Oracle Linux Reviews

The first most valuable feature of Oracle Linux is its kernel design to meet business needs, especially on other Oracle products like Engineered Systems and Cloud Services. It supports demanding workloads such as those on Oracle Database; has features such as Btrfs, Dtrace, OCFS2, Smart Flash Cache, InfiniBand, OpenStack, Linux Container and Docker; and supports data integrity by providing hardware fault management.

Secondly, the Ksplice feature enables zero-downtime kernel updates for bugs and critical security updates. It also minimizes security risks by keeping the system up to date without downtime. It will provide critical kernel patches for both kernel and user space without needing to reboot.

Third, it supports the automatic storage management library for Oracle Database and Oracle Clusterware for Linux.

Lastly, with Spacewalk, you can manage and monitor systems in different locations.

The Oracle Linux OS plays a significant role in my organization. We've moved most of our systems and applications that were running on Windows, Solaris 10, and Red Hat and consolidated them on our database machine with Exadata, Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c, Oracle Secure Backup/NetBackup, Domain, NTP, and Oracle VM Manager. We've also deployed many of our business applications using Oracle Linus and the Oracle VM hypervisor.

I think there's a lot of room for improvement. As our business shifts to virtualization and the cloud, the Oracle Linux infrastructure has seen a lot of changes. And even as virtualization consolidates servers and hypervisors have matured and assumed a strategic position within our datacenter, many applications still don't run on hypervisors. Instead, they run on OS's that run on top of hypervisors. This means that in order for there to be a larger impact, there are some improvements that could be made, such as:

• Optimization of Linux for the virtual environment.
• Containers. We think that the Linux OS will be a great candidate to host container-packaged application workloads. It's still early in the development process, but we expect Oracle to significantly adopt this technology. Oracle has already started deploying some images using Docker with WebLogic and Storage Cloud.
• New deployment models. With virtualization, there are now new ways to deploy software, such as with software appliances and the integrated stack of OS and application software. Oracle Linux should be tailored and optimized to run a single application and managed as a single entity.
• Cloud adoption. With the shift towards cloud application deployments, changes in architecture and delivery model are necessary, which will impact other areas of the datacenter ecosystem.

I'd also like to see Oracle Linux for SPARC. Oracle announced last year the SuperCluster M7, SPARC T7, and SPARC M7 servers, all based on the 32-core, 256-thread M7 microprocessor. If this is supported on Oracle Linux, it will be the first end-to-end implementation of data security in hardware for the Linux foundation. Oracle currently doesn't offer support for Linux for SPARC.

We started using Oracle Linux kernel at our data center in 2014. It was deployed on Oracle Exadata X4-2.

We didn’t encounter any issue during the deployment of Oracle Linux for many different platforms.

We have had no issues with the stability. The OS is stable and reliable on a hardware layer stack, and Oracle has done a very good job of that. Oracle has done a good job of validating hardware Oracle Linux Hardware Certification List. We are very happy with the investment we have made.

There have been no issues scaling it.

Oracle provides enterprise-level support for Oracle Linux:

• Zero-downtime kernel updates with Ksplice.
• Management and clustering software is included at no additional charge.
• Includes premier backports, legal indemnification, and full-stack testing.

We used Red Hat, Solaris x86-64 bit, but we chose Oracle Linux for the reasons above.

Oracle Linux is straightforward in its initial setup because it comes with a pre-installed package that for installation of other Oracle products or Oracle Database on Oracle Linux with UEK. The pre-installed package download includes a software package, repertories, and specific versions needed for application installation.

In-house. For this environment, the greatest value gained from implementing Oracle Linux resulted from implementing the management pack components and clustering software that we would have to pay for otherwise. Another was very specific with regard to the value of Ksplice, with which we can update our environment with latest patches and updates with zero-downtime.

From our review of Oracle Linux software and support, we believe that tangible ROI benefits can be realized from consolidating the enterprise Linux environment to Oracle Linux.

