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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) vs VMware vSphere comparison

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

Read 167 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) reviews
58,235 views|17,800 comparisons
96% willing to recommend
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VMware vSphere

Read 446 VMware vSphere reviews
43,607 views|36,031 comparisons
95% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
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Buyer's Guide
Operating Systems (OS) for Business
April 2024
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and VMware vSphere based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Canonical, Oracle and others in Operating Systems (OS) for Business.
To learn more, read our detailed Operating Systems (OS) for Business Report (Updated: April 2024).
Download the complete report
768,857 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Hirut Asfaw
Helps improve security, reduces risks, and is easy to upgrade
Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps reduce our risk. Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps to maintain compliance by making the data required easily accessible... Read more →
Youssef_Hmani
A robust virtualization platform renowned for its comprehensive features, high stability and strong support
It stands out as a comprehensive and advantageous solution, providing a full package that effectively caters to our needs for managing our private... Read more →
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"We find the Red Hat Satellite deployments very useful. It integrates well with other solutions.""Logical volumes allow us to dynamically expand volumes, which is valuable from an operational perspective.""There are some nice integrations with scanning for vulnerabilities. That is the feature I have enjoyed the most because I am a security person, and that is my bread and butter.""We also use Ansible. Ansible is a wonderful tool for automation. We use it to automate our patching. We use Ansible to get playbooks to take care of anything that's manual.""LVM is a valuable feature.""The security of the OS is the most valuable feature.""The frequent updates are valuable.""The most valuable features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are the mobile applications and getting real-time notifications."

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"Very reliable with a great community.""The provisioning setup of VMs is good.""The most valuable feature of the solution is its performance.""There is the simplicity of management, accessibility, and availability.""It's easy to use and very user-friendly.""Virtualised automation is a useful feature.""The fact that vSphere is an on-premise solution is beneficial for the user. It's easier to manage the infrastructure. It's more straightforward to scale and configure virtual machines.""The most valuable features are the seamless HA with vMotion and being able to run vCenters in HA mode."

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Cons
"One challenge we've faced is with databases. Configuring and implementing DBs is much easier in non-Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems, especially in Microsoft.""The DNF package manager could be improved.""The licensing model is kind of a mess.""It is challenging to use the knowledge base and the deployment documentation.""Red Hat should provide a way to mirror repositories or at least provide a solution for us to bubble up packages throughout the entire process.""Although the price is reasonable, there is room for improvement in order to stand out from other open-source solutions.""Some of the repositories and some of the DNS versions are very old. I just deployed something using Ruby and the DNS stable repository was sufficiently old that the Ruby project I was using didn't work.""I don't like the UI changes that come with different versions."

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"VMware vSphere does not permit hard partitioning.""They can lower the price of its license.""The Web Client is too slow.""We stopped using a lot of cloud services. However, I see that VMware has integrated with Amazon Cloud. We will now to have to move everything to the cloud.""The integration with containers should be addressed.""Not having to buy something from a third-party to scan the actual hardware components, like the hard drives and the port containers and fan speeds; not having to bolt something on and go through another vendor, would be helpful.""They need to stop pushing code out so fast.""When I use VMware and Citrix there are conflicts."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The pricing is a bit on the expensive side, mainly because of the support they provide. However, it is quite affordable if you are an organization. If, as a small company or individual, this is an expensive option, I would recommend CentOS, which is an exact replica of RHEL, minus the customer support."
  • "In terms of the solution’s single subscription and install repository for all types of systems, we can have as many RHEL installations as we want because we have a specific subscription that entitles us to have as many RHEL services as we want. We pay for a subscription and with that we get RHEL and Satellite as well."
  • "Red Hat Linux is inexpensive. Linux solutions are generally inexpensive."
  • "RHEL is expensive."
  • "Because it is a subscription, you can go elastic. This means you can buy a year, then you can skip a year. It is not like when you buy something. You don't buy it. You are paying for the support on something, and if you don't pay for the support on something, there is no shame because there are no upfront costs. It changes the equation. However, we have such growth right now on the Linux platform that we are reusing and scavenging these licenses. From a business standpoint, not having to buy, but just having to pay for maintenance, changes a lot of the calculations."
  • "We have a site license on a yearly basis. Generally, we're okay with its price, but everything could be cheaper."
  • "The licensing with Red Hat is on par with other organizations like Microsoft. We have a site license, which gives us a certain number of servers, perhaps 25,000, for the type of license that we have. That works really well for us."
  • "We are an educational institution and as such, what we pay is less than the average company."

