Stable, Secure, and Reliable RHEL for Long-Term Production Use
What do you like best about the product?
Stability and reliability – RHEL is built for long-term use, with very few crashes and consistent, predictable behavior in production environments.
Professional support – Having access to official updates, security patches, and expert assistance makes it much easier to maintain and operate critical infrastructure.
Strong security – Built-in tools such as SELinux offer advanced protection along with fine-grained access control.
What do you dislike about the product?
Subscription cost – Licensing fees can be expensive, especially for small companies or individual users.
Older packages – The software is often not the most up-to-date version, which can limit access to newer features.
Learning curve – Some of the more advanced tools and configuration options may be hard for beginners to understand.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The problems that Red Hat helps solve include stability issues, security risks, lack of support, and compatibility challenges. Overall, it makes managing systems easier, safer, and more predictable.
RHEL Review
What do you like best about the product?
It runs smoothly for enterprise servers and applications. It can also be used on cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, which makes it a flexible option for different environments.
What do you dislike about the product?
It’s not easy for beginners, and it requires proper training to use effectively. It also isn’t free—you need to purchase a subscription.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It’s not easy to manage multiple servers, especially when so much of it is done manually, so RHEL helps by providing a more structured and easier approach to system management.
Stable, Secure RHEL with Strong Long-Term Support and Ansible Integration
What do you like best about the product?
I like Red Hat Enterprise Linux most for its stability and security in production, combined with predictable long‑term support and tight integration with tools like Ansible and Red Hat Insights, which makes managing and automating enterprise workloads much easier
What do you dislike about the product?
The main drawbacks are the high subscription costs, complex SELinux/firewall management, and delayed newer package versions, which can frustrate beginners or those needing cutting-edge software
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It solves hybrid infrastructure inconsistencies, security gaps, and downtime risks with a stable, automated platform benefiting us through almost above $300K annual savings per 100 VMs, and above 50% less unplanned downtime, and faster deployments for our production web servers.
Hybrid cloud automation has accelerated deployments and improved security and support quality
What is our primary use case?
We are a service provider and support provider for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is used for OpenShift management; Linux is the base for many IT companies, providing them with the management of their applications using the Linux operating system. In the Linux space, Red Hat is the leading company, so we utilize it.
Cloud provisioning becomes easy with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) because they offer satellite automation and image builder, which simplifies the process. They also provide DHCP servers for IP allocation.
In managing hybrid cloud environments, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) plays a crucial role; the OS is a core feature for managing solutions across AWS, Azure, and on-premise setups. It provides unified management and supports the Ansible automation platform. With customized image builders, you can build OS images based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), making it beneficial for hybrid cloud deployments, whether on AWS, Azure, GCP, or physical servers.
What is most valuable?
There are a lot of capabilities in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) that I find valuable, as it is provided by the leading company, Red Hat, which is a top Linux operating system provider. Their support, documentation, and overall offerings are significantly better compared to others, such as Ubuntu and other open-source Linux operating systems that lack proper support and documentation.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) support is among the most valuable aspects. Linux is similar everywhere, such as Ubuntu, but Red Hat's Linux offers substantial benefits, including strong support, proper documentation, training, and labs. This capability is more beneficial than what other options provide.
What needs improvement?
I believe improvements in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) are required. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) should explore integrating AI, as many systems are currently incorporating AI. I believe that Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) should implement some AI-driven command systems for enhanced functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for the past one and a half years. I am still working with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) provides a lot of scalability; its architecture depends on NUMA optimization, thread support, and it has a TuneD daemon for performance adjustment, allowing us to manage kernel parameters and handle high-demand workloads, such as SQL and NoSQL databases. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9 also offers good network efficiency.
I would rate the scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) between 8 and 9. I would say it is closer to 8.
How are customer service and support?
I often communicate with the technical support of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). I would rate the support of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) as a 10 because it is significantly better than any other options.
I have had multiple interactions with Red Hat support, and usually, when you submit a request or ticket on their support platform, they reply immediately due to their strong and large team of experienced professionals. Any issue will get resolved, and if it is not solvable by the lower-level team, they quickly escalate it to higher-level support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not use a different solution before Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for these use cases. When I joined and during my college studies, I simply learned about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). I have a basic understanding of other options but did not try them.
How was the initial setup?
I participated in the deployment and initial setup of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). For the initial setup process of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), we first need their ISO. Then we create a bootable media using that ISO; depending on whether deploying to the cloud, on-premise, or bare metal servers, we create one VM for the deployment of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Numerous internal configurations follow in the Anaconda setup, including language, time setup, NTP servers, IP, hostname setup, and the main task is to register it using the Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription manager or satellite.
I do not have any challenges during the initial setup because I have completed two Red Hat certifications in college, making me familiar with the process.
What was our ROI?
Regarding return on investment, since I am the technical person, I do not know much from a business perspective.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am happy with the pricing that Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) offers. I come from a technical background, so I do not have much insight into the business side, but Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) offers many advantages with its support, official documentation, training, and various sessions. I think it is user-friendly and its cost will be beneficial compared to other operating systems within similar budgets.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have not used Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Image Builder yet; I have basic knowledge about it but have not utilized it.
What other advice do I have?
The management experience with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is good; as newer versions are released frequently, such as currently Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 10, updating and patching is quite easier and not a complex task.
With the provisioning of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), I think it depends on the environment, whether physical, virtual, or cloud.
Security requirements were a consideration in choosing Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in the cloud for me, as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) provides enhanced security. It comes with Red Hat's internal security features, making it more secure than alternative solutions. Additionally, since Linux is open source, anyone can create their own operating system using Linux base code, but Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) stands out for its security.
The upgrade was straightforward, moving from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8 to 9, moving from 8.6 to 9.
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) System Roles. System Roles were very helpful during my use of Ansible. The help from System Roles was particularly significant when using Ansible automation, as specific permissions are granted to specific roles assigned to users or groups, which can then be utilized for folder management, automatic deployments, or task performance.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) saves time effectively. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) helps me save time, especially through automation features with Ansible, which streamlines management tasks. It also provides a ready-to-run environment with a pre-built ISO, allowing direct deployment after making some role changes and setting IP and networking configurations. By using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), if another Linux distribution takes one week, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) accomplishes the same tasks in three days.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) helps reduce downtime and risk. I do not think the OS significantly impacts downtime, as that is primarily dependent on application usage, such as CPU and RAM consumption. However, it does support increasing CPU thresholds and creating resource pools within the OS, allowing for alarms that help mitigate downtime. I do not believe it helps much in reducing risk.
Red Hat's knowledge base is excellent, providing labs, manuals, and constantly updated documentation. They also have a community that offers a wealth of information, along with releasing books and PDFs regularly. In addition to using the official documentation, I also engage in the Red Hat community. In the Red Hat community, people communicate with each other about the problems they encounter, and there is a wealth of official documents available for everything.
I do not face a lack of information when I encounter issues or seek to learn about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). I can contribute to the community, where others may have experienced similar issues and already found solutions. Pain points that Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) addresses include security, reducing time, and providing automation. I have given this product a review rating of 9 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)