Pricing/licensing is much lower than other commercial Linux distributions. For Oracle Linux support is available at Basic and Premier levels via a yearly subscription that includes support for the UEK and/or the Red Hat Compatible Kernel. Support levels can be assigned on a per-physical server basis. Customers can choose either Oracle’s Enterprise manager (included with Basic and Premier Support licenses) or Oracle’s release of Spacewalk for Oracle Linux. Pricing is calculated on a per-system basis and varies with the level of support from Basic to Premier. A free support option is also available.

I have recommend Oracle Linux for the reason Oracle is the only vendor in the industry that offers a complete Linux-based solution stack—applications, middleware, database, management tools, operating system and hardware—along with a single point of support. Customers that deploy Oracle Linux benefit greatly from the latest Linux innovations as well as rigorous testing with real world workloads. IT departments can deploy applications more quickly using lightweight Linux Containers and Docker images, or combine these approaches to improve application isolation, resource control, and rapid provisioning.

Traditional virtualization using Oracle VM can be an optimal approach for Tier 1 applications or when application requirements dictate the need for multiple operating systems. To deliver applications as private cloud services, Oracle OpenStack technology may be an ideal approach in conjunction with Oracle VM. In any of these deployment scenarios, Oracle Linux can add value through its optimized performance and scalability and the ability to perform seamless, zero-downtime upgrades with Ksplice.

As the number of application environments expands across data centers, managing them on a day-to-day basis becomes a greater administrative challenge and expense. Customers that have Oracle Linux Premier Support contracts can use Ksplice to help keep their critical application environments—whether using containers, VMs, or OpenStack compute nodes—updated with the latest security errata and bug fixes, without interruption.

And Oracle’s comprehensive support—providing support for Docker and OpenStack as a part of Oracle Linux Premier Support—helps IT organizations innovate and evolve cost-effectively.

I use it for security on our servers.

Security is the most valuable feature.

The configuration with Oracle database and Oracle Center databases is easy.

The documentation has room for improvement. We have difficulty searching through it for specific information. 

The scalability has room for improvement.

I have been using the solution for one year.

I give the stability an eight out of ten. Some of the setups are not supported by Oracle Linux.

The solution is not very scalable. There is not a lot of documentation around scaling.

The initial setup is complex compared to Windows. We have to install Oracle Linux on our on-prem server.

I give the solution a seven out of ten.

There were around four people using the solution.

I would not recommend Oracle Linux.

We primarily use the solution as an operating system for our internal systems.

The solution’s valuable features are flexibility, stability, and security. It's secure in terms of the network, the viruses, etc.

They should improve in the area of entertainment applications for the average user. That includes music, video, and gaming applications.

We have been using the solution since the year 2005.

If you use the solution as an HTTP server, it can serve 1000 users simultaneously.

The setup is easy, but you must know your exact requirements. Oracle Linux has millions of features. You have to be precise in picking up the features, such as deciding whether you want an FTP server or HTTP server, or both, or you want more. Everything can be modified afterward. The deployment time depends on the server's configuration, but it takes around 30-60 minutes. 

I have always known that Linux is the real deal. I advise others to use Oracle Linux for a server or an enterprise where they have to host a service. The variations of Linux, like AIX, are complicated in implementation and maintenance. Oracle Linux is more accessible in that part. I rate the solution as an eight.

The primary use case of the solution was for educational purposes at first and also used on some web-based applications, that require a Linux-based operating system.

The most valuable feature is the ease of the commands which take little time to learn.

The solution can be improved by making it more user-friendly for basic users to reduce the time it takes to learn the commands and to reduce the dependencies that come with the OS so the deployment time can be reduced.

I have been using the solution for three years.

The solution is stable and we have been using it for over ten years.

The solution is scalable.

The tech support for this solution has always been on point.

Positive

Previous to using this solution I used TinyOS.

The initial setup is straightforward and took about two days.

The implementation was completed through a vendor.

