Backup task ("backup_yum_repos" function in convert2rhel/repo.py) should keep "redhat.repo" when "--keep-rhsm" argument is present about convert2rhel HOT 1 CLOSED

Hi @FerreiraEnzoA, the --keep-rhsm option only ensures that the installed subscription-manager packages are not replaced. The system is however still being re-registered during the conversion (using the RHSM credentials passed through the CLI options). This is what the convert2rhel man page says about the --keep-rhsm option:

Keep the already installed Red Hat Subscription Management-related packages. By default, during the conversion, these packages are removed, downloaded from verified sources and re-installed. This option is suitable for environments with no connection to the Internet, or for systems managed by Red Hat Satellite. Warning: The system is being re-registered during the conversion and when the re-registration fails, there's no automated rollback to the original registration.

The /etc/yum.repos.d/redhat.repo file is auto-generated by subscription-manager. The reason convert2rhel does not back it up is that it wouldn't be useful after a rollback because even with the use of the --keep-rhsm option convert2rhel re-registers the system causing the redhat.repo file to be re-generated, effectively invalidating the previous redhat.repo content.

The redhat.repo file is not supposed to be edited manually because the repositories defined in it are accessible only with a corresponding attached subscription (attaching a subscription involves copying a necessary certificate to access the repos).

The redhat.repo backup would not be useful in case of a rollback either because part of the rollback is unregistering the system. So, as I stated above, without a system registration and subscription the repos in redhat.repo are inaccessible.

On a related note, there's a known limitation of convert2rhel which we should document in the official documentation - during the rollback we have no way to re-register the system back to the original sub-man registration when --keep-rhsm was used. I and @SpyTec will take care of that.

from convert2rhel.