Red Hat Enterprise Linux serves a variety of purposes in our organization. Initially, we used it for web hosting and web application support. We've since expanded its use to banking, where it serves as the foundation for our applications, and to containerization projects utilizing Podman.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP with HA and Update Services 9.2
Amazon Web ServicesExternal reviews
External reviews are not included in the AWS star rating for the product.
Achieve development uniformity with advanced operating system and Ansible integration
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has brought uniformity and standardization to our workflows, providing excellent support enhanced by using Ansible. This has allowed us to centralize development and standardize all our systems.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux enabled us to centralize development by providing a standard system used across the board. This streamlines development by consolidating our efforts into one system with a single template for deployment and maintenance.
We are successfully using Red Hat Podman for containerization projects without any negative impact.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux's support and broad community assistance minimize the effort required to reduce risk, maintain business continuity, and ensure compliance.
Red Hat's container platform enhances organizational agility through the portability of applications and containers. Its centralized approach, which consolidates all resources in a single repository, streamlines operations and reduces management overhead. This robust system simplifies maintenance and ensures consistency across the platform.
What is most valuable?
My favorite feature is Ansible.
What needs improvement?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux could improve its communication slightly, but even that is already quite good. They could become the most efficient solution by focusing on improving areas where there is always room for enhancement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Regarding scalability, it's enterprise software, so we can make it as big as we want.
How are customer service and support?
Red Hat's customer service and support are excellent. For example, when we experienced instability with IBM DB2, their support team helped us optimize the system for our specific use case and implementation.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before I started with our company, they used CentOS. Later, they transitioned to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
What was our ROI?
The greatest return on investment from Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the support received.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Companies considering open-source systems are often startups or those seeking platform flexibility. Switching to Red Hat Enterprise Linux due to subscription costs can be a significant financial step.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux nine out of ten.
While Rocky Linux is a viable open-source alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux for those seeking a cloud-based operating system, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription offers numerous advantages beyond the operating system itself and may be a worthwhile investment, depending on budget.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Enhanced deployment control through effective API integration and management
What is our primary use case?
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for configuration management of on-premise servers within the bank, making it a bank-wide solution.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is hosted in the cloud, but the use cases are for on-premises.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux enabled centralized development by controlling deployments through features like sign-in, role-based access control, and Ansible Tower. The API integration enhanced control by standardizing deployments, providing oversight, and enabling management from a central location.
It facilitates easier environment management and performs well in that aspect, as we haven't encountered any issues.
Regarding the portability of applications for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the only tool we utilize is Ansible Tower. Its ease of use on servers and local machines, consistent interface and debugging process ensure a streamlined workflow regardless of the platform.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux significantly enhances the bank's capacity to manage numerous deployments. Its integration with Ansible Tower provides exceptional scalability, which has proven invaluable. Furthermore, the seamless integration change simplifies deployment management, making it substantially more efficient.
What is most valuable?
API integration streamlines connections with other tools, simplifying data sharing and enhancing workflow efficiency. Features like sign-in, role-based access control, and API integration provide crucial control over deployments.
What needs improvement?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux packaging could be improved to simplify infrastructure maintenance and provisioning. While Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a robust operating system, managing it alongside external tools can present maintenance, provisioning, and compliance challenges. Streamlining the packaging process would enhance efficiency and ease of use for administrators.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a stable platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is highly scalable. By adding more hosts and doubling the number of VMs, it has successfully worked for our needs.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support responds quickly to urgent issues, but minor bugs may take a considerable amount of time to resolve.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our projects utilized various solutions, including XLD and UCD, as well as some legacy technologies. Red Hat Enterprise Linux proved easier to configure than previous platforms, offering greater flexibility and alignment with current best practices.
How was the initial setup?
While I lack direct deployment experience, I understand that Red Hat Enterprise Linux facilitates straightforward modifications, minimizing concerns about system disruptions.
What was our ROI?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers the greatest return on investment through its invaluable support, which is crucial for our critical applications. The comprehensive documentation and extensive resources, including Q&A and solutions to previous issues, are also essential.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux nine out of ten.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers robust built-in security features that help with risk reduction, business continuity, and compliance. However, hosting external tools within a bank environment can create challenges in synchronizing policies and meeting security expectations. Ensuring the tool's security configurations align with the bank's server requirements can be complex, but this challenge is not unique to Ansible and is a common issue when integrating external tools into secure environments.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers greater control and a higher level of security compared to some open-source alternatives, which can be crucial for enterprise applications where stability and reliability are paramount. This focus on security is a key factor in choosing Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Enables a stable, more secure environment that is well-supported
What is our primary use case?
