Oracle Linux Reviews

I am using Oracle Linux in the IT industry.

We configure Oracle Linux and give it to our customers, which amounts to thousands of people using it.

The features of Oracle Linux that we find most effective are when we normally use it as a VPN gateway. We configure it and make it an application-level gateway, and we use it for user authentication.

The main benefits we see in this operating system, apart from the user authentication and VPN gateway, are that we were using CentOS before. Since CentOS is stopping support and going to downstream support now, we moved to Oracle Linux for that matter. Otherwise, we were satisfied with the CentOS part.

I feel that Oracle Linux should improve to have a graphical interface that would be much more user-friendly, similar to Ubuntu, so that people who want to interface with the Oracle servers can have Oracle Linux desktop on their personal laptops as well.

I would recommend that those who are planning to use Oracle Linux consider it as a 90% replacement for CentOS because most people would be moving out of CentOS due to those stream and support issues. It is a close match to CentOS, and it could reach out to end users better if the graphical user interface is improved. On the server side, it is acceptable as it is an apple-to-apple match for CentOS, but for end users, people would be comparing it with Ubuntu or Mint, so it should improve its user interface.

We have been using Oracle Linux for about a year.

I have not faced any challenges or difficulties with Oracle Linux during this time.

I have not had any stability issues with Oracle Linux.

I have not experienced Oracle Linux handling large-scale deployments; we just do a single node or double node deployment as of now.

I haven't used the scalability feature of Oracle Linux to evaluate if it is scalable enough for my environment.

We normally use the community support for Oracle Linux as of now, which is my impression on the support they provide.

I have no complaints or recommendations regarding community support.

Positive

We switched to Oracle Linux because support is not available for CentOS; the patches won't be available, which is why we have moved to Oracle Linux, and on my personal laptop, I mostly use Ubuntu.

It is easy to set up Oracle Linux compared to CentOS.

If I were to rate the setup for Oracle Linux from 1 to 10, it would receive a perfect 10.

We have customized Oracle Linux, and we use it as a VPN.

Regarding security enhancements in Oracle Linux, the patches are available, so as and when the security patches are available, we update them.

We plan to increase the usage of Oracle Linux for now.

I rate Oracle Linux as a 10 when used on a server, but if I use it as an end user in terms of desktop computing, then it could be a five because the graphics is not as impressive as Ubuntu.

On-premises

Currently, I see that everyone is looking into Linux. People are migrating to Linux from different proprietary hardware systems, which are often more expensive than x86 systems. This is the reason for moving to Linux. 

When it comes to Linux, if I have Exadata and all Oracle Linux operating systems, these are what I deal with. Nutanix, with hardware offering software-defined storage, also helps me. For clients with unlimited licenses, the advantage of HXIT6 hardware is that the license is not a constraint, prompting them to switch.

Oracle consistently performs better, like with Oracle Solaris. Linux systems are similar, however, Oracle Linux offers an unbreakable system. Oracle has just started this from version eight, which is distinct.

Addressing room for improvement in Oracle Linux, some applications supported by other operating systems are not supported, which is a pain.

I've been working with Oracle Linux and Linux Red Hat since version five.

DP is present in all infrastructure sectors because it's open-source. Testing determines stability, as continuous Linux use and installations reveal more bugs. Unlike stable products like Solaris, open-source products are not fully tested, which is common.

It is easy to scale.

I find that Oracle is always good in customer service, but it depends on the backend. The initial support request handling is crucial. Not all support engineers at Oracle are the same, so sometimes I experience good support that resolves issues quickly, while other times, it loops. This is common. That said, overall, Oracle support is good.

When comparing Red Hat and Oracle Linux, people often focus on popularity, and both are almost the same. Mainly, I notice that the popularity varies.  The difference lies in their marketing and presentation.

One person is enough to deploy everything from infrastructure to the operating system.

Ultimately, Oracle Linux as a product rates nine out of ten. It's very easy to use. For Linux, it's nothing too complicated. Taking care of the necessary tech accounts, subscriptions align similarly. The focus is on what is used on top of Linux with the move towards database 23, which incorporates AI, testing and migration are ongoing. 

