Cloud Based Solutions West Midlands

Oracle Linux – A Linux OS Designed For A Hybrid Cloud

There are hundreds of Linux distributions to choose from, but not all are created equal. When it comes to enterprise deployments you need a distro that is secure, reliable and performant – particularly in a hybrid cloud scenario.

So why should Oracle Linux be at the top of your shortlist?

Cloud-native technology built in as standard

Oracle Linux has been built with cloud operations from the outset. Support for Kubernetes and container orchestration is included with the kernel. This allows your business to build modern cloud-ready applications and run them locally, in the cloud or across a combination of both according to your needs and preferences.

Indeed, Oracle is the only vendor to offer a complete technology stack to accompany their Linux distribution – applications, middleware, database, management tools, operating system, virtualisation, hardware, engineered systems, and cloud.

Enterprise-class support available

Oracle offer a selection of flexible support contracts to cover any combination of Oracle Linux instances. As well as ensuring access to product support experts in the event of a problem, you also benefit from advanced tools to help better manage your hybrid cloud operating environment. You can run line-of-business applications on Oracle Linux safe knowing that you have sufficient resources available to assist whenever required.

Importantly, Oracle Support for tends to be cheaper and more cost-effective than other competing enterprise-class services too. This is particularly true when you consider that physical and virtual installations are treated the same, simplifying your support subscription.

Oracle uses Oracle Linux

One of the best tests of a product is whether the vendor uses it. Oracle develops all of their products and services on Oracle Linux giving them a deep insight into demanding enterprise workloads. Their efforts to improve reliability, security, scalability and performance in-house are then rolled into each OS upgrade for the benefit of all of their customers too.

Multicloud support

The modern hybrid cloud operating environment is increasingly complex, often relying on services from more than one vendor. In recognition of this fact, Oracle Linux is available for both Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure – in addition to Oracle Engineered Cloud.

By offering multi-cloud support, your business can build Linux-based applications and services with confidence, knowing that they will run anywhere without any reconfiguration or redevelopment. Any on-premise development will continue to deliver even after it is migrated entirely to the cloud.

It’s time to learn more

Few operating systems can come close to Oracle Linux in terms of enterprise performance, security, functionality and cost. And the cloud-ready nature of the distro makes it a natural choice for hybrid cloud operations.

To learn more about Oracle Linux and why it is the perfect OS for enterprise workloads anywhere (including hybrid cloud), please give the WTL team a call

Data Management Solutions Birmingham

What’s The Best Replacement Operating System For CentOS Linux?

When IBM Red Hat announced that CentOS Linux would be retired, it left many users with a headache. What should they replace their current operating system with?

Not CentOS Stream

CentOS Linux will be retired imminently – but the name lives on with CentOS Stream. However, this is not a production-ready OS; it is primarily used as a preview for new features and functions that are coming to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It is constantly updated by Red Hat, just like a beta test environment.

As such, CentOS Stream has not been hardened or battle-tested, rendering it unsuitable for any production use case. This means that CentOS has reached the end of the road for most businesses.

Oracle Linux to the rescue

One exceptional (some say the best) CentOS alternative is Oracle Linux. And for enterprise-class organisations, it’s not hard to see why.

Optimised for Oracle

As you would expect, Oracle has optimised their Linux distribution for their own software. As a result, Oracle Linux outperforms every other distro when it comes to running Oracle databases for instance. As an added bonus, Oracle Linux is faster than CentOS in both bare metal and VM environments, providing another good reason to migrate OS.

Better than CentOS

CentOS had its uses, but Oracle Linux outperforms in every way. In addition to faster OS speeds, Oracle also offers greater stability and security, making it a better all-round choice for enterprise use. Indeed, Oracle outperforms most other Linux distros in these categories too.

Native support for Oracle Cloud

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure runs on Oracle Linux, offering seamless compatibility for your applications, wherever they are hosted and run. This also makes Oracle Linux the only distribution that is available for use on-premises and by a major public cloud provider on their own platform. Oracle Linux also includes tools (Oracle Linux Manager, Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, Oracle Linux Automation Manager etc) that simplify the process of migrating and managing servers on-premise and in the Oracle Cloud.

Enterprise-class support available

Enterprise-class deployments and mission-critical applications demand enterprise-class support. Despite being a completely free Linux distribution, Oracle also offers (optional) paid support to users. And if your business already uses Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) or Oracle Engineered Systems, you are also already entitled to the ‘Premier’ support tier, offering round-the-clock assistance for your OS.

Streamlined OS migration

Migrating from one OS to another is usually easier said than done. In the case of Oracle Linux, an intuitive migration application is provided, streamlining and simplifying the move away from CentOS – and reducing the risk of a failed migration.

Are there any drawbacks?

Does Oracle Linux have any weaknesses? The biggest is a lack of support for the cPanel hosting platform. But given that most enterprises do not use cPanel, this is unlikely to be a huge concern. The reality is that Oracle Linux really is the smartest choice for most businesses – particularly those who are already invested in the Oracle ecosystem in some way.

Ready to learn more about Oracle Linux? Need help migrating your workloads away from CentOS? Give the WTL team a call and we’ll help you better understand the best move for your business.

