Oracle Solaris vs Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs SUSE Linux Enterprise comparison

Oracle Solaris is a trusted business platform that provides consistent compatibility, is simple to use, is always secure, and is designed to help you run your modern and legacy enterprise applications. The solution is the most recommended enterprise operating system for Oracle Database and Java applications and is engineered for large-scale enterprise deployments.

Oracle Solaris Features

Oracle Solaris has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

• Application binary guarantee
• Unified archives
• Rich selection of DevOps tools
• REST-based configuration and monitoring
• Software security assurance
• Automated installer
• Image packaging system and ZFS boot environments
• Simplified system life-cycle, application life-cycle, and cloud capabilities
• Constraint packages
• Fault diagnosis
• Service management facility

Oracle Solaris Benefits

There are many benefits to implementing Oracle Solaris. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

• Portable and scalable
• Interoperable and compatible
• Simple to use
• Infrastructure designed to scale on large systems without code
• Supports a wide range of hardware
• 24 x 7 support from Oracle
• Portability across different architectures
• Supports tools optimized for Oracle hardware devices
• Guarantees binary compatibility for your applications across various Oracle Solaris OS releases
• Supports programming languages such as Perl, Ruby, and Python
• Mitigates risk and easily proves compliance
• Reduces costs
• Helps reduce planned and unplanned downtime

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by PeerSpot users currently using the Oracle Solaris solution.

A CEO at a computer software company says, “The most valuable feature is virtualization. They have attained virtualization and it's quite simple to create the Oracle Solaris zones. The solution is quite powerful. Oracle Solaris is great due to the fact that it actually is meant for high-end servers. The high availability is great. You can clone and you can do quite a number of things with them. There's also the ZFS File system which is very good. Is one of the best file systems that there is.”

Diego A., Oracle ACE - Specialized in Systems Technologies at Telecom Argentina, mentions, “The most valuable features for me are virtualization (Containers, Zones, Security, PDOM's, LDOM's) and Performance, ZFS, Debugging with Dtrace.”

A Service Manager at a tech services company expresses that the solution is “Stable, scalable, and has easy installation.”

PeerSpot user Marcel H., Oracle ACE Director "Solaris," CEO, Enterprise Consultant at JomaSoft, explains, “Solaris includes two virtualization solutions: LDoms for SPARC and Solaris Zones. Both solutions can be combined to create private clouds. Solaris Zones is ideal to separate applications and to migrate from older to current hardware. LDoms is very efficient because it uses the hardware hypervisor of the SPARC servers. Both technologies increase Security, because they separate the applications from each other. Using the Security Compliance Framework we are sure the systems are set up properly.”

Shafiq K., Senior Manager IT Operations at a financial services firm, states, “The reliability of the solution is excellent. The security has been very good overall. We've found the solution to have good availability. The backup capabilities are quite good. The solution has proven to be quite stable so far. The product can scale. The solution is 100% free to use. It doesn't cost a company anything as it's embedded in the hardware.”

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is recognized for its stability, security, and performance, serving diverse industries with its robust support and seamless cloud deployment capabilities.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides comprehensive server applications across cloud environments, featuring tools like Ansible for enhanced user experience. It integrates OpenShift, Identity Management, and automation, supported by extensive documentation. Users seek easier upgrades, enhanced network virtualization support, and improved live patching.

• Stability and Security: RHEL is designed to provide a stable and secure environment, backed by consistent updates.
• Cloud Deployment: Easily deployable across cloud platforms, enhancing flexibility.
• Integration with Ansible: Enhances operational efficiency with powerful automation tools.
• OpenShift and Containerization: Supports modern app development with integrated OpenShift features.
• Extensive Documentation: Offers comprehensive resources for users to troubleshoot and optimize.

• Reliable Support: Benefit from extensive support options for seamless operation.
• Enhanced Security: Built-in features ensure data integrity and protection.
• Increased Flexibility: Suitable for diverse deployment environments, including on-premises and cloud.
• Operational Efficiency: Tools like automation and cloud navigation improve productivity.
• Training and Resources: Access to comprehensive training contributes to smoother implementations.

In sectors like finance, telecommunications, and education, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is crucial for running stable, secure systems. Its application spans web servers, data management, and containerization through tools like Kubernetes. Organizations adopt it for on-premises, virtualized, and cloud environments, ensuring robust infrastructure management.

SUSE Linux Enterprise offers features like YaST for server management, seamless integration with Oracle and SAP, and a robust security setup. Renowned for stability, it efficiently supports workstations, SAP workloads, and cloud migrations across diverse industries.

SUSE Linux Enterprise is known for its lightweight design, high performance, and ease of installation. Its flexible architecture supports extensive documentation and efficient patching. The system uses the BTRFS file system for effective virtualization, and community support is significant. However, challenges include package updates causing conflicts, difficult initial setup and software management, high pricing, and support response times. Improvements in security compliance, cloud integration, hardware compatibility, and documentation are also needed.

What are SUSE Linux Enterprise's important features?

• YaST Server Management: Simplifies server setup and configurations.
• Oracle & SAP Integration: Enhances performance with major enterprise applications.
• HANA Firewall: Provides robust security measures.
• BTRFS File System: Supports advanced storage management and snapshots.
• Virtualization: Efficiently runs multiple operating systems on a single machine.

What benefits should users expect from using SUSE Linux Enterprise?

• Stability & Performance: Reliability for critical applications and workloads.
• Lightweight Design: Reduces resource consumption while maintaining efficiency.
• Community Support: Access to extensive user and developer collaboration.
• Automated Upgrades: Simplifies system maintenance and updates.

Industries like healthcare and banking use SUSE Linux Enterprise for secure transactions and structured application deployment. It is also a choice for organizations involved in testing, automation, and web development, offering support for SAP HANA integration and facilitating cloud migrations.