Backport 4.3: Orphaned packages #25067 keichwa (#3329) (#3338) (#3341)

* Orphaned packages #25067 keichwa (#3329) (#3338)
* SUSE/spacewalk#25067
* https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1227882
Co-authored-by: Marek Czernek <[email protected]>
* Update package-management.adoc
Co-authored-by: Ornela Marić <[email protected]>

.changelog

@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 # For guidelines: https://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Creating_a_changes_file_(RPM)#Changelog_section_.28.25changelog.29
 
 
+- Added documentation about orphaned packages in Client Configuration
+  Guide (bsc#1227882)
 - Documented Ubuntu 24.04 LTS as a supported client OS in Client
   Configuration Guide
 - Documented Cobbler kernel options in Client Configuration Guide

modules/client-configuration/pages/package-management.adoc

@@ -40,3 +40,50 @@ When the profile has been created, you can use it to install more clients with t
 . In the {productname} {webui}, navigate to [guimenu]``Systems``, click the client to compare, and navigate to the menu:Systems[Software > Packages > Profiles] subtab.
     To compare with a stored profile, select the profile and click btn:[Compare].
 . To compare with another client, select the client name and click btn:[Compare] to see a list of differences between the two clients.
+
+
+
+[[package-management-orphaned-packages]]
+== Orphaned Packages
+
+Orphaned packages are packages synchronized by {productname} that are not associated with a software channel.
+Therefore, orphaned packages are usually not available to {productname} clients and users cannot install such packages without additional effort.
+
+A package can become orphaned as a result of one of the following events:
+
+
+* A synchronized repository removes a package.
+  With  [literal]``strict mode`` channel configuration, {productname} unlinks such a package from the channel, but will not remove the package.
+* A repository supersedes a package with a newer version and thus removes the previous version.
+* The reposync process got interrupted (for example, because of an out of space exception) and thus downloaded packages were not associated with a channel.
+* Users manually uploaded packages, but did not associate them with any channel.
+
+Orphaned packages cost space in user environment and cannot be easily distributed to clients because they are not associated with a channel.
+Orphaned package can make sense with specific workflows like bootstrapping or customer-specific procedures.
+
+You can view orphaned packages in the {webui} by clicking menu:Software[Manage > Packages > view Packages in no channel]
+
+{productname} periodically runs a taskomatic job that searches for orphaned packages and modifies the package organization ID to 1.
+This means that you can delete orphaned packages only after the taskomatic job execution.
+If you encounter an orphaned package that you cannot delete, wait 24 hours and try the deletion again.
+
+// .Procedure: Deleting orphaned packages
+
+Delete orphaned packages:
+
+// * With the UI (FIXME is this possible?  How?
+
+* with command line tools targeting individual packages.
+  For example:
++
+
+----
+spacecmd package_remove zypper-1.14.52-150400.1.9.x86_64
+----
+
+* with command line tools targeting all orphaned packages at once:
++
+
+----
+spacecmd package_removeorphans
+----

modules/reference/pages/software/manage-packages.adoc

@@ -6,4 +6,7 @@ The menu:Software[Manage > Packages] section allows you to manage packages that
 Select a channel from the drop-down box to see all packages related to that channel.
 If you have administration privileges within your organization, you can also delete packages.
 
-For more information about custom channels, see xref:administration:custom-channels.adoc[].
+* Orphaned packages are packages that are synchronized by {productname}, but not associated with a software channel.
+  For handling those packages, see xref:client-configuration:package-management.adoc#package-management-orphaned-packages[].
+
+* For more information about custom channels, see xref:administration:custom-channels.adoc[].