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Exam Information
Official specifications published by Red Hat
Exam Format
240 min
210 out of 300 (70%)
Specialist
Registration
$400 USD
Red Hat Testing Centers, Remote Proctored, or online proctoring
Validity
3 years
Red Hat Continuing Education program; Retake the exam; Pass a higher-level exam that includes the same content
EX403 Exam Topics and Domains
EX403 is organized into 7 weighted domains. Expect to work with hammer capsule content synchronize, hammer domain create, hammer host errata apply, hammer job-invocation create, and more.
1
Configure Red Hat Satellite Server
12%
Create and configure organizations and locations
Create organizations in SatelliteCreate and assign locations
- Create and configure organizations in Red Hat Satellite
- Create and configure locations and associate them with organizations
- Understand multi-tenancy through organizations and locations
Create and configure users and roles
User creation and managementRole-Based Access Control (RBAC)
- Create users and assign them to organizations and locations
- Configure Role-Based Access Control with custom roles and permissions
- Manage user access through role filters
2
Manage Content and Software Products
22%
Synchronize Red Hat Enterprise Linux content
Repository synchronization from Red Hat CDN
- Import subscription manifests into Satellite
- Enable and synchronize Red Hat repositories
- Configure sync plans for scheduled content updates
Configure subscriptions, content, and content views
Subscription managementContent views creation and management
- Manage subscription manifests and allocations
- Create, publish, and promote content views
- Understand content view versioning and lifecycle promotion
Create custom products and repositories and populate them with software
Custom product and repository creation
- Create custom products and repositories in Satellite
- Upload or sync custom software packages to repositories
- Associate GPG keys for package verification
Create products with repository discovery
Repository discovery from ISO/DVD/HTTP sources
- Use repository discovery to find and import repositories from various sources
- Create products from discovered repositories
Create and configure development life cycles
Lifecycle environment configuration
- Create lifecycle environments and paths
- Understand the content promotion workflow through environments
- Configure multiple lifecycle paths for different teams or purposes
Manage signing of custom RPMs
GPG signing of RPM packages
- Generate GPG keys for package signing
- Sign custom RPM packages with rpmsign
- Import GPG keys into Satellite as content credentials
3
Manage Systems
20%
Register existing hosts
Host registration with subscription-manager
- Register existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux hosts to Satellite server
- Install and configure the Satellite CA certificate on client systems
- Use subscription-manager for host registration
Install custom software on clients
Software deployment to managed hosts
- Install software packages on managed hosts through Satellite
- Ensure hosts have access to correct content views for package installation
Manage hosts with host collections
Host collection management
- Create host collections and add hosts
- Perform bulk operations using host collections
- Manage content and errata for host collections
Create and use activation keys
Activation key configuration
- Create activation keys with appropriate content views and lifecycle environments
- Associate subscriptions and host collections with activation keys
- Register hosts using activation keys
Deploy Satellite capsule servers
Capsule server deployment and configuration
- Generate certificates for Capsule server deployment
- Install and configure Capsule servers using satellite-installer
- Assign lifecycle environments and content views to Capsule servers
Publish and synchronize content to a Satellite capsule server
Content synchronization to Capsule
- Assign lifecycle environments to Capsule servers
- Synchronize published content views to Capsule servers
- Verify content synchronization status
4
Filter Content with Content Views
10%
Apply updates to selected hosts
Errata and update management
- Identify applicable errata for managed hosts
- Apply security, bugfix, and enhancement errata selectively
- Use incremental content view updates for urgent patching
Create content filters using Content Views
Content view filter configuration
- Create content view filters to include or exclude specific packages
- Configure errata filters based on date ranges or types
- Apply filters to control which content is available in lifecycle environments
5
Manage Ansible Roles and Remote Execution
14%
Configure Ansible remote execution
Remote execution setup and configuration
- Configure Satellite for Ansible remote execution
- Distribute SSH keys to managed hosts
- Understand remote execution providers and proxy configuration
Manage Ansible roles and variables in Satellite
Ansible role integration with Satellite
- Import Ansible roles from Satellite or Capsule server filesystem
- Assign Ansible roles to hosts and host groups
- Configure and override Ansible variables in Satellite
Run remote jobs on managed hosts
Job execution and scheduling
- Run ad-hoc remote execution jobs on managed hosts
- Schedule recurring remote execution tasks
- Monitor and review remote execution job results
6
Provision Clients
18%
Configure bare-metal deployments
Bare-metal provisioning setup
- Configure PXE boot infrastructure using satellite-installer
- Set up DNS, DHCP, and TFTP proxy services on Satellite or Capsule
- Understand Metal-as-a-Service discovery workflows
Prepare network configuration for provisioning on either a Satellite or a capsule server
Network provisioning configuration
- Configure provisioning subnets with correct smart proxy assignments
- Set up domain and DNS configuration for provisioning
- Configure firewall rules for Satellite provisioning services
Provision bare metal and virtual clients using kickstarts
Kickstart-based provisioning
- Configure kickstart provisioning templates
- Create host groups for standardized provisioning profiles
- Provision bare metal and virtual hosts using kickstart
Ensure remote executions are applied upon client installation
Post-provisioning configuration automation
- Configure provisioning templates to enable remote execution on new hosts
- Assign Ansible roles to host groups for automatic application during provisioning
- Verify post-provisioning configuration is applied correctly
7
Maintain Satellite
4%
Perform Satellite maintenance
Satellite server maintenance tasks
- Perform routine Satellite maintenance operations
- Use satellite-maintain for health checks and service management
- Monitor and manage Satellite server performance
Backup Satellite
Satellite backup and restore procedures
- Perform online and offline Satellite server backups
- Understand the difference between full and incremental backups
- Restore a Satellite server from backup
How do I earn this certification?
Passing EX403 earns the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Deployment and Systems Management certification. It sits in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux - Systems Management track.
Next Level Options
Alternative Paths
- EX280 - Red Hat Certified OpenShift Administrator examComplementary container platform management skills; also counts toward RHCA
- EX447 - Red Hat Certified Specialist in Advanced Automation: Ansible Best Practices exam Advanced automation skills complementing Satellite management; counts toward RHCA
- EX294 - Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) examCore Ansible automation skills that underpin Satellite remote execution capabilities; counts toward RHCA
Practice with Precision
The PlanetCert Simulator mirrors the real exam environment with authentic questions and timed pressure.
How to study for this exam?
The most effective way to prepare for EX403 is by using the PlanetCert Simulator to practice questions and review detailed explanations.
What's changed on this exam?
Current Status
- ACTIVE
- Last content update: 2025-07-11
Updates
- Red Hat Satellite 6.18 (latest), 6.15 (exam baseline) Exam is based on Satellite 6.15. Features from 6.18 may appear in future exam updates. • Release date: 2025
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (exam baseline) Managed hosts and Satellite server run on RHEL 8. RHEL 9 compatibility may be introduced in future updates. • Release date: 2019
- Ansible Integration in Satellite Current Ansible replaced Puppet as the configuration management tool in current EX403 objectives. Candidates must know Ansible role import, variable management, and remote execution in Satellite. • Release date: 2023
Who should take this exam?
- Be a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or have comparable work experience and skills
- Have taken Red Hat Satellite 6 Administration (RH403) or have extensive work experience with Red Hat Satellite server
- At least 3 years of Linux system administration experience