Red Hat Knowledgebase

In order to understand the process better, an explanation of how registration works is needed. There are three methods by which one can register:

1. By purchasing Red Hat Enterprise Linux online. In this case the subscription is automatically activated in the Red Hat Network (RHN) account that was used to purchase the subscription.
2. By activating the subscription online at http://www.redhat.com/apps/activate/.
3. By running up2date --register and entering the Product ID as part of the system's registration process.

Activating a product ID creates an active subscription in your RHN account. Once you have already activated the subscription via methods 1 0r 2, do not enter the product ID during the up2date process. Instead, choose the option: "Use one of my existing, active subscriptions". This will register your system and associate it with the already active subscription in your Red Hat Network account.

Note: If you have registered another system / installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux previously using this product ID, you will need to delete that profile from your Red Hat Network account before it can become available for use by your current machine.