HOWTO: Convert CentOS 7 to RHEL 7

Getting Started

Before starting, note that the system must have a minimum of 5GB free on the root partition.

First, you will need to add the repos to install convert2rhel: sudo curl -o /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release https://www.redhat.com/security/data/fd431d51.txt

sudo curl --create-dirs -o /etc/rhsm/ca/redhat-uep.pem https://ftp.redhat.com/redhat/convert2rhel/redhat-uep.pem

sudo curl -o /etc/yum.repos.d/convert2rhel.repo https://ftp.redhat.com/redhat/convert2rhel/7/convert2rhel.repo

Next, install Convert2RHEL:

sudo yum -y install convert2rhel

Grab the activation key:

curl --insecure --output /usr/share/convert2rhel/subscription-manager/katello-ca-consumer-latest.noarch.rpm https://phobos.auburn.edu/pub/katello-ca-consumer-latest.noarch.rpm

Next, set the key in /etc/convert2rhel.ini:

[subscription_manager] # password = <insert_password> activation_key = RBDLibrary

Running the conversion

First, we need to stop several services. You should also stop any other services that may cause data corruption or conflict, i.e. mysql:

sudo systemctl stop lockss sudo systemctl stop cisco-amp sudo systemctl stop firewalld

Next, we just need to run the converter. If the steps above were followed, it should go through with minimal user interaction, only requiring approval on a few prompts.

sudo su convert2rhel –org OIT

After the conversion completes and the system reboots, verify the OS:

cat /etc/os-release