Red Hat Enterprise Linunx's most valuable feature is patching.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Comes with patching feature but needs improvement in support
Pros and Cons
- "Red Hat Enterprise Linunx's most valuable feature is patching."
- "I am not happy with the tool's support. It is difficult to find knowledgeable people. It's hard to troubleshoot."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
I am not happy with Red Hat's support. It is difficult to find knowledgeable people. It's hard to troubleshoot.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linunx since 2009.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Solaris before Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Solaris' environment is closed, while Red Hat Enterprise Linunx is open-source.
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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
November 2024
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What other advice do I have?
Red Hat Enterprise Linunx's knowledge base is good, and you can find answers there.
I rate the product a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Integration Engineer at a government with 10,001+ employees
Has comprehensive support,and seamless containerization capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable aspects is the ease of installing packages on the server."
- "When we initially began working with containers, we encountered some challenges with compatibility."
What is our primary use case?
For the past couple of years, our contractor team has been engaged with the Department of Veterans Affairs, focusing on developing and deploying software and containers and we use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for that.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable aspects is the ease of installing packages on the server. When we need to run specific software, adding and installing packages on Red Hat Enterprise Linux is quite straightforward.
What needs improvement?
When we initially began working with containers, we encountered some challenges with compatibility. Red Hat provided an older and somewhat outdated version of Docker, which made the early stages of our container journey more challenging than I would have preferred.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for three years.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support they provide is highly commendable. I would rate it nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I've mainly used Windows on my computer or laptop. However, it was a different scenario when we were developing in the cloud and were given Red Hat Enterprise Linux servers to work with.
What about the implementation team?
We regularly perform upgrades on our OpenShift clusters, typically on a monthly basis. When it comes to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux servers, we frequently update the images on our virtual machines to ensure that we stay current with the latest versions. We're actively working on implementing automation using Ansible to streamline and facilitate these tasks.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
824,052 professionals have used our research since 2012.
DevOps Engineer at Hitachi Vanatra Corporation
Helps with security and patching
Pros and Cons
- "We are a Managed Service Provider. Red Hat Enterprise Linux enables us not to be worried about vulnerabilities, security, and patching."
- "We need to have more flexibility on the developed versions. Not everybody is ready to subscribe to enterprise versions. They would like to test the tool without subscriptions."
What is our primary use case?
Our use case for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is for production applications.
How has it helped my organization?
We are a Managed Service Provider. Red Hat Enterprise Linux enables us not to be worried about vulnerabilities, security, and patching.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the subscriptions and upgrades.
What needs improvement?
We need to have more flexibility on the developed versions. Not everybody is ready to subscribe to enterprise versions. They would like to test the tool without subscriptions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux because of its security.
What other advice do I have?
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux with AWS. We started our practice with AWS, and most customers use it instead of GCP or Azure. We use the product in a hybrid environment, mostly when shifting the containers or existing workloads from legacy systems.
Most of the customers use Red Hat Enterprise Linux because it is the only approved OS. The tool's knowledge base is good but is limited to subscriptions.
The upgrade migration is straightforward. For the initial projects, we used to execute CLI scripts. We plan to upgrade the system if everything works well in the lower environment.
I have used the image builder feature. I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Consultant at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reduces risk, enhances security, and is easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "The solution provides more detailed control."
- "It could be simplified. I'd like to see them introduce PDFs or documents to better explain technicalities to new users."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution for research purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution provides more detailed control.
What is most valuable?
The product's built-in security features when it comes to simplifying risk reduction and maintaining compliance can be a tedious topic. It varies from user to user, however, it offers a lot of rapid releases. It helps us to simplify risk reduction and maintain compliance.
The portability of applications and containers built on the product when it comes to keeping your organization agile is good. It's easy to use.
It enhances our security. It helps us comply with company regulations.
When it comes to ensuring availability across physical virtual and cloud infrastructure, it's been okay so far.
It helped us to avoid emergencies due to security issues.
What needs improvement?
I consider the solution to be sufficient. I do not use it too much and therefore do not see any underlying problems with the solution.
It's sufficient and it doesn't need new features. However, as new technologies enter the market, I hope they will keep up with the changing market.
From a product point of view, it's very efficient for servers. However, the solution is complex in terms of its architecture. It could be simplified. I'd like to see them introduce PDFs or documents to better explain technicalities to new users.
Memorizing commands can be a bit tedious.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product has been stable so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is deployed to the data center, which is managed only by a few teams.
About 150 people are using the solution. We also have 45 to 50 administrators as they are managing different areas.
The solution is scalable. However, I'm not sure if we plan to scale further in the future.
How are customer service and support?
I have not interacted with support very much.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the deployment. The initial setup was very straightforward.
