Oracle Linux Reviews

I am a database administrator and work within the database that installs the solution all over the company and for clients. 

The solution used to be set up on hardware such as Exadata and Spark machines. Nowadays, the solution is set up on virtual machines and uses the ODA in various cloud environments. 

There are 50 to 100 people who use the solution across multiple teams that operate morning, noon, and night. My team is composed of 20 architects or engineers who focus on DBA for Oracle DB2 and SQL server.

The solution is a reliable operational system that gets the job done.

Many features are over and above competitors such as Red Hat.

CapsLive is a great, free feature that you have to pay for in other systems. I can do upgrades to the operational system without any database or application downtime. This saves me a lot of time. 

The virtual environment is the best I've ever worked with. 

Graphical support for the environment could be more like virtual reality. 

The solution is not as user friendly as Meet for IBM AIX. Meet has a more friendly operational system because the interface works in a better way. 

It would be beneficial to have universal integration with clouds around the world such as Amazon, Google, Azure, and Oracle.

It would be nice to have better features for governance types. 

I have been using the solution for years. 

The solution is very, very stable and runs particularly well for Unix and Linux environments. You can let the machine run without turning it off for a long time and it will still work well. That is completely different than working with Windows or other substandard operational systems.

Stability is rated a ten out of ten. 

The solution is very scalable with no change in hardware needed. Most operational systems require you to change the entire hardware in order to accommodate a new operational system. 

Scalability is rated a ten out of ten. 

We use technical support when we have bugs or issues. Support used to be a bit lost because they didn't have historical information about issues. But nowadays, support usually solves our issues. 

We like the support team and don't have problems with them. All solutions come with issues, but Oracle provides an issue manual that is helpful. 

Technical support is rated an eight out of ten. 

Positive

I used to work with Windows and Ubuntu. 

I previously used Meet for IBM AIX. I still work a bit with the AIX operating system. 

I don't usually do installations, but did some a long time ago and they were not difficult. 

If you pay attention and take care of performance issues or adapt the operational system for your goals, then setup is not difficult. 

We implement the solution in-house. We have a highly-professional team who sometimes collaborates with Oracle engineers if we have issues. 

The solution is free to use with a support subscription rather than having to buy licenses. There is no comparison in pricing right now. 

There isn't a better operational system in the world right now. Maybe someone will invent one, but for now the solution with Linux and Unix is the top option. 

Windows is a terrible operational system that relies on pointers so I don't like using it at all. It also has mathematical flaws that I don't like. 

It is important to work with a vendor who will sell you the correct product for your environment rather than just try to make the most money off of you. 

Study the solution and learn how to install it correctly and use it in the best ways. Follow best practices from Oracle and get some training in the operational system. 

The solution comes with a lot of features and options that you can use for free. It is reliable and you can even use an old version with no issues. It is not the most user friendly, but you can learn it with a bit of study. 

Overall, the solution beats other operational systems by a large margin. The solution is rated a nine out of ten. 

Public Cloud

Other

I use the solution to host Oracle Database and ACSLS which manages tape libraries. ACSLS used to be owned by StorageTek but was purchased by Oracle. 

For example, our infrastructure utilizes the solution to run ACSLS and provide commands to the tape library, conduct inventory, provide encryption, and keep track of volumes with their location slots. 

The solution is not used by thousands but instead provides inter-computer communications and services like DNS, encryption, and management. 

The solution runs very well on inter-platform or HPE Intel servers. 

Product documentation and technical support are excellent. 

The graphic interface could be improved to work better in a desktop environment like Red Hat or Ubuntu.

Few people use the solution because its marketing is faltering. Unless companies buy other items from Oracle such as ACSLS for managing tape libraries, there is no need to use the solution. 

I have been using the solution for two years. 

The solution is very stable and has been running for months with no issues. 

On occasion, we install patches to fix security vulnerabilities. 

We use the solution for a very specific applications so do not have the need to scale. The solution is connected to another platform to provide encryption or management. For our use, the solution works very well. 

We do not have thousands of users connected to the solution. 

The solution provides the best and most detailed documentation available. Step-by-step instructions are provided for downloading packages and installing operating systems. 

The response time for technical issues is excellent and second to none. If you have an issue, they will be able and willing to help. 

Positive

I am also a system administrator for Solaris and prefer it because it has been on the market longer and I am familiar with it. 

In my opinion, Solaris is the best operating system available but has limitations because it must operate on a SPARC server. It is a legacy solution that is aging out and being replaced by Red Hat or Linux. 

