To end the support session, close the VPN tunnel and revoke any granted access, click End session.

The support session is valid only to reach the leader node. The support team can access worker nodes by starting individual support sessions in the worker nodes. For example, if node 2 is a worker node, this is a command to start a support session for it:

api-cli run node/2/start-support-session

The Session ID is printed to the standard output. To stop the session:

api-cli run node/2/stop-support-session

Check the support session status for any node with:

api-cli run node/2/get-support-session

If a worker node (e.g., node 2) becomes unreachable from the leader node, you can manually start a support session for it with the following procedure:

  1. Log in on the worker node, using the console or SSH access.

  2. Run the following command to start the support session:

    systemctl start support
    
  3. Obtain the session ID with:

    systemctl status support
    

    The Session ID is always recorded in the system journal and node log.

  4. To end the support session:

    systemctl stop support