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Database administrator at SSnC
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
An affordable and easy-to-deploy solution that can be scaled horizontally and vertically
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance, feasibility, and flexibility of the I/O subsystem are valuable to us."
  • "Time drifts happen frequently, and the database restarts automatically to protect data integrity."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product for Oracle Database and MySQL databases.

What is most valuable?

We do not use any features specific to the OS. We are more interested in the packages needed as prerequisites for Oracle databases. The performance, feasibility, and flexibility of the I/O subsystem are valuable to us. The compatibility of Kernel with Oracle is much better than other tools.

What needs improvement?

NTP communication should be more concrete and robust. Time drifts happen frequently, and the database restarts automatically to protect data integrity. The product should give a warning before the time drift happens. It should alert us about how long the time drift will take. Such features will make the product a very good OS.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for around ten years.

Buyer's Guide
Oracle Linux
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product’s stability an eight out of ten. The operating system has some issues with the network time protocol.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very nice. We can scale horizontally by adding more servers. We can also scale a single server vertically. It depends on the physical hardware that is available. On average, we have 1500 users.

How are customer service and support?

We got a few opportunities to interact with the support team when we had vulnerabilities in Kernel. We contacted the team for feedback on which version to use to fix the vulnerability. We have created four or five tickets. All the tickets were supported very well.

Once, we created a database ticket that required a spin-off ticket to the operating system team. We could easily create the ticket and get both teams to work together. That is the advantage of having both Oracle Enterprise Linux and Oracle Database.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Once the first installation is done, we can clone and replicate it for other installations. The solution is deployed on our own private cloud.

What about the implementation team?

We have nine DBAs and two engineers to deploy the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are not paying anything for the operating system.

What other advice do I have?

We are using synchronous I/O and ASM storage. We are not using any other features. Before bringing in improvements, we want to evaluate RHEL and OEL for better integration of the platforms and the virtual machines we are deploying. We are checking the compatibility of RHEL and OEL with our existing infrastructure.

We want the product to support the database, have more compatibility, and give fewer issues during peak workloads. These are the things we are looking for. We are mainly concerned about library support, security patching, and technical support from the vendor.

I am an end user. I am not aware of the deployment process. The operating system will be deployed as per our specifications, and it will be given to us. We perform the database installation on it.

We do not have much interaction with the development team. We only interact with the team when it needs to create a new database or a user inside it. I recommend the solution to others. Most of the Oracle tools were developed on Oracle Enterprise Linux. Compatibility and support-wise, everything will be under a single umbrella. We do not have to find another vendor. We have an unlimited license for Database. I do not know the terms.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Gaurav Babbar - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal Engineer at Natwest
Real User
Top 5
Though a high-performance and user-friendly tool, it sometimes may experience slowdowns
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable solution. We rarely face any issues with the machine."
  • "Since it is a VM, it gets slow. It can be an area for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

In our company, we are using Oracle Linux for virtualized machines or VMs. So, Oracle Linux is the operating software for us. The tool is easy to use, and its performance is also good. From a competitive point of view, the solution is cost-effective, so it is installed in our machines.

What needs improvement?

The solution's security could be better and improved, but I am not sure.

Since it is a VM, it gets slow. It can be an area for improvement. So, we get a connection, making it not a very significant issue since it usually works well.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Linux for two to three years as an end-user. Also, I don't remember the version of the solution I am using.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. We rarely face any issues with the machine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since the solution is a per-machine license-based one, I am unsure about its scalability.

I have worked with thousands who were working on the solution.

How are customer service and support?

With our machines, we do seek help from the solution's technical support. So, whenever we have an issue, as I mentioned, we go back to IT support to raise a ticket, and they resolve our issues in a day.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched to Oracle Linux from another solution since it is our organization that provides us with software, it is. So they decided Oracle Linux to be the operating system we all use.

How was the initial setup?

We get the machines to work on, but since I am an end-user, I feel that I am not the right person to speak on how Oracle Linux does the setup and the cost involved in the solution. We let the staff involved in the deployment and maintenance know whenever we have an issue with the operating system. We generate a ticket, and depending upon an issue, they take a day maximum to resolve our issues.

What about the implementation team?