The solution has no fees.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution required over ten administrators to deploy.

I recommend the solution to others.

We use it for billing and for Oracle applications.

There are several valuable features in Oracle Linux. For example, it's very secure and stable. You don't have to reboot it frequently. You also don't have memory issues, especially when it is engineered with platforms like Exadata and Oracle Cluster. These give you the most throughput and performance.

Oracle Linux performs best on Linux or Unix. However, you cannot get the same performance or stability in Windows.

I've been using Oracle for, maybe, 20 years.

It's very stable and gives you the best performance when it is on Linux and Unix.

It is very scalable, especially on platforms like Oracle Cluster and Exadata.

Technical support has been good.

We switched to Oracle Linux because of its security and stability.

Installation requires a lot of skills and is not easy. An expert is required to handle it.

Depending on the size of the company and the size of the business, no less than two or three people are required for deployment and maintenance. If it's a huge implementation, it would require more staff.

I think that we have a yearly license.

You need skilled people to handle Oracle Linux. It's not easy to find those who are skilled in Linux.

I definitely recommend this solution and would rate it at eight on a scale from one to ten.

Oracle Linux is mainly used for deploying Oracle databases. It can be used for a multitude of other functions. There are modules that can be implemented on systems to cater to your organization's needs.

The most valuable features are performance, frequent update patches, and security.

The solution could improve by giving the client or customer more control.

I have been using this solution for approximately five years.

The solution is very stable.

I have found the solution to be scalable. They have other options available, such as cloud and hybrid versions.

If you have premium technical support it is great, they have been responsive in solving our issues.

The installation is easy, there are readily available reference guides you can utilize to complete the installation. It took approximately two hours to complete the install.

The deployment and maintenance are done by vendor teams.

There is a license required for this solution and we are on an annual license.

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate Oracle Linuxan eight out of ten.

Healthcare IT.

Stable Oracle deployments.

Easy Oracle integration: Oracle preinstall packages available on YUM.

Kernel updates.

It's very easy to use. We have admins who have been able to administer this product. It is user-friendly. On top of that, we don't have any major issues with this product. The main issue we have with other, similar products that we use is performance. This product does not have any performance issues.

We are using it on a normal scale, but we are using a competitor application on a large scale. The application and the OS that we are using on a large scale has some performance issues. If we are talking about this application for this product, we are satisfied with the performance; we are satisfied with the output and throughput; and we have satisfied customers.

On top of that, this application does not break as compared to other applications.

I would like to see portability to other hardware, such as Dell and Intel platforms, instead of just putting a blinder on only Oracle products or Oracle hardware. The portability is the main challenge, I think. We should be able to port this application to other hardware and other vendors.

This product is more stable as compared to the competitor product that we have. It is more reliable. It doesn't break quite as often. It's user-friendly.

I don't think that it's that scalable, because you have to install Oracle Linux on an Oracle proprietary product. It is not that scalable; meaning, if you want to install this product on Dell or any other platform, you cannot do that. You have to buy an Oracle product in order to use this operating system.

Oracle technical support is quite good. We always have a few issues in this environment. They're user friendly; they’re cooperative with the customer. Their customer app is also excellent, and they provide excellent support.

Actually, my team was involved in supporting this product after it's built. We are in IT operations, so all the support after the handover was done through my team.

About 10 years ago, we were using this product a lot. Over the years, when we saw that it was not that scalable, we looked around for different solutions. We moved new applications onto the new product’s environment. This one we left as-is, so right now, it is in containment; meaning, any new product or any new applications are not porting into this application.

The number one criteria when choosing a vendor such as Oracle is reliability. Number two is cost. Number three is efficacy.

We chose this solution because it doesn’t break down. It provides good performance. It's reliable. Reliability was one of the factors in the decision to choose this.

If you are looking for a reliable product, this is the product. If you're looking for anything which can be scalable, you might need to look something else.

Based on performance, I would rate it higher. Based on scalability, I would rate it lower.