    • More Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "My advice when it comes to pricing is that pricing is a bummer, especially when it comes to SnS coverage."
  • "Purchase only the cheaper solution with support. I don’t recommend high-end licenses."
  • "Pricing needs to be competitive since Microsoft Hyper-V has come a long way; they are both around the same price range."
  • "VMware is consistently expensive and their pricing arrogance is what will drive us and other customers away."
  • "Start with the lowest and upgrade if, and only if, absolutely necessary."
  • "Compared with other vendors’ products, the pricing of the license is slightly lower. The annual S&S price is very affordable."
  • "The product is worth what you pay for it. I definitely feel like I"m getting good value."
  • "​The only issue with vSphere might be with the cost of the tools and the software.​"

    • More VMware vSphere Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Questions from the Community
    Which would you choose - RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) or CentOS?
    Top Answer:Red Hat Enterprise Linux is fantastic. It is an inexpensive solution that has excellent security, performance, and stability, and also lots of features. I specifically like that the solution has… more »
    What do you like most about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)?
    Top Answer:It is open source. We can customize it as per our requirements.
    Read all 84 answers   →
    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Red Hat Enterpris...
    Top Answer:We use open source. We only have a subscription for support.
    Read all 45 answers   →
    What is IOMMU?
    Top Answer:DEEPEN DHULLA did explain well IOMMU. IOMMU has to be activated at the bios level. It exists on Intel and AMD platforms. It is used a lot inside virtualization platforms like VMware VSphere. It… more »
    Read all 7 answers   →
    Why KVM??? Help please!
    Top Answer:We use VMware and KVM. We find that KVM is a lot simpler to use and it provides the virtualization we need for Linux and Windows. For us, VMware does not offer any advantage. Moreover, KVM is free.
    Read all 15 answers   →
    What is the biggest difference between Nutanix Acropolis and VMware vSphere?
    Top Answer:We found the reduced power consumption with Nutanix Acropolis AOS a very attractive feature. We also like the interface that allows you to talk directly to your VM from the present software. We found… more »
    Read all 7 answers   →
    Ranking
    1st
    out of 18 in Operating Systems (OS) for Business
    Views
    58,235
    Comparisons
    17,800
    Reviews
    143
    Average Words per Review
    774
    Rating
    8.7
    2nd
    out of 21 in Server Virtualization Software
    Views
    43,607
    Comparisons
    36,031
    Reviews
    17
    Average Words per Review
    406
    Rating
    8.6
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux, RHEL
    Learn More
    Red Hat
    VMware
    Overview

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a stable and reliable open-source operating system for running application servers, databases, web servers, and production systems. It is also used for cloud infrastructure services, BI, and disaster assistance. Its valuable features include support and subscription, ease of management and troubleshooting, integration with existing infrastructure, security updates and hardening tools, scalability, and flexibility. 

    Red Hat has helped organizations accelerate deployment, provide stability, control, and reliable updates, and enable the deployment of current applications and emerging workloads across different environments.

    VMware vSphere is a powerful and complete server virtualization platform that allows its users to create and manage virtual data centers and machines. VMware vSphere is designed to help IT departments set up and run applications using the most cost-effective computer resources. By using vSphere, organizations save the time and energy necessary for purchasing infrastructure and software and reduce ongoing maintenance and operational burdens on IT teams.