When comparing operating systems like Solaris, support for new versions is diminishing, forcing migrations to Linux, such as Oracle Linux or Red Hat, both being popular. Depending on preferences, some support Oracle Linux, while others favor Red Hat, which is more popular initially.

Hybrid Cloud

Other

I have experience with Linux solutions.

The best features of Oracle Linux are repositories, support, and compatibility on Oracle database.

Oracle Linux's compatibility helps in integrating Oracle hardware and software effectively.

The updates are applied instantly once a CVE is identified, which makes it highly beneficial.

There is not any area that could be improved with Oracle Linux because it is very similar to Red Hat, and in our type of system, it cannot be achieved with other systems.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the technical support with Oracle as a 9.

I rate it a 9 because for some cases, the response time is not very high. They are a little slow to respond when we have problems; however, everything else was very good.

Positive

We evaluated SUSE Linux and Red Hat as other products.

The differences between Oracle Linux and SUSE Linux include the type of subscription, the value, and the compatibility, where Oracle Linux performs better.

The initial setup with Oracle Linux was very simple because it kept using the same installing type since the start, making it very simple to adapt everything.

In terms of pricing, Oracle Linux is the best benefit for the price compared to other licensing systems.

As for my experience with the pricing and licensing, I can say that as it's from the government, we conducted research about all the prices, and Oracle Linux was the best one available for what it can achieve.

We use OCI as our main cloud provider instead of AWS.

We are clients of the government with Oracle, linked from the government.

I would rate Oracle Linux a 9 out of 10.

Other

We use it for security purposes. Linux, or Solaris, offers more security and reliability than Windows operating systems. Windows is easier to attack. 

Most files used by hackers are executables, and if your vendor's operating system isn't secure, that's a problem. That's why we use Oracle Linux; it's compatible with our database.

If we use Linux, Solaris, or some other operating systems, we have to build a lot of packages using RPMs (the packet manager). That's a difficult task. With Oracle Linux, we use a single command to update from the Oracle website. 

It updates in minutes and downloads all necessary RPMs required for your database. This allows us to install our Oracle database without errors on Oracle Linux. We can prepare our server within 30 minutes if we have a good internet speed. Oracle platforms are steady and robust.

The main challenge can be compatibility with products from other companies. When you mix products from different vendors, you might experience difficulties. Using products from the same platform simplifies things.

Before Oracle Linux existed, back in 2001 and 2003, Oracle didn't have its own operating system and used other versions of Linux. We faced problems with these. For example, the earlier Linux versions were 32-bit operating systems. This limited the amount of memory we could allocate to our Oracle database instances. Let's say we had a server with 128 GB of RAM; with a 32-bit Linux operating system, we couldn't use all of it for the database.

When later Linux releases became 64-bit, this limitation disappeared, giving us much more memory to work with. The compatibility with Oracle products is a big advantage. It makes it easier for DBAs (Database Administrators) to manage our databases. If my boss tells me two or three new servers are arriving tomorrow, it's not a problem. I can quickly set them up and prepare them – even doing installations on multiple servers at the same time.

Sometimes we have applications that only run on operating systems like Windows, creating difficulties. Microsoft's platform is easier for some people to understand, but troubleshooting issues can be quite challenging, even for experienced programmers. In contrast, troubleshooting on the Oracle platform is much simpler, which is a key benefit.

I have been using it since 2004. 

When we start the installation, we decide the purpose of the server based on the expected database size. If the database is under 100 GB, we will allocate resources accordingly. If the database will be about 100 terabytes or 500 terabytes, then we adjust our allocation. Sometimes, in our UAT (User Acceptance Testing) databases, we allocate less memory, which can cause some minor issues.

Otherwise, in production environments, we take our time. When switching to new hardware, we dedicate at least three months to proper testing. We purchase hardware licenses, software licenses, and database licenses all together. 

