
suse_register README


1) DESCRIPTION
==================
This tool helps customers to manage their devices with Novell's infrastructure. 

The tool automatically detects package and patch sources suitable for the 
current device and feeds the underlying package management system (zmd)
accordingly. 


2) FUNCTIONALITY
==================
To perform its task suse_register transfers zmd's unique device identifier to
Novell's registration webservice. 
(See also: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4122.txt)

In order for the webservice to calculate the appropriate package and package 
sources, suse_register also passes hardware architecture, operating system and 
version to the webservice.  The current timezone is also passed so that the 
webservice can select a geographically close source mirror sites of its 
knowledge. 

Additionally Novell's backend systems allow for customer device management. 
Customers can review their available systems and associate them with 
appropriate entitlements they have purchased. In order to fulfill that task 
suse_register can be configured to also transmit certain device details like 
hostname, CPU type etc. so that customers can easier identify their devices. 

To provide a maximum amount of flexibility Novell's webservice is able to ask 
back for needed parameters dependent on the needs of the registration procedure.
Therefore certain device side invoked commands can be requested for their 
outputs. These hard coded commands are:
  - hwinfo
  - uname
  - lsb_release

Additionally some commands are directly implemented into suse_register:
  - zmd-secret: return the secret to NCC. NCC must grant access for guid/secret to the
                update repositories.
  - zmd-ostarget: return the os-target to NCC.
  - cpu-count: find out number of physical CPUs and Cores.
  - installed-langs: installed languages.
  - installed-desktops: installed Desktop (e.g. KDE, GNOME, X11, NOX11)


3) PRIVACY
==================
In order to allow for a maximum amount fo customer privacy suse_register can be
configured to deny optionally requested parameters.  Novell's backend systems 
will still work but have a less user friendly experience because many human 
readable device parameters will not be displayed.  While the underlying system 
will continue to work without running suse_register, the registration service 
cannot provide the update service configuration unless suse_register is 
permitted to pass mandatory information, including product, operating system 
type and version and processor architecture.


4) LICENSE
==================
suse_register is GPL