Our IT support team did everything related to the installation part.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We are currently operating the solution using a license-based version. We get licenses per machine.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The evaluation of other solutions was not carried out at an organizational level but at a personal level, and I looked at Microsoft-based products. There are two different scenarios, one of which, at a personal level, I might have a different operating system on my computer, while in the second one, my office might be providing me with some different machine. But we need to acknowledge the fact that the company's decision is of paramount importance.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall product a seven to eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Oracle Linux
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about Oracle Linux. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Daniel_Nemethy - PeerSpot reviewer
Owner at Nemethy Moderato Kft
Real User
Top 5
Useful workflow system, beneficial cloud computing capabilities, and effortless setup
Pros and Cons
  • "When it comes to my favorite features of Oracle Linux, I have been impressed with its ability to facilitate a smooth and efficient workflow system. This system is responsible for gathering data from multiple cameras and transferring this information to the backend systems. The system comprises around 10 to 12 servers, all of which are integrated into a highly reliable and redundant cluster setup. Currently, we are using Red Hat Linux for our production needs, however, we have plans to switch over to Oracle Linux in the near future. The reason for this change is due to the specialized nature of our system which precludes the use of cloud computing capabilities."
  • "What can improve in the solution is a rather challenging question given that Oracle is pushing towards cloud computing and the closed nature of the system. Maintaining Oracle Linux behind a firewall can be a cumbersome process, as it requires manual intervention to copy repositories and obtain approval from internal authorities. With the current emphasis on cloud computing, the support and development of traditional, closed systems like Oracle Linux may not receive as much attention, leading to potential limitations in the system's capabilities and performance."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Oracle Linux for supporting traffic surveillance in Hungary.

What is most valuable?

When it comes to my favorite features of Oracle Linux, I have been impressed with its ability to facilitate a smooth and efficient workflow system. This system is responsible for gathering data from multiple cameras and transferring this information to the backend systems. The system comprises around 10 to 12 servers, all of which are integrated into a highly reliable and redundant cluster setup. Currently, we are using Red Hat Linux for our production needs, however, we have plans to switch over to Oracle Linux in the near future. The reason for this change is due to the specialized nature of our system which precludes the use of cloud computing capabilities.

What needs improvement?

What can improve in the solution is a rather challenging question given that Oracle is pushing towards cloud computing and the closed nature of the system. Maintaining Oracle Linux behind a firewall can be a cumbersome process, as it requires manual intervention to copy repositories and obtain approval from internal authorities. With the current emphasis on cloud computing, the support and development of traditional, closed systems like Oracle Linux may not receive as much attention, leading to potential limitations in the system's capabilities and performance.

My aim is to be in control of the automation process of Oracle Linux, as it holds immense significance for my current work. However, to request that the traditional methods of operation be maintained, as not everyone has the means or access to utilize the public cloud for their services. This is particularly true in my case, where I am operating within a closed system, which is protected by a state firewall and lacks direct internet connectivity. Additionally, I have been unable to find a clear and comprehensive guide or roadmap that addresses how to effectively manage these types of scenarios, as my level of experience in this field is limited.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Linux for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is indeed stable. After conducting a thorough evaluation and comparison between a Red Hat system and an Oracle Linux system, the kernel stability remains constant and unaltered. There was no observable difference in the stability between the two systems. Additionally, during the period of usage, no issues or problems regarding stability were encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The number of users utilizing Oracle Linux within our organization is rather limited. This is due to the fact that the system operates in an autonomous manner, and primarily, it appears that only a maximum of one hundred individuals utilize the front-end component of the system.

At the current moment, there are no concrete plans to increase usage. This is due to the fact that the individuals responsible for utilizing the system are state-employed clerks and the organization has no intention of expanding its numbers. Instead, they have expressed interest in implementing automation as a means of streamlining the process, rather than increasing the number of personnel involved.

The solution can contain a substantial amount of data, it is not considered to be a true big data system. At present, there are no scalability issues to contend with as the system is not overburdened in terms of memory or processor capacity. The data is preserved in clusters that are connected through load balancing, and no quantization is currently being utilized. While it is possible that scalability may become a concern in the future, particularly if there is an increase in the number of connected devices, it is unlikely to be a pressing issue in the near term, perhaps two to three years down the line.

How are customer service and support?

I have not utilized the technical support offered by Oracle. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, my previous agent was not able to continue providing support, which resulted in me seeking support from the community instead of professional support. I highly recommend that Oracle invest in proper support services, however, at present, it is a challenge to persuade them to do so.

How was the initial setup?

The Oracle Linux setup process is simple and effortless to execute. The installation DVD is a great resource for those who want to verify their administrative privileges, as it is a straightforward and uncomplicated process. By downloading the DVD and utilizing it to install the software, one can ensure that it is installed in a seamless and convenient manner, with the strength and security of fiber and steel behind it. This makes the setup experience truly outstanding.