    Infrastructure administrators and network operators can access and manage the vSphere server by using a web-based cross-platform client application or via the vSphere client tool provided with vSphere. 

    VMware vSphere provides visibility into VMs and enables its users to carry out operations to manage VMs. This includes tasks such as:

    • Powering VMs on and off
    • Launching the VM console
    • Shutting down guest operating systems
    • Settings configurations
    • Taking system snapshots

    VMware vSphere Benefits

    Some of the benefits of using VMware vSphere include: 

    • Reduced costs: Since VMware applications are run on a server, it is not necessary to spend large amounts of your organization’s money on hardware, software, and infrastructure.
    • Increased productivity and customer satisfaction: VMware is able to operate multiple complex processes simultaneously. With all your applications being managed and run on the cloud, downtime, failures, and application errors are rare. VMware easily scales up and down to meet your computing needs. The high availability that VMware provides allows your IT staff to focus on other issues and keeps your customers satisfied with the service they receive.
    • Unlimited access to your VMs: VMware’s user-friendly cloud-based interface allows any employee to work from any location at any time.
    • Enhanced security: VMware’s security tools deliver full visibility into your entire system. This keeps your applications and data more secure, in any type of environment. VMware provides multiple protective tools including antiviruses and anti-malware, as well as backup and recovery services.

    VMware vSphere Features

    Below is a list of some of VMware vSphere’s key features:

    • Transferable virtual machine images: Export and import virtual machine images from your local environment. This gives users the ability to set up and configure their systems locally and only upload them to the server once everything is working properly. VM images can be moved back and forth between vendors, ensuring that your company is never tied up to a specific cloud vendor.
    • User-friendly interface: Using VMware’s intuitive console, you can easily create, manage, share, and deploy virtual machines.
    • API integration: VMware’s APIs support integration with third-party applications for data protection, multipathing, and disk array solutions.
    • Distributed power management: Automate efficiency by continuously optimizing server power consumption within each cluster.

    Reviews from Real Users

    VMware vSphere stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. A few major ones are its virtualization abilities, its flexibility and availability, and its user-friendly interface.

    Felix D., an Automation project administrator, DCS, I&E at Centennial Cayman Corp, writes, “The connectivity is fantastic, and many functions can run together in one server. If you need to scale, we can continue to add components or modules. It's a beautiful virtual solution that has many advantages over physical hardware, where you have to use devices and wiring to connect all your projects.”

    Sample Customers
    Travel Channel, Mohawk Industries, Hilti, Molecular Health, Exolgan, Hotelplan Group, Emory University, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina, HCA Healthcare, Paychex, UPS, Intermountain Healthcare, Brinker International, TransUnion, Union Bank, CA Technologies
    Abu Dhabi Ports Company, ACS, AIA New Zealand, Consona, Corporate Express, CS Energy, and Digiweb.
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm27%
    Government14%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company14%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Government9%
    Financial Services Firm9%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Energy/Utilities Company10%
    Manufacturing Company7%
    Computer Software Company6%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization26%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise66%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise67%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business30%
    Midsize Enterprise25%
    Large Enterprise45%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business20%
    Midsize Enterprise34%
    Large Enterprise46%
    Buyer's Guide
    Operating Systems (OS) for Business
    April 2024
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    Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is ranked 1st in Operating Systems (OS) for Business with 167 reviews while VMware vSphere is ranked 2nd in Server Virtualization Software with 446 reviews. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is rated 8.8, while VMware vSphere is rated 8.8. The top reviewer of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) writes "Highly stable, good knowledge base, and reasonable price". On the other hand, the top reviewer of VMware vSphere writes "Offers good performance and is useful for banking systems". Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is most compared with Ubuntu Linux, Windows Server, SUSE Linux Enterprise and Windows 10, whereas VMware vSphere is most compared with Hyper-V, Proxmox VE, VMware Workstation, Oracle VM and KVM.

    We monitor all Operating Systems (OS) for Business reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.