[WBEL-users] Redhat Legalese

[Lynn, Michael (IDS DM&DS)]

> If that's true,
> does that mean I can pay Redhat for a year of "support", get 
> a bonafide
> copy of Redhat Enterprise Linux to install on my server, and 
> then after
> that first support year is up, just download SRPMS for my 
> server without
> paying redhat any more money?

Yes - I believe you can terminate your maintenance contract and do what you want to the server as long as you don't take the binary images and install them on another server.

The agreement you sign with RedHat is for maintenance and access to updated binary packages through RHN for the specific purpose of updating the server where you installed the original package.

> I'd use rhn/up2date for the ONE server,
> then either propagate those RPM's to the other ones, or 
> simple download
> SRPM's to build and install for the others?

You CANNNOT do this - the terms of the agreement state that you can only install the updates obtained through RHN on the server where the agreement was executed (installed).

If you install SRPMS NOT obtained through RHN for a server under maintenance you will invalidate your agreement and RedHat has the right to terminate your RHN account.



-----Original Message-----
From: whitebox-users-admin@beau.org
[mailto:whitebox-users-admin@beau.org]On Behalf Of Hedemark, Magnus
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 9:43 AM
To: whitebox-users@beau.org
Subject: RE: [WBEL-users] Redhat Legalese


Aaron Smith [mailto:asmith@nexcerpt.com] said:

> 	Can someone point me to the Redhat Legalese that allows 
> things like
> Whitebox to exist?  

http://www.redhat.com/about/corporate/trademark/guidelines/page4.html
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html


> 2.) Taking that a step further, if I have Whitebox on my servers, and
> (heaven forbid) Whitebox itself disappears and the mirror 
> sites are shut
> down, can I grab future updates from the Redhat SRPM mirrors, 
> build them
> and then install them without stripping the logos?  

Why bother?  there are compatible packages from at least two other clone
distributions available.

> 3.) Everyone I hear that has defended Redhat's move to Enterprise
> Linux/Fedora has said that when you pay Redhat, you aren't paying them
> for the software, you're paying them for the support. 

You're aware that the majority of the software in RHEL is written by parties
who don't benefit from the licese costs of RHEL, right?

> If that's true,
> does that mean I can pay Redhat for a year of "support", get 
> a bonafide
> copy of Redhat Enterprise Linux to install on my server, and 
> then after
> that first support year is up, just download SRPMS for my 
> server without
> paying redhat any more money?

You should be asking a lawyer this.  The advice you will get here is
completely unqualified, unless a lawyer happens to be lurking.

> 4.) Taking number 3 a step further, couldn't I purchase a support
> "contract" for one year for one server, get the CD's, and then install
> the software on 15 servers? 

Read the support contract.  This is expressly forbidden.

> I'd use rhn/up2date for the ONE server,
> then either propagate those RPM's to the other ones, or 
> simple download
> SRPM's to build and install for the others?

See my last comment.
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