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.