Oracle Linux Reviews

My main use case for Oracle Linux is for administration, specifically full administration for Unix servers, such as hosting applications, monitoring the server health, and all the administration tasks I have been using it for.

I am hosting applications on those servers and monitoring the servers that are operating on Oracle Linux with full monitoring.

The best features Oracle Linux offers include security, as I have found it to be more secure than Ubuntu, Red Hat, and other Linux distributions. Additionally, it is easier to use than the other Linux operating systems.

What makes Oracle Linux more secure and easier to use than other Linux operating systems I have tried is the configuration of the firewall, SSH, and a few other configurations. These are easy to follow and set up.

I remember that the repositories for Oracle Linux are more stable than those of others. For instance, with Ubuntu, I have faced some issues related to the repository for the NFC files. The repositories of Oracle Linux are working smoothly more than others.

Oracle Linux has positively impacted my organization as most servers we are using are Oracle Linux. We prefer using it. The reason my organization prefers Oracle Linux is for its performance and reliability. In general, the operating system is cleaner and easy to use and follow.

I have no suggestions for improvements regarding Oracle Linux. Everything is going well.

I have been using Oracle Linux for three years.

Oracle Linux is stable.

The scalability of Oracle Linux is working fine, and there are no issues we have faced regarding scalability.

I have not interacted with Oracle's support team. All the cases we were solving were done by ourselves in the team.

Neutral

Before Oracle Linux, we were using Red Hat, but it was an old version.

I have not seen a return on investment with Oracle Linux.

Our experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing involved using VMware Cloud, and I have no idea about the cost.

I did not evaluate other options before choosing Oracle Linux. This is the first time I am evaluating an operating system.

I recommend using Oracle Linux as your first choice for Linux distributions. I have rated this review a 10.

Private Cloud

Other

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

My use cases with Oracle Linux recently include the government of Goiás state in the Secretary of Economy, a GM concessionary of vehicles named Jorlan in Goiás, and Alnutri Alimentos, a rice and chili factory. Additionally, I have worked with the Ministry of Exterior of Brazil and many others.

In my opinion, the best features of Oracle Linux are its strong stability for running databases, particularly Oracle databases, and its use of DNF for package management. I believe DNF is a strong and modern way to manage Linux packages, more effective than yum and Zypper. Moreover, the memory usage and management in Oracle Linux are very robust, and the kernel is well-adapted for database users, making it one of the best options for running databases like MySQL and MariaDB as well.

I do not understand the licensing for Oracle Linux.

My first use of Oracle Linux began in 2013, marking the start of my experience with this operating system.

I find Oracle's support to be deficient in response time; it is often low, and the call options for small price forms are difficult. However, the knowledge base is very good and fair, and I believe the main feature of Oracle support, formerly known as Metalink, is an extremely useful resource.

I would rate the support as a six or seven, concluding that my score is about seven.

Positive

Currently, my company is not an Oracle customer, although it was a partner before 2010 and was involved in third-party colocation in Brazilian sales markets in 2006. After 2010, my company and I have utilized other databases too. While we still use Oracle for consulting on Oracle Linux and its databases, the market primarily uses other databases, shifting our Linux support from SUSE to Oracle Linux.

Regarding Matillion data in ETL, I do not have experience with materialized views.

I have experience with other products besides Snowflake, including AWS RDS in the on-premise world, an OCI Oracle database, SQL Server in an on-premises environment, SQL in Azure, Big Data from GCP, and a bit of experience with Databricks and Oracle HeatWave too.

I have experience with Oracle database versions from six to 24 AI.

Oracle Linux is the Oracle operating system, specifically Oracle Enterprise Linux.

I have experience with Oracle Linux from the sixth version to the eighth version, with a small experience using the ninth version as well.

My use of Oracle Linux does not include Ksplice for zero downtime updates; I am unclear on that feature.

Regarding SE Linux security, many customers disable this feature; however, in some use cases within the Secretary of Economy and the Ministry of Exterior Commerce of Brazil, this feature is enabled. Although I don't have extensive experience with this feature, I find that SE Linux offers impressive security strength within the Linux environment, and it also restricts inappropriate access for databases.

Oracle Linux has good integration and usability with Red Hat Linux because it is based on Red Hat. Moreover, it is normally compatible with SUSE and other Linux distributions and supports standard communication protocols like SSH. Additionally, it maintains compatibility with Windows servers.

In my opinion, I don't currently see potential improvements for Oracle Linux because I believe its features are sufficient for database environments and more, particularly in the Red stack. Overall, I believe Oracle Linux is good as it is.

In my opinion, the price for Oracle Linux is fair and acceptable for companies in the market that utilize it.

My overall score for Oracle Linux as a product is ten.

On-premises

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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

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 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

In our company, we are using Oracle Linux for virtualized machines or VMs. So, Oracle Linux is the operating software for us. The tool is easy to use, and its performance is also good. From a competitive point of view, the solution is cost-effective, so it is installed in our machines.

The solution's security could be better and improved, but I am not sure.

Since it is a VM, it gets slow. It can be an area for improvement. So, we get a connection, making it not a very significant issue since it usually works well.

