Staging files to a software repository cache

A Server Agent on a Managed Server can override the caching policy in effect for a Realm. The ability to override the caching policy of a Software Repository Cache allows you to stage software to a cache that is configured to be manual update to resolve the following situations:

• You must circulate an emergency patch, and you do not have time to create a manual update export file and physically visit a Facility to upload the software.
• A necessary patch must be installed during a specified maintenance period, and the period is not long enough to download a patch and install it on all managed servers.
• The utilization of a network link to the Satellite is known to be low at a particular time of day, making that time advantageous for upload.

To force package staging, the Staging Utility provides the argument override_caching_policy=1, which is specified in the URL request for the software.

The Software Repository Cache allows a client to request that it obtain a file but that it not actually send the file to the client. If the file is not already cached, the Software Repository Cache will obtain it from the parent Software Repository Cache if the caching policy allows it. To use this feature, the client includes the argument checkonly=1 in the URL request for the file.