Oracle Linux Reviews

We're using Oracle Linux to run virtual machines for their database solutions in the cloud. We're also using Oracle Linux to run an SFTP server.

We have several Oracle Linux 7s that support the databases. We have about ten of those. We have one SFTP server as well. That is the extent of it.

We do a lot of mounts so we can use shared storage. It has a good amount of mount points. I'm just getting very comfortable with it as far as the ACLs and the users go.

I cannot recall any areas that require improvement, or any missing features I have come across. 

Occasionally, we might get an alert to restart our database, and if we don't do it on our own, the system will do it automatically. That can cause downtime issues if your clients aren't expecting it.

I've used the solution for about a year and a half at this point. It hasn't been too long. 

The stability is very good. The databases are all VMs. Sometimes the database might have an underlying condition, hardware condition, and Oracle will send us an alert to tell us to please restart our databases so that they can be moved to another piece of hardware by a certain date. If we don't do it on our own, they will do it. That, however, leaves room for corruption. Also, you run the risk of not telling our customers ahead of time that there might be a little bit of downtime.

The solution can scale up or down easily. You can always scale up, scale down, add more storage, add more memory, that kind of stuff.

Since we have an Oracle cloud subscription and a tenancy, our service requests are answered by tech support from OCI tech support. It's pretty much whatever we need. However, I must say, their tech support usually addresses OCI problems, such as infrastructure problems. When it comes to the Oracle support, you really have to dig and you really have to get on them to actually get it down to the Oracle support. That said, I want to say, so far, so good. I'm happy with the support so far.

Before I worked on Oracle Linux 7, we were on-prem with Red Hat 6 or 7. It might have been Red Hat 6. Everything really just transfers very well as far as the commands and all of that. Oracle Linux 7 is basically Red Hat 7.

When it is in the could, the initial setup is very easy. When it's in the cloud, you just pick a shape and say, "Make me a machine."

What makes each shape different is the number of CPUs. The amount of storage comes with it. 

I'm just an Oracle customer and an end-user.

For those considering the solution, I would say, if you're familiar with Red Hat, there's very little change and the users should just go for it.

As far as dependability and ease of use go, I would rate the solution at an eight out of ten. 

We are primarily using the solution for our Oracle Database.

The solution is very, very stable. The performance is reliable. 

It's very useful for hosting other Oracle products.

The solution is very scalable. You can expand it if needed.

Technical support is very good. They have been responsive and they understand the product.

The initial setup is quick and easy. It doesn't take too long.

The pricing of the solution is not too high. It's reasonable. 

The security could always be slightly improved on the product. We'd like it if it was a bit more secure.

I've been using the solution for a couple of years at this point. It's been a while. I have some experience with it at this point.

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable in terms of performance.

The solution is very scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease. It's not a problem.

We currently have about 50 people on the solution.

We do plan to increase the usage in the future.

Technical support is good. They are helpful and responsive. We are quite happy with the level of support we have received from them so far. They are available when we need them.

Previously, we had a mixed environment and we were using all sorts of operating systems. 

The initial setup is not overly difficult or complex. We found the process to be very straightforward. The deployment itself was fast.

We have two members of the technical team that can handle any maintenance required. 

We handled the implementation ourselves. We did not need the assistance of a consultant or implementor. 

We pay for a license on a yearly basis. It's not an overly expensive product. It's affordable.

We're using the latest version of the solution at this time.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We're quite happy with the capabilities of the solution so far. It works as expected and does what we need it to do.

I would recommend the solution to other users and organizations. 

I would say it is more in the "soft" part. Lots of people love Oracle Linux and it gives a lot of stability to our platforms.

It's the skill, I can leverage the skill because it's known by the majority of the people in my organization. It's not a constraint, the fact that I need resources. And it's the stability and the tuning of the system.

I would say better logging of the bugs. Recently we had an issue and it was extremely painful to find out what the issue was on our platform. Only after three weeks of deep analysis did we find out it was a bug in the kernel of Linux. Maybe something that can help to provide better information on the issue itself.

The stability I found is extremely good.

We are pretty good in planning, no issues. Every now and then we face some problem but given the fact that we have really qualified and skilled people we can solve it pretty fast, and the support is good.

It's good when you reach the people, the people with the skill that can support you. Sometimes it's difficult to find the right people and get the right attention. When you have the right people and the right attention, things go smoothly.

I would say straightforward with a little bit of complication. Complication depending, possibly, on the hardware or other stuff related to the platform where it’s running. But overall, straightforward. 

I would suggest start to get some knowledge on your own, know what it is about. Then, when you approach the expert, you know what to ask. Make a dichotomic approach, the right questions.

Basic training is always recommended. I would not go too deep in unnecessary training; do basic training and then start working on it.

We use Oracle Linux for Virtualization Platform, DNS Servers, Database Servers and IT infrastructure observability tools

Orlacle Linux has provided a redhat compatible open source OS for diverse needs. We smoothly run on Oracle OS; KVM virtualization environment, Postgesql databases, Zabbix, Grafana, Fluentd and other observability tools. We have seen a remarkable improvement as DNS queries are fast and the platforms can be easily secured with no worries of security issues arising due to unpatched systems.

There is full compatibility with RedHat-based operating systems, in particular Centos, which we widely deployed before Oracle Linux (OL).

For usability, the GUI options during the initial setup could be included with advanced OS tuning and optimization, currently as with most Linux systems that can be done via  CLI.

We have been using Oracle Linux for more than three years

Very stable

Very scalable, especially with available support options

Haven't used the customer service and support

Positive

Centos, migrated after Centos switches to Centos Stream

Straightforward setup, used the free option

Implemented in-house

100%

It's an open source OS freerly available. Support subscription is paid

Yes, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux and OpenSuse

A pretty stable and secure operating system that perfectly serve as an alternative to Centos OS.

