Configure local network Redhat package repository over HTTP with Apache

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Objective

The objective is to configure network Redhat package repository accessible via HTTP protocol. This guide uses Apache webserver as a means to provide HTTP access to the local package repository.

Operating System and Software Versions

  • Operating System: – Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 7.3 (Maipo)
  • Software: – Apache/2.4.6 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)

Requirements

Privileged access to your RHEL server system will be required.

Difficulty

EASY

Conventions

  • # – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command
  • $ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user

Instructions

Install Apache

First, step is to install and start httpd daemon.

# yum install httpd

Enable httpd daemon to start after reboot:

# systemctl enable httpd
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/vsftpd.service to /usr/lib/systemd/system/vsftpd.service.

Disable the default Apache welcome page configuration on Redhat Linux server:

# mv /etc/httpd/conf.d/welcome.conf /etc/httpd/conf.d/welcome.backup

Start httpd daemon:

# systemctl start httpd

httpd daemon should now be running:

# systemctl status httpd
● httpd.service - The Apache HTTP Server
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/httpd.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2017-04-11 06:28:57 AEST; 20s ago
     Docs: man:httpd(8)
           man:apachectl(8)
 Main PID: 12283 (httpd)
   Status: "Total requests: 0; Current requests/sec: 0; Current traffic:   0 B/sec"
   CGroup: /system.slice/httpd.service
           ├─12283 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
           ├─12289 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
           ├─12290 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
           ├─12291 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
           ├─12292 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
           └─12293 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND

Configure Firewall

If you have firewall enabled, add a new rule to allow inbound firewall connections to FTP service:

# firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
# firewall-cmd --reload

Include Packages

What remains is to copy Redhat package repository from ISO image or DVD drive to /var/www/http/ directory. Mount your CDROM:

# mount /dev/cdrom /media

or RHEL iso image:

# mount -ro loop rhel-server-7.3-x86_64-dvd.iso /media

and copy all source files using cp:

# cp -a /media/* /var/www/http/

If SELinux is enabled on your system set appropriate SELinux context recursively for entire directory:

# chcon -R -t public_content_t /var/www/http/

Your FTP server should now be accessible from any remote system via http://SERVER-IP/

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