The initial setup and deployment is easy.

Our data center operators racked everything and connected the network. Then our engineering group connected the console, mounted remote DVDs with the software, connected remote ISOs or ICOs, and deployed the operating system. Our security group handled authentication like the LDAP configuration that allows use of the same accounts for all servers. 

Daily operations include several monitoring services like Netcool or ScienceLogic to keep track of things via SNMP. When something fails, a ticket is received via Remedy and our security group lets us know to patch for vulnerabilities. 

The implementation was done in-house with no issues. 

We downloaded software packages from the website, repurposed some hardware, and installed the operating system. 

Overall, the solution is less expensive than Solaris and allows for use of existing hardware.

I do not have access to actual costs but believe the licensing fees are quite high.

The Linux solution can run on inter-platform so that puts it in competition with Red Hat which is marketed better and has bandwidth. 

Red Hat has become the standard since it was purchased by IBM and users are migrating to it. Red Hat was not an option for us because we had specific needs. 

We chose the solution because it supports our HPE Intel server and ACSLS. 

Documentation for the solution is outstanding and support is good. 

For security, disable things you do not need like Telnet or ports and rely instead on SNMP for great monitoring that alerts you to memory and space utilization. 

Partition your file system instead of using defaults for root and boot file systems. Separate file systems protect against machine crashes or root file system issues. 

Ensure that you secure your entire system to prevent hacks. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

On-premises

We strategically use it in specific cases, leveraging it as a cost-effective substitute for Red Hat due to favorable license agreements with Oracle. In virtualized Oracle database scenarios, it helps meet licensing requirements by pinning workloads to specific cores. For customers with oversized machines, we employ it to ensure compliance, partitioning virtualized clusters to license only necessary components for Oracle databases. Sometimes, it coexists with another management solution, serving solely for core-pinning and compliance, while a separate solution manages virtual machines which optimizes licensing costs and aligns with Oracle's requirements for workload isolation and core-pinning, particularly in scenarios with larger-than-needed virtualized clusters for specific database workloads.

The main business advantage is maintaining compliance with Oracle licensing, avoiding non-compliance issues, and license revisions. Technically, it closely resembles Red Hat Enterprise Linux for bug-for-bug compatibility.

There is a desire to include ZFS as a supported file system from the installation phase. I find it to be an excellent file system that significantly simplifies storage management on systems. Unlike other setups where you need both a file system and a volume manager, ZFS combines these functionalities into a single package. It provides a proven and stable solution, eliminating the need for continuous testing with different technologies. ZFS is enterprise-proven and, compared to other Linux file systems, stands out in terms of management efficiency. While some file systems may offer slightly faster speeds, ZFS excels in overall performance, manageability, and reliability, making it a top choice in the Linux world. Another notable aspect that could be improved is minor compatibility with Red Hat. This is crucial for customers seeking ISV support. ISVs often limit their support to a select few distributions, typically Red Hat, and maintaining compatibility is vital for application functionality.

I have been working with it for more than twenty years.

In terms of availability and stability requirements, it competes well with other major Linux distributions like Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu.

It is scalable, catering to a diverse range of systems—from relatively small setups to significantly large ones. When dealing with substantial workloads, especially on the x86 platform, I often find that Oracle Linux outperforms other solutions, showcasing its efficiency and capability to handle larger workloads more effectively.

In most cases, users have found the support to be reliable. I appreciate their support page and the effective manner in which they handle technical support calls—it's generally quite satisfactory. Often, the questions I encounter are more suited for second-line support rather than the initial, first-line support. I would appreciate a quicker transition to second-line support for more efficient resolution. I would rate it eight out of ten.

Positive

For mission-critical operations, Solaris is my preferred operating system, particularly for tasks like running Oracle databases. Solaris is chosen for its exceptional stability, ensuring uninterrupted 24/7, 52-week operations. The development philosophy of Solaris prioritizes stability and capabilities. In contrast, Linux prioritizes introducing new features, often at the expense of compatibility.

The initial setup was straightforward.

The duration is influenced by factors such as the deployment purpose, the platform chosen (virtual machine or hardware), and the specific tasks associated with the deployment. Simple deployments, such as setting up a basic web service, can take as little as ten minutes or even less. However, for more complex configurations like a rack cluster, the deployment time extends, potentially requiring a day or two due to the numerous configurations involved. Typically, installations don't involve utilizing an architect; instead, a single person can handle most of the architect's solution installations. The maintenance process is considered fairly straightforward and well-supported.

