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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) pros and cons

Vendor: Red Hat
4.4 out of 5
Badge Ranked 1
1,620 followers
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Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Enterprise customers appreciate Red Hat Enterprise Linux for its robust security features and ability to address vulnerabilities efficiently.
The integration capabilities of Red Hat Enterprise Linux with existing infrastructure and other tools are highly valued, making deployment seamless.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is praised for its stability and reliability, with users experiencing minimal downtime and consistent performance.
The comprehensive support and documentation provided by Red Hat enhance the value of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, aiding in troubleshooting and best practices.
Automation and ease of management in Red Hat Enterprise Linux are highlighted as key benefits, reducing operational complexity and improving efficiency.

CONS

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has a complex licensing model, which can be costly and confusing for some organizations.
The upgrade process between versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux has been described as cumbersome and can be challenging, particularly when migrating data or configurations.
Users have expressed a desire for improved documentation, suggesting that it is currently scattered, outdated, and difficult to navigate.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's pricing structure is considered high by some, and there is a call for more affordable options, especially for smaller businesses.
There are issues reported with version compatibility in repositories, requiring workarounds during upgrades or migrations.
 

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Pros review quotes

DB
Aug 18, 2021
The feature that I like the most is that we can integrate it easily with our existing infrastructure. We found that it is much easier to deploy RHEL in our environment compared to a competing distribution like Ubuntu.
JonathanShilling - PeerSpot reviewer
May 26, 2021
I like the fact that most of the system configuration is Namespace so it's easy to get to and easy to configure, and most of it still uses text documents. Not all of it's a menu-driven-type entry. I also like the fact that it's a very standard file system layout so it's easy to navigate.
JD
May 9, 2024
The systems are just bulletproof. We do not have problems with it. Support for file system differences and migrations has been solid.
Learn what your peers think about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2399139 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 8, 2024
We are able to have a Linux system that is open-source and that allows us to do domain trust IBM and all that fun stuff. We have a good solid enterprise Linux.
BY
Sep 1, 2021
This is a very robust product that doesn't require a lot of handling. It just works.
TO
Feb 12, 2023
Aside from security, the advantage of Red Hat as compared to the other distributions is the availability of support and patching. When you have an enterprise subscription with Red Hat, you get support and patching.
reviewer1486413 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 9, 2021
The integrated solution approach reduces our TCO tremendously because we are able to focus on innovation instead of operations.
Erik Widholm - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 31, 2022
It is a good operating system. It is very stable. It does not take a lot of maintenance. You set it up well and it runs.
reviewer2399706 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 9, 2024
Their support is valuable. Whenever I had a problem, I could get on a phone call with somebody. I did not have to go to some random forum or send an email and wait forever. I could call somebody.
Paul Monroe - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 9, 2022
It is more supported and supportable in the enterprise sense than Ubuntu or perhaps a smaller distro, but it's also flexible enough to easily transport from platform to platform: ISA to ISA, production to development, and vice versa.
 

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Cons review quotes

DB
Aug 18, 2021
The biggest thing that is crushing RHEL is documentation. Their documentation is haphazard at best. The man pages that you can use locally are pretty good, they've been fleshed out pretty well, but the documentation from Red Hat itself really needs somebody to go through it and review it.
JonathanShilling - PeerSpot reviewer
May 26, 2021
I'd like to see more of NCurses type menu systems in some instances. We're dealing with SUSE Enterprise Linux, they have an NCurses menu system. It's a menu system. It will write there. Even some of the higher-end Unix systems like AIX have some inner menu system where all the configuration tools are right there so your administrator doesn't have to jump through multiple directories to configure files if needed. I like the simplicity of Red Hat because it's pretty easy but having an NCurses menu when you have to get something done quickly would be nice.
JD
May 9, 2024
A lot of it is related to communication. They are building solid products, and quite often, people do not find out about them until two or three years have passed.
Learn what your peers think about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2399139 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 8, 2024
Red Hat training is phenomenal, but it is expensive. There has to be a better way to onboard new engineers into Linux to really and truly compete with Microsoft.
BY
Sep 1, 2021
The price is something that can be improved, as they are still being undercut.
TO
Feb 12, 2023
Deploying clusters on Red Hat, as well as on Oracle Linux, is a bit involving. I'd like them to simplify the setup or at least give meaningful log files to be able to see what's happening at the cluster level.
reviewer1486413 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 9, 2021
Linux overall needs improvement. They cannot go much beyond what Linus Torvalds's kernel implementation can do. I come from AIX, and there were very cool things in AIX that I am missing dearly, e.g., being able to support not only adding, but also reducing memory and number of processors. That is not supported on Linux right now, and it is the same for the mainstream file systems supported by Red Hat. There is no way of reducing a file system or logical volume. Whereas, in AIX, it was a shoo-in. These are the little things where we can say, "Ah, we are missing AIX for that."
Erik Widholm - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 31, 2022
It is a bit on the pricier side. However, due to the stability and support that they provide to my management and me, we really don't see a reason to choose another way to go. It is hard to get good support.
reviewer2399706 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 9, 2024
It does have a workstation option, but you rarely hear anything about it. I would love to see the workstation replace Windows. That is a stretch goal, but it is possible.
Paul Monroe - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 9, 2022
Large application vendors may not have certified RHEL, or they have certified an older version. Most of the large application vendors are unfamiliar with the versioning that RHEL introduced, which I strongly support. They will support a given sub-version up to a point, not realizing that the sub-versions are essentially additive.