The deployment process took approximately one week to complete. The duration was due to the need for thorough checks and verifications of the sources behind the firewall, which required additional control measures. The Red Hat system that was previously used had not been properly maintained for the past five years, which caused some delays in the upgrade process to Oracle Linux. The upgrade involved significant changes to auxiliary systems, including the higher proxy and naming system, which added to the time taken to complete the deployment. Despite these challenges, the actual installation of Oracle Linux from scratch only took approximately one or two hours. The slow deployment process was not a result of the installation of Oracle Linux, but rather the previous maintenance issues and the need for thorough checks during the upgrade process.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I am Oracle Linux a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Vijay Mehta - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - SAP at Capgemini
Real User
Helpful support, plenty of features, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Overall Oracle Linux is very good."
  • "The price of Oracle Linux should improve, it is expensive compared to other solutions."

What is our primary use case?

We were using Oracle Linux for moving the SAP on Oracle workloads to the cloud.

What is most valuable?

Overall Oracle Linux is very good.

What needs improvement?

The price of Oracle Linux should improve, it is expensive compared to other solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Linux for approximately three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have ad a very good experience with Oracle Linux, and we have been happy.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Oracle Linux is in the cloud making it very scalable.

The scalability of Oracle Linux can depend on many factors. We are currently working on a UK project, it changes completely. For those systems, approximately 600 to 800 users work on those SAP systems which are hosted on Oracle Linux.

We are using close to 55 VMs now in our current project.

How are customer service and support?

My colleagues who are junior architects have contacted the support and the feedback has been great.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We switched from Red Hat to Oracle Linux. 

Oracle Linux was not our first choice but it was our company requirement.

How was the initial setup?

Oracle Linux's setup is straightforward. The process was no different for us as compared to Red Hat or SUSE.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation of Oracle Linux was done in-house.

The number of people needed to implement and support Oracle Linux depends on the duration of the project and the number of VMs. In the current project that we're working on, we have close to 60 Oracle VMs and, over a period of four to six months, we did the implementation with one engineer, it is fairly simple.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Oracle Linux license and support are far more expensive than Red Hat or SUSE.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Oracle Linux an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ayman Allam - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps and Automation Lead | Technical Expert at a comms service provider with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 5
A good, stable OS but lacks documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "It's mostly reliable."
  • "The deployment is a bit complex."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use the solution as an operating system, an OS. It's mainly used for hosting some products. 

What is most valuable?

It's a decent OS.

It is a stable solution. It's mostly reliable. 

What needs improvement?

I did not really enjoy working with the solution. 

The deployment is a bit complex.

The community and the documentation were not great. I did not like the end-user experience and decided to move towards an open-source Linux. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I haven't used the solution for a very long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution was stable. It was reliable. There were no bugs or glitches. I'd rate the stability seven out of ten in terms of reliability. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I've never tried to scale the solution. I just used it myself for my personal needs. 

How are customer service and support?

While I have never used technical support, the company might have. I'm not sure how useful they were in terms of assistance. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've also worked with Ubuntu Linux. I've also used Red Hat and CentOS among other solutions. I find other solutions easier to use as opposed to Oracle Linux.  

How was the initial setup?

I have found the solution to be a bit complex in terms of the original setup. 

I wasn't directly involved in the setup and therefore do not know much about the deployment process. I'm not sure how long it took to deploy. 

What about the implementation team?

I didn't deploy the solution on my own. We had a team that managed the deployment. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

While my understanding is that a license is involved, I don't have any details about terms or cost. 

What other advice do I have?

I work with the latest version of the solution. 

I wouldn't recommend the solution to others. I had an easier time with other operating systems. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
RusiPopov - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software Engineer at Paysafe
Real User
Provides a Good Stable Development Environment Without Needing Patches
Pros and Cons
  • "The graphical interface is fine. And the documentation is extremely valuable."
  • "The Oracle Linux graphical interface could be improved by fixing its occasional freezing on personal home laptops."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product in a development environment for development purposes only.

As a developer, I interact mostly with the product's shell. I'm experienced in programming in shell.

How has it helped my organization?

Oracle Linux in a VirtualBox provides a good, stable development environment without needing patches and with no hanging.  

What is most valuable?

The graphical interface is fine. And the documentation is extremely valuable. 

What needs improvement?