Oracle Autonomous Linux

Oracle Autonomous Linux – Human Error, Solved?

When it comes to catastrophic systems failure, attention immediately shifts to cybersecurity. A hacking is the sexiest of all possible causes – but probably not the most likely.

Instead, the most common problems are caused by human error. A poorly tested code upgrade, a missed software patch or even a basic mis-key, all have the potential to take operations off-line. And that risk increases as your network evolves.

Reducing human input is a sure-fire way to prevent many avoidable future IT outages. How often are system breaches as a result of inconsistent patching?

To help address the problem of human error, Oracle have introduced Autonomous Linux – here’s why you should consider it as part of your future OS strategy.

What’s so special about Oracle Autonomous Linux?

Along with a proven, reliable OS kernel, Oracle Autonomous Linux also includes a new OS Management Service. As the name implies, this new OS offers a high degree of autonomy to improve patch management.

In fact, Oracle Autonomous Linux is the world’s first (cloud-based) operating system that carries installs updates and patches automatically. Updates are installed daily, without requiring downtime – and there’s no human intervention required.

Allowing the OS to manage its own updates helps to solve two key administrative problems. First, your servers will audit patch status on their own, saving you the massive resource overheads of assessing an extensive on- and off-premises estate.

Second, manual patch management typically involves an extended change control process that delays application by weeks, expanding the window of opportunity for system compromise. Allowing the OS autonomous control of installation accelerates the process and lowers the cost of managing your systems.

By allowing the operating system to control patch management, servers experience less downtime, planned or unplanned. Oracle Autonomous Linux will also help to reduce chargeable spikes in your cloud billing because patches are applied to in-service servers. This is because you no longer need to rotate workloads while maintenance takes place. And of course, every time servers and processes are moved, you create potential for another human-error related system failure.

Operating system as a service

Moving to an autonomous operating system effectively replicates the “as a service” model. Oracle Autonomous Linux takes care of itself in much the same way as IaaS, PaaS and SaaS services do. Which means that your server management resources can be redeployed to focus on other projects that maximise the value of a reliable and secure platform that offers greater availability than a non-autonomous alternative.

In our previous blog we looked at why Oracle Database runs best on Oracle Linux. You can read this here.

Useful Links

White Paper: Why Oracle Database Runs Best on Oracle Linux

Oracle Linux provides OS optimisation for Oracle Database

Oracle Linux – The Only OS Choice for Oracle Database

As we’ve discussed previously in our blog, running Oracle database applications on Oracle SPARC provides significant performance and stability benefits. But for organisations that rely on x86 servers performance gains need to be realised elsewhere, namely the operating system. Solaris is obviously one option, but Oracle also offer their own Oracle Linux distributions. Available in two kernel variants, Oracle Linux is specifically engineered for open cloud infrastructure in your on-premise data centre. And it has the advantage of being completely free to download, install and use.

Overcoming common OS problems with Oracle Linux

The Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) variant is enterprise-focused, offering superior stability, scalability and performance with an emphasis on Oracle Database. However, UEK offers several other key benefits that make it a worthy alternative to Solaris.

Reducing downtime

Oracle Linux is a rock-solid, proven operating system suited to enterprise-class workloads. But thanks to the unique Ksplice Zero Downtime Updates technology, core OS components can be updated on live systems without rebooting. Ksplice ensures optimisations and security updates are applied quickly and effectively without affecting availability.

Optimised for Oracle

There are numerous workload optimisations available for Oracle Linux. Among the headline benefits is a potential 3.6x performance gain of SPECjbb by eliminating lock contention. The OS also automatically locates processes near its RAM for faster retrieval and execution, particularly for workloads that do not fit on a single NUMA node.

Enhanced security

The Ksplice engine ensures that kernel, hypervisor and user space libraries are kept patched and updated against security vulnerabilities. It will also audit your system to identify privilege escalation vulnerabilities that need to be addressed to prevent system compromise. In recognition of these capabilities, Oracle Linux has received Common Criteria (CC) certification and FIPS 140-2 validation for its cryptographic modules. Oracle Linux also features hardware accelerated memory encryption to prevent data loss or theft and to improve the overall security protections of the host system.

Scalable file systems

One of the few certainties in server architecture is that storage demands will continue to grow exponentially. Scalability of underlying file system will be vital to meeting future resource demands. The native XFS file system is not only fully scalable, but also offers ‘near native’ I/O performance. For mission critical real-time database operations, reducing latency is an operational priority.

Containerisation

Containerisation is an essential aspect of cloud-based operations, even in the local data centre. Oracle Linux supports both Docker and Kubernetes to maximise the potential of your hardware investments.

Completing the Oracle technology stack

Oracle Linux provides an important interface between database and bare metal. The UEK kernel can be used on a range of server architectures, including x86, SPARC and ARM to ensure peak performance and compatibility throughout the entire technology stack. Choosing any other OS will create a ‘gap’ in the stack, ensuring that your database never reaches its full potential.

To learn more about Oracle Linux and its role in your database strategy, please get in touch.

Useful Links

White Paper: Why Oracle Database Runs Best on Oracle Linux