I have been using Oracle Linux for two to three years as an end-user. Also, I don't remember the version of the solution I am using.

It is a stable solution. We rarely face any issues with the machine.

Since the solution is a per-machine license-based one, I am unsure about its scalability.

I have worked with thousands who were working on the solution.

With our machines, we do seek help from the solution's technical support. So, whenever we have an issue, as I mentioned, we go back to IT support to raise a ticket, and they resolve our issues in a day.

We switched to Oracle Linux from another solution since it is our organization that provides us with software, it is. So they decided Oracle Linux to be the operating system we all use.

We get the machines to work on, but since I am an end-user, I feel that I am not the right person to speak on how Oracle Linux does the setup and the cost involved in the solution. We let the staff involved in the deployment and maintenance know whenever we have an issue with the operating system. We generate a ticket, and depending upon an issue, they take a day maximum to resolve our issues.

Our IT support team did everything related to the installation part.

We are currently operating the solution using a license-based version. We get licenses per machine.

The evaluation of other solutions was not carried out at an organizational level but at a personal level, and I looked at Microsoft-based products. There are two different scenarios, one of which, at a personal level, I might have a different operating system on my computer, while in the second one, my office might be providing me with some different machine. But we need to acknowledge the fact that the company's decision is of paramount importance.

I rate the overall product a seven to eight out of ten.

We are using Oracle Linux for supporting traffic surveillance in Hungary.

When it comes to my favorite features of Oracle Linux, I have been impressed with its ability to facilitate a smooth and efficient workflow system. This system is responsible for gathering data from multiple cameras and transferring this information to the backend systems. The system comprises around 10 to 12 servers, all of which are integrated into a highly reliable and redundant cluster setup. Currently, we are using Red Hat Linux for our production needs, however, we have plans to switch over to Oracle Linux in the near future. The reason for this change is due to the specialized nature of our system which precludes the use of cloud computing capabilities.

What can improve in the solution is a rather challenging question given that Oracle is pushing towards cloud computing and the closed nature of the system. Maintaining Oracle Linux behind a firewall can be a cumbersome process, as it requires manual intervention to copy repositories and obtain approval from internal authorities. With the current emphasis on cloud computing, the support and development of traditional, closed systems like Oracle Linux may not receive as much attention, leading to potential limitations in the system's capabilities and performance.

My aim is to be in control of the automation process of Oracle Linux, as it holds immense significance for my current work. However, to request that the traditional methods of operation be maintained, as not everyone has the means or access to utilize the public cloud for their services. This is particularly true in my case, where I am operating within a closed system, which is protected by a state firewall and lacks direct internet connectivity. Additionally, I have been unable to find a clear and comprehensive guide or roadmap that addresses how to effectively manage these types of scenarios, as my level of experience in this field is limited.

I have been using Oracle Linux for approximately one year.

The solution is indeed stable. After conducting a thorough evaluation and comparison between a Red Hat system and an Oracle Linux system, the kernel stability remains constant and unaltered. There was no observable difference in the stability between the two systems. Additionally, during the period of usage, no issues or problems regarding stability were encountered.

The number of users utilizing Oracle Linux within our organization is rather limited. This is due to the fact that the system operates in an autonomous manner, and primarily, it appears that only a maximum of one hundred individuals utilize the front-end component of the system.

At the current moment, there are no concrete plans to increase usage. This is due to the fact that the individuals responsible for utilizing the system are state-employed clerks and the organization has no intention of expanding its numbers. Instead, they have expressed interest in implementing automation as a means of streamlining the process, rather than increasing the number of personnel involved.

The solution can contain a substantial amount of data, it is not considered to be a true big data system. At present, there are no scalability issues to contend with as the system is not overburdened in terms of memory or processor capacity. The data is preserved in clusters that are connected through load balancing, and no quantization is currently being utilized. While it is possible that scalability may become a concern in the future, particularly if there is an increase in the number of connected devices, it is unlikely to be a pressing issue in the near term, perhaps two to three years down the line.

I have not utilized the technical support offered by Oracle. Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, my previous agent was not able to continue providing support, which resulted in me seeking support from the community instead of professional support. I highly recommend that Oracle invest in proper support services, however, at present, it is a challenge to persuade them to do so.

The Oracle Linux setup process is simple and effortless to execute. The installation DVD is a great resource for those who want to verify their administrative privileges, as it is a straightforward and uncomplicated process. By downloading the DVD and utilizing it to install the software, one can ensure that it is installed in a seamless and convenient manner, with the strength and security of fiber and steel behind it. This makes the setup experience truly outstanding.

The deployment process took approximately one week to complete. The duration was due to the need for thorough checks and verifications of the sources behind the firewall, which required additional control measures. The Red Hat system that was previously used had not been properly maintained for the past five years, which caused some delays in the upgrade process to Oracle Linux. The upgrade involved significant changes to auxiliary systems, including the higher proxy and naming system, which added to the time taken to complete the deployment. Despite these challenges, the actual installation of Oracle Linux from scratch only took approximately one or two hours. The slow deployment process was not a result of the installation of Oracle Linux, but rather the previous maintenance issues and the need for thorough checks during the upgrade process.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I am Oracle Linux a nine out of ten.