We never rush installation because we conduct thorough testing. We test everything from the production database to the standby database. We heavily load the standby database, and if it performs perfectly, then we switch roles – standby becomes production and vice versa. We perform many transactions on both sides to check the load balance.

Once satisfied, let's say we have 20,000 users, each with approximately three active sessions – that's potentially 60,000 sessions. We observe how the server handles this, how much CPU is consumed during peak times. 

Peak times in most organizations are generally from nine to five, with cool down from ten to twelve, then after breaks, again from 02:00 to 04:30 P.M. We monitor CPU consumption and RAM utilization during these peak hours. We check every step, and only when we say, "Okay, this server can support our new hardware and software, we have no issue" – only then do we make the switch.

We are happy. We are using it. We recommend it to our students. We also recommend it to our friends.

Oracle installations are never a problem for us. We've been using Oracle for over 23 years. Even with new features added in later versions, we have no issues because of our extensive experience. 

Oracle provides two options for installation: 

• GUI (graphical user interface) and 
• CLI (command-line interface). 

We use both and have no problems.

We have a separate database server. It's not part of the cloud; it's an Oracle RAC.

Oracle RAC is a combination of multiple servers: two servers, four servers, eight servers, even sixteen servers. It's a combination of multiple servers. Oracle Linux is only just used on the server side, not on the client side.

Primarily, it's the DBAs (Database Administrators) who control and use the database servers. Network and security departments generally use Windows operating systems. They don't deal with Linux commands as much because they have limited access and manage fewer servers – maybe two, three, four, or a maximum of ten. In contrast, we have many database servers, and for security reasons, we prefer Linux. We don't have Windows servers for our database work.

Oracle is expensive compared to the Microsoft platform. with much money. 

We have a license for each and every one, but we have a separate Oracle IT procurement department that deals with the costs.

I'd recommend that you use it. The main challenge for new users of Linux is the command-line interface (CLI). It can be intimidating if you're not familiar with it.

However, Oracle provides excellent manuals and installation guides on its website. If you follow those guidelines, you won't have problems. Oracle Linux is secure and reliable.

Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten. It is a good product. 

My main use case for Oracle Linux is server administration, and I typically use it for web administration, application, and database administration in my work.

A specific example of how I use Oracle Linux with my databases is to implement our core banking system, where I use MySQL and manage the database.

Regarding how I use Oracle Linux, we are currently facing challenges with WebLogic, and we are using Apache and WebLog from Oracle that add to our tasks.

Oracle Linux helps with security and management in my bench system because we have many features that we can use to implement security, such as the firewall, which we configure, and it also helps when someone has to access our resource or database, especially concerning cybersecurity.

The best features Oracle Linux offers for my organization stand out significantly in terms of security, particularly the firewall. The firewall in Oracle Linux helps my organization because it is reliable, offers ease of configuration, and is dependable to use.

Oracle Linux provides fast updates, and the best aspect is that we can update our server without interrupting our service, which is very important for business continuity. When we moved to Oracle Linux, we noticed more performance in our applications, making our business operations smoother.

Oracle Linux has impacted my organization positively by helping us reduce downtime, improving our performance, making our applications quicker, and increasing our security; we can fix problems easily with Oracle Linux.

I believe Oracle Linux could be improved, but I am very happy with it as it is.

I have been using Oracle Linux for around eight years.

Oracle Linux is stable for my organization.

Oracle Linux's scalability is excellent for our needs because our organization uses it for everything to achieve our goals.

I have not had any recent experiences with the Oracle Linux support team; we are not currently using customer support, although I had an experience five years ago.

Neutral

Before Oracle Linux, we used a different solution, and we switched because Oracle Linux improved our performance and helped us reduce downtime significantly.

To measure these improvements, I track cost savings and user satisfaction, both of which are essential metrics for us.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Oracle Linux has been that it is expensive.

My advice to others looking into using Oracle Linux is that if they are seeking performance, security, and reliability, Oracle Linux is the best option for any business.

I rate Oracle Linux 9 out of 10.

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 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

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