The deployment is fast and the process is efficient.
What about the implementation team?
I did a lot of the implementation myself.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did not evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution an eight out of ten.
I'd advise new users to learn from someone who has done everything before. It's much easier than trying to learn by yourself from scratch. They should also have their own environment for testing.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Master Software Engineer / Manager at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Useful online documentation, straightforward implementation, and secure
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the specification and technical guides, they are most important the security."
- "The accessibility to the resources could be more widespread. We have to put a lot of effort into finding indigenous information on the site. For example, the license information is convoluted. This information should be easier for customers to access."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for running solutions, such as database solutions, and enterprise, web, and network applications.
How has it helped my organization?
One of the fundamental reasons Red Hat 7 has benefited our organization is that it is fully certified. It has certifications on the DISA STG and other cybersecurity frameworks like Zero Trust. This is what the Department of Defense mandates to be used and it is feasible to receive these specifications and automate the implementation for continuous improvement. By implementing the technical guides, we can receive immediate results and protect environments according to our expectations. There are a group of technical procedures that are shared and that you can implement, if you follow the industry best practices.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the specification and technical guides, they are most important for cyber security assurance
What needs improvement?
The accessibility to the resources could be more widespread. The registration of the license information is complicated and this product registration process should be easier for customers to access.
In an upcoming release, they could improve by having more focused security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is perfectly scalable. You have some resource limits depending on how you're using the technologies. According to those usage patterns, the system is going to be able to give more or less. However, this depends more on the user side than on the system side.
We have approximately 10,000 enterprise users using the systems. They sporadically log into the applications and make use of the database systems and extract information.
How are customer service and support?
There is a division between the paid support and the support that is included by the website of Red Hat. I have only used the website support and there is a lot of documentation available.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward for our use case. As long as you understand what you're doing, the technologies that are involved, the proper way to style, secure, and prepare them, everything will be fine.
After you have the guide, the printed procedure, the deployment is straightforward. The operating system can be deployed in less than an hour.
Okay, and how long did the deployment take?
What about the implementation team?
The solution requires maintenance, and it is a shared responsibility. They take different maintenance actions or tasks, and sometimes it's the operating system, database system, or application front band that needs maintenance.
What other advice do I have?
The number one advice would be to keep the division between testing and production.
There's one system that you need to set up for testing purposes only, and this testing system can be obtained free of license. There's an evaluation license that can be easily applied. When developing the application on the Red Hat 7 system, stay using the evaluation version until the requirements are fully met, only then should you migrate them to a paid supported version.
The biggest lesson that you learn by using this solution is, you easily reach a point where a single person or a single team can no longer respond to the complexities and challenges of the security or the different versions of the applications. At that moment you need to rely on a serious fused team, that team that is backing the effort.
I rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems Administrator at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Offers tools that provide valuable visibility and transparency regarding vulnerabilities, packages, and infected systems
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of RHEL is the Ansible Automation Platform, closely followed by Satellite."
- "RHEL could be improved in several ways, especially regarding transparency and communication of new features."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is to set up and manage servers for various application teams, especially those dealing with hospital ADT applications. These applications handle critical data related to patient admissions and management within healthcare facilities.
While configuring Red Hat Enterprise Linux and its associated tools can be complex and sometimes frustrating, I have found that leveraging the support and resources provided by Red Hat is invaluable. Through collaboration with Red Hat's support team and a better understanding of the intricacies involved, we have significantly improved the speed and efficiency of managing our extensive infrastructure, making the process smoother and more manageable than before.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has improved our system's security.
While measuring uptime is important, what matters most to us is improving the value and efficiency of patch and reboot cycles. Red Hat Enterprise Linux's tools, including Satellite and Ansible, provide valuable visibility and transparency regarding vulnerabilities, packages, and infected systems, helping enhance security and patch management.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the Ansible Automation Platform, closely followed by Satellite. These two tools are integral to our environment.
Satellite helps with provisioning, managing metadata, and licensing, while Ansible ensures uniform setup across our extensive environment, making the management of our infrastructure much smoother and more efficient.
What needs improvement?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux could be improved in several ways, especially regarding transparency and communication of new features. Enhancements could include better documentation and quick reference materials for various user groups, including developers, system administrators, etc.
Additionally, there could be improved visibility for new and improved commands within Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Many users still rely on outdated commands when newer, more efficient alternatives are available. Providing frequent updates and maintenance for resources like the admin blog would help improve communication and transparency regarding Red Hat Enterprise Linux's capabilities and features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for 11 years.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten. There has been a noticeable improvement in their support, particularly after their acquisition by IBM.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The deployment of Red Hat Enterprise Linux was initially complex because we were not aware of all the available tools to streamline the process. We had to learn, but now we are more proficient.