We are using Oracle Linux for our clustering system. We are doing many things with Oracle Linux and the Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager. I am using an Oracle database and an Oracle Linux-based operating system. 

I find the virtualization the most valuable. Oracle Linux is a very good product.

Oracle Linux has fulfilled all my requirements so far. It has very advanced features, especially the latest product for this Oracle in a cloud infrastructure. 

On-premises we are using the Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager. It is very good software.

I think the pricing could be improved to be more competitive. I have been using Oracle Linux for a long time. At the moment, I'm trying to expand on our use cases and the GPL license we have is sufficient for that. 

The technical support could be better, as well. 

It would also be great if Oracle Linux had a desktop version. Right now, unline Windows 11 for example, Oracle Linux is server-based only. 

I have been working with Oracle Linux since 1990.

Oracle Linux is the best Linux operating system that I have ever known. It is very stable and strong.

Oracle Linux is very scalable. It is a very strong operating system.

So far, I'm not using any external technical support. I'm maintaining my team very well.

The initial setup was straightforward for me because I have been using Oracle Linux for a long time. The platform I used previously was Sun Microsystems, so it is not difficult for me to use Unix-based applications.

Our organization uses mostly Oracle engineered systems and appliances such as Oracle Exadata, PCA Private Cloud Appliance, Oracle Database Appliance, etc. Anything that is an engineering solution from Oracle, essentially. We also use Oracle Virtualization, OVM. These are on Linux.

Ksplice is the solution's most valuable aspect. Basically, what that allows us to do, is it allows us to patch and update the Kernel without a reboot. To me, that is the most outstanding feature of Oracle Linux.

The pricing is quite good.

The stability is excellent and the initial setup is easy.

Oracle Linux is downstream from Red Hat Linux. This solution has the same pain points. I would probably mention that fleet deployment and management could be improved. 

It would be ideal if they added a faster implementation of the security fixes, if possible.

I've been using the solution since 2010.

The solution is extremely stable. There aren't issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

In terms of adding on features, it's pretty scalable. It's similar to Red due to the fact that it is pretty much adjusted downstream from RHEL.

We have between 50-100 users on the solution at any given time.

I've used support in the past. I'd say it's pretty typical. It's not extraordinary, It's fine.

We switched from Red Hat Linux. Oftentimes I work with the appliances and Oracle engineering systems on hardware and software, which come from Oracle. 

The deployment was not complex. It was very straightforward. How long deployment takes depends on how many OS instances are being implemented. A single OS instance may take about 30 minutes or less. 

I work at an Oracle partner company and assist clients with their implementation in my role as a consultant.

The licensing cost is fairly small. It's pretty much in line with Red Hat licenses. I cannot recall the actual pricing, however, it's my understanding that it's just a few hundred dollars for a CPU core per year. I would just say it's fairly reasonable and low.

 Oracle Linux subscriptions can actually come free if they're purchased with other products.

We're a partner and reseller of Oracle.

I would recommend the solution, especially for the organizations that could be interested in zero downtime patch-ins. That is what the Oracle Linux case flies provide. I don't think the same feature are available in RHEL.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

• Installing Oracle APEX for testing purposes
• Learning Oracle APEX
• Making some fancy web applications, including forms that load and display images

The main aim of installing Oracle Linux was to test it after years of using CentOS, and  to test Oracle APEX. After one year of testing,  I encountered problems that I was not able to solve: 
I was not able to do rotated backups; upgrading to a newer version of APEX was a nightmare; I could not enter GlassFish admin console; and I could not install SQL Developer. Then I thought that if I bought the cheapest version of Oracle Database I would get the support neccesary to get this know how. Two sales persons contacted me. But they were not interested in solving my doubts. Their only interest was selling me the cloud database, for the fantastic price of (more or less) 1000 euros per year. I explained to them that my alternative was a second hand PC, plus CentOS, plus Postgres, plus Eclipse.  They did not offer me a cheap version of Oracle database. I understoo the message, Oracle, both Linux and database, were not for me.

Ease of development of professional-looking web pages, full of functionality and with secure access.

I decided to purchase Oracle Database. I thought that if I bought the product, I would get support. I asked some easy questions to the sales agent who contacted me. He was more interested in selling me the cloud database than answering my questions. I learned that I am too small for Oracle. I continued with CentOS and Postgres. Google provides me with all the information I need. I could not get all the information I needed from Oracle.

Most people see Linux as just Linux. However, in Oracle Database shops, Oracle Linux tends to have a little bit higher level of trust among DBAs as the more reliable solution.

I'm at a big Oracle shop right now, and although we do run Oracle Linux, it's not to the exclusion of another Linux flavor. We're standardized on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server because it tends to be cheaper.

Oracle Linux tends to be a little buggy and sluggish at the virtualization layer. It's been my experience that probably about 85 to 90% of the time certain features are about three-quarters baked. I don't like that.

We've had no issues with deployment really, except for that bugginess and sluggishness at the virtualization layer.

There are those bugs at the virtualization layer, though it's overall generally stable.

I've not had to experience scaling it at that level because I don't do a lot of architecture work. I don't see an issue with scalability, though.

If you've got a problem with Oracle Linux, because it's an Oracle product, you log a ticket. I've never had to log a ticket, but it should be a straightforward process.

Compared with my many, many years of experience in the commercial UNIX world, if we had a problem or didn't know how to fix a particular issue, we called IBM. With SLES, we just referred to the many different resources available.

If they decide they want to have all the tools, if you have to have the support and if the DBA's are calling the shots that, you know, it's a big Oracle shop and they decide they want to have all Oracle Linux and maybe there was a deal cut and maybe they got a better deal from them than they got from Novell who own SLES.