The cost is relatively affordable. The license itself is free, similar to Red Hat. There is no direct cost for running it. However, the expenses are associated with the license, which includes support. Typically, we opt for a seven-year database license, and for most of our customers, we tend to commit to periods of three to five years at a time.

If you're seeking a stable and reliable enterprise distribution, it is an excellent choice. It stands out with its stability and a team of skilled engineers within the company. It's a strong distribution worth considering for a dependable and efficient workhorse in an enterprise environment. Overall, I would rate it seven out of ten.

We use the solution for application servers. Linux offers many features, including CPU monitoring, memory management, hard disk monitoring, process management, and log management. We rely on command-line tools and shell scripts rather than graphical interfaces for these tasks.

It can be integrated with almost any other product. We use standard methods to make it more compatible with any flavor of Linux.

Patches and upgrades for Oracle Linux are readily accessible. The package management system is streamlined and well-organized. Oracle Linux provides a more integrated approach to package management, consolidating resources and minimizing the need to search for various components separately. This centralized system simplifies the process of maintaining and updating the operating system.

They keep increasing their license prices, making it increasingly costly. So many banks and customers are moving away from Oracle Linux. They are going to other flavors because they are cheaper.

You can add things to it, but Oracle may have added extra stuff that is not supported by other Linux. Then they don't get used to it because we have to work with standard Linux features.

I have been using Oracle Linux for 15 years.

It's very stable. I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

The scalability is good. You can scale up using more processors, memory, and a hard disk. 

You can have 10,000 users on our system.

I rate the solution’s scalability a seven or eight out of ten.

The deployment is similar to CentOS and takes an hour to complete.

I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

Oracle Linux is probably the most expensive one.

I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

I recommend the solution because it is one of the most stable systems.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Hybrid Cloud

Microsoft Azure

We use the product for Oracle Database and MySQL databases.

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.

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.

I have been using the solution for around ten years.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

We are not paying anything for the operating system.

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.

Private Cloud

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

Overall Oracle Linux is very good.

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

I have been using Oracle Linux for approximately three years.

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

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.

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

We switched from Red Hat to Oracle Linux. 

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

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

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.

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

I rate Oracle Linux an eight out of ten.

We are currently using Oracle Linux in our organization for handling various systems. My experience with Oracle Linux is mainly in managing it for server performance and handling different operating systems like Linux, Windows, and UNIX.

I find Oracle Linux's troubleshooting capabilities to be straightforward and simple to use. The commands are very user-friendly, making it easier for me to manage and troubleshoot. Additionally, Oracle Linux has American Standard levels of security, which I consider to be quite good. I find the stability to be excellent as the system manages outages effectively.

I think Oracle Linux's outage management can be improved to better handle outages. Furthermore, I believe there could be more resources available for enhanced learning, such as more training materials or a simplified setup process.

I have been working with Oracle Linux for about one year.

I have not experienced any stability issues with Oracle Linux. It is very stable compared to other systems.

I find Oracle Linux to be quite scalable. It handles device performance well, automatically managing any issues that arise.

The setup was already done for us by third parties. We did not do the initial setup ourselves.

They already set it up for us, and we used an already done setup.

I would recommend Oracle Linux, but before recommending it, I need to be prepared to answer all related questions. I would rate my personal knowledge of Oracle Linux five out of ten. However, I would rate the solution itself nine out of ten overall, as it has shown to be very efficient and user-friendly.

On-premises

We deploy the OS and prepare the VM, then give it to the development for the application users to use. It is the base that we create, depending on requirements, on how many CPUs or how much memory is required.

Oracle Linux is stable, easy to back up, and easy to maintain.

The solution has zero downtime and is easy to optimize right out of the box.

Troubleshooting the solution is simple.

I would like Oracle Linux to have more frequent updates.

I have been using the solution for five years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable. We make a copy of the request and keep it so that we can modify the scale of the solution as needed.

The technical support is absolutely good, there are no issues.

The initial setup is easy. 
Depending on the requirements of the prerequisites, which we have. The deployment doesn't take us more than two to three hours.

The implementation was completed in-house.

The majority of our evaluated solutions were Red Hat Linux.

I give the solution a nine out of ten.

We need an OS admin, and VM admin to clearly apply, install the solution and verify it according to the prerequisites we have, which are given to us by the application owners. Two, or three people are enough to deploy and maintain the solution.

We only have to deploy the solution and the system is used by all the students and faculty of the university.

I recommend Oracle Linux to new users.

On-premises