Tasks that once took a month can now be completed in a week. We worked directly with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, without an integrated reseller or consultant.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. By transitioning applications to the Red Hat Linux platform, we have been able to reduce our data center footprint and associated costs, such as electricity. This cost savings in other areas has been a clear benefit of using Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
What other advice do I have?
Our upgrade and migration plans are focused on a balance between stability and staying current with the latest and most secure versions of Red Hat.
While there is a desire to be on the cutting edge, we must consider what is currently in use by our clinicians and staff who rely on our hospital systems. We aim to strike a balance between these factors and leverage a sandbox environment to test the latest versions before deploying them in our production environment.
We have been thoroughly impressed with Red Hat Insights and are currently in the process of exploring Leapp, which has shown great results in our evaluations. The web console has been invaluable for us, particularly when collaborating with application custodians who may not be familiar with the command line interface.
We use Ansible for managing our Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems for provisioning and patching, which has improved visibility and reduced issues compared to third-party solutions. Overall, I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Cloud Virtualization Owner at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Can be used for virtualization and multi-cloud environment integrations
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are the mobile applications and getting real-time notifications."
- "A lot of improvement is required to get security compliance, especially with the privacy of the data, managing it, and storing it."
What is our primary use case?
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for virtualization and multi-cloud environment integrations.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has improved our organization by at least 10% in the business unit and multiplies across the other business units as well.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are the mobile applications and getting real-time notifications. With other solutions, each cloud infrastructure is hard to manage with different notifications coming on, but Red Hat Enterprise Linux is able to go on-premises and cloud.
What needs improvement?
A lot of improvement is required to get security compliance, especially with the privacy of the data, managing it, and storing it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for five to seven years.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup involves initial hiccups going back and forth to the requirements and the architecture, but so far, so good.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a return on investment with Red Hat Enterprise Linux regarding timely customer delivery, leading with innovation, and going into cloud solutions. It has progressed, and the maturity level has improved. So, we are learning as we go along this journey.
What other advice do I have?
A lot of improvement is required to get security compliance, especially with the privacy of the data, managing it, and storing it. I'm sure Red Hat Enterprise Linux will be able to improve in the future.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's effect on our system's uptime or security has been really positive. Especially with the customer's feedback coming out, I would definitely like to continue its usage.
It has enabled us to achieve 50% security standards certification. It doesn't fall into that domain, but the overall security policies do help integrate with it.
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux in a hybrid-cloud environment. It has not yet supported our hybrid cloud strategy. It's still a work in progress, but I'm sure they will be able to do it in the future.
The knowledge base offered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux is really helpful, especially in connecting different cross-functional communities.
Our in-house monitoring services team with the network operating center manages our Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems regarding provisioning and patching. It has quite a good integration with Red Hat.
We have tried Red Hat Insights, and it's really helpful for the market competitive intelligence portal we have in-house and how it interacts with external parties.
We have tried Red Hat Enterprise Linux system roles, and it is helpful for on-time delivery.
We have tried the Red Hat Enterprise Linux web console. It has helped us 50%, and it still needs to be reviewed in more detail.
Overall, I rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Systems Engineering Manager at a retailer with 51-200 employees
A stable solution that is easy to manage
Pros and Cons
- "Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable feature is its stability."
- "We would like to have a better understanding of what to expect when we move to a different version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux."
What is our primary use case?
Most of our servers are low latency, and it's easier to have low latency applications run on Linux. Red Hat Enterprise Linux's installation is easy. We don't have to reboot Red Hat Enterprise Linux like Windows, where there are a bunch of system updates that you have to do. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is just easier to manage.
What is most valuable?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's most valuable feature is its stability.
What needs improvement?
We would like to have a better understanding of what to expect when we move to a different version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
A latency always gets introduced when we move to newer Red Hat versions. I wish we wouldn't see that as often as we do nowadays. It would be nice to know the changes upfront rather than when we have to open a case, go through a couple of months, and then find a good resolution. We want a better understanding of what we will see when we update the kernel from seven to eight.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a pretty stable solution. Its stability is a lot better than most other operating systems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's scalability is better than other competitors.
How are customer service and support?
For the most part, Red Hat Enterprise Linux's support has been really good. Most of the time, we've had to escalate it to get a good response.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux’s initial setup is pretty straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
Whenever we see a compliance issue and need a patch, it's been relatively easy to get Red Hat Enterprise Linux to update it.
We have a mix of Windows and Linux. Around 80 percent of our systems are Red Hat, but we also have Windows. So it depends on the application.
Most applications are compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It's easier to tune on a Red Hat system than on another OS. We could pin applications to a core with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. In terms of tuning, Red Hat Enterprise Linux performs better in the long run.
Overall, I rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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