The Oracle Linux graphical interface could be improved by fixing its occasional freezing on personal home laptops. The Oracle Linux development environment in VirtualBox never freezes.

The service could also be improved if the cost of Oracle support was not so expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using the product for more than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

How are customer service and support?

I have a free version of the product without support. So far, all the answers I've needed were in the extensive Oracle documentation.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Our previous development environment used to crash in the virtual machine; it was slower, not well integrated with Oracle VM Box, and the support was poor.

Before that, we used Windows 7, which crashed twice, forcing us to start everything from scratch. This is why we switched to Linux.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward, and deployment took less than an hour.

What other advice do I have?

We use the product as a virtual machine in a development environment for development purposes only. We still do not use Oracle Cloud. The company is oriented towards Amazon Web Services, but on Oracle Linux, we are playing with Kubernetes and Docker.

I don't use the Oracle Linux administrative dashboard.

The product is stable and up to date. The Linux command prompt is always the same. I just fit it, and it suits my needs. That's why I would recommend it.

I would rate Oracle Linux a nine out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user607413 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Oracle Database Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
ASMLib is pre-installed. All Red Hat-certified applications are also certified on this platform, by default.

What is most valuable?

As a DBA, I prefer Oracle Linux as it is fine tuned to run Oracle databases. I can easily install pre-requisite packages using pre-install rpms. ASMLib is pre-installed with Oracle Linux.

How has it helped my organization?

Most of the patches are publicly available and free via public repositories. Any application that is certified in Red Hat Enterprise Linux is certified in Oracle Linux by default, as they both share the same source code.

What needs improvement?

Desktop environments should be designed better. Red Hat Enterprise Linux's desktop environments are much better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Oracle Linux for 3.5 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have never had stability issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not had scalability issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support gets 3.5/5.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I was using AIX, Solaris, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The main reason for switching was that Oracle Linux is much cheaper compared to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was straightforward.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Oracle Linux itself is free. But, if you need support, you need to purchase a support license. Following is the price range:

  • US$500 for a 2-socket server.
  • US$1600 for unlimited number of CPUs in a machine.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I have worked on AIX, Solaris, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

What other advice do I have?

The UEK kernel is optimized for Oracle databases, Oracle applications, and Oracle engineered systems. So, go for it.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Thomas Waltair - PeerSpot reviewer
Regional Head AND Director Product Development at Neptune Software Group
Vendor
The vendor releases regular hot patches, so we don't have many difficulties.
Pros and Cons
  • "We don't have any failing cases. Oracle releases regular hot patches, so we don't have many difficulties."
  • "It could be easier to reach a higher support level."

What is our primary use case?

We use Oracle Linux to deploy our core banking product. Our client has nearly 1,000 concurrent users. 

How has it helped my organization?

We have an Oracle-based platform. For example, we use Oracle WebLogic for our application server and Oracle's enterprise database. We previously used SUSE Linux, but we were exposed to some vulnerabilities in SUSE Linux 9.10. Switching to the Oracle UX platform cut down on some of these vulnerability issues. All our Oracle applications like WebLogic and Oracle database sit perfectly on top of Oracle Linux. 

What is most valuable?

We don't have any failing cases. Oracle releases regular hot patches, so we don't have many difficulties. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used Oracle Linux for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We are in live banking production servers using Oracle Linux. 

Yes.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are running in clusters, so Oracle Linux is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have a dedicated ticketing system based on severity. As an ISV partner for Oracle, we are okay with the support system. It could be easier to reach a higher support level. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

In the past, all our deployments were running on SUSE Linux. When Oracle Linux come into play, we took 90 percent of our deployment off of SUSE Linux because of the license cost and the vulnerability issues in the old versions. I hear that the latest SUSE Linux is doing well, but we stopped using it. The bottom line is that we believe that an Oracle operating system is better for Oracle products.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Oracle Linux is straightforward. One person could handle it, and it took two or three days to deploy.

What about the implementation team?

We did everything in-house. 

What was our ROI?

The ROI is what we expected at the end of the day.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's free to do development on Oracle Linux, but you need to pay a license for dedicated support. I think it's relatively cheap. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Oracle Linux eight out of 10. On the surface, there isn't much difference between SUSE Linux and Oracle Linux, but Oracle's kernel is a little more powerful, and the operating system performs better when you are running their products. My advice to new users is to explore enterprise deployments on top of Oracle Linux that will give you the best result.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Gold Partners
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Oracle Linux Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Oracle Linux Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.