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for our infrastructure, and in recent years, we have also been using it for Ansible, primarily for appliance deployment on the customer side.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is deployed on-premises on our virtual machines.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux provided our organization with increased stability over the past decade.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has allowed us to centralize development and focus on our projects by providing a consolidated platform for our enterprise distribution.
We are satisfied with Red Hat's built-in security features, which effectively reduce risk, ensure business continuity, and maintain compliance. Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a more secure operating system than other Linux solutions due to its robust security features and a supported kernel that receives regular security updates.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux, when used with Ansible, has significantly automated various tasks, leading to a reduction in the total cost of ownership.
It has helped save the organization costs.
What is most valuable?
I find the most valuable aspect of Red Hat Enterprise Linux to be its comprehensive support, encompassing both technical and security issues.
Red Hat's comprehensive documentation eliminates the need to contact technical support for any issues encountered.
What needs improvement?
The deployment learning curve for Red Hat Enterprise Linux could be more user-friendly.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for 14 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers exceptional stability, with downtime limited to scheduled maintenance periods.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Although Red Hat Enterprise Linux is designed for scalability, our current deployments are not large.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our organization has always used Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
How was the initial setup?
Deploying Red Hat Enterprise Linux can be challenging, but the documentation provides valuable assistance.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed in-house.
What was our ROI?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux offers a significant return on investment through Ansible, a powerful tool that enables the automation of our environment.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux nine out of ten.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux distinguishes itself from other vendors by offering exceptional support and ensuring that organizations have readily available assistance when needed.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the industry standard compared to other Linux vendors.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux i love most in linux world
A solid and secure operating system with excellent support
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case for Red Hat Enterprise Linux is automation. We have Ansible running on some Red Hat Enterprise Linux servers, and a lot of it is geared towards automation. We have the automation of processes like patching, upgrades, OS enhancements, or OS upgrades. Additionally, our stores run on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is pretty secure, but we rely on our network products to handle a lot of our security. We have Cisco products. These servers that we are currently running are not necessarily tightened down on the ports, traffic, etc. We rely on Cisco firewalling to handle a lot of the traffic, load balancing, and so forth. I have not configured a lot of security per se right on the server itself at a kernel level.
I like the knowledge base. They have a pretty good knowledge base portal. On their website, they have a lot of great classes. I do appreciate doing that. I have taken several myself, so I am pretty impressed by that.
We use Ansible Playbooks for patching our devices, especially those that are out in the field. We are using Ansible Playbooks to handle patching. We are using the systemctl command that goes into the repos to grab whatever patches we need. So far, the management experience has been good.
What is most valuable?
I have used a lot of different Linux distributions, and one thing that I like about Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the support. The support from Red Hat is very good. They offer excellent customer and vendor support.
The ease of training is great, and I appreciate products like Ansible Tower.
Its interface is good. It is a very solid operating system.
What needs improvement?
Some of the documentation that I have run into or encountered appeared to be a bit outdated. That would be an area for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux since early 2000. It has been about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is very stable. I have not experienced any instances of crashing with the Red Hat servers that I have worked on.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Other than the issues with the legacy software or some of the IBM AS/400 that we tried to add to it, it has been pretty seamless. Building them out and migration to the data center or the VMware environment has been pretty seamless.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service is great. We use a support portal to open a ticket, and the response time is good. We usually get an email response or an update to the ticketing system, and then if necessary, we get a callback within four hours. The response time also depends on the priority. If we are looking at a massive data center outage, I am sure it is a priority one. Most of the tickets I submitted took one to four hours.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used SUSE in the past. They have a pretty good support system. They have got a good OS. I am not sure what the market share is for those guys, but they are pretty good.
How was the initial setup?
Our environment is a combination of the cloud and on-premises, but we primarily use Red Hat Enterprise Linux on-prem. We have a few development test servers running on Azure. They are not used in production. They are just for testing.
I was involved with the migration from SUSE to Red Hat, but that was close to a decade ago.
From what I recall, the initial setup was not that difficult. We did have some engineers from Red Hat who came out to help us. It would have been more difficult if we did not have them there, but from my recollection, it was not very challenging or difficult. We were able to get that done pretty quickly. There were some issues with legacy software, but those applications were built on the Windows platform. They were a little bit of a mess. Other than that, it appeared to go pretty smoothly for us.
It does not require much maintenance. Other than patching and keeping up with bulletins as to what might be out there, there is not much. There is not a huge amount of maintenance. They run pretty solidly. The uptime is great. I do not have to restart a lot of these servers. I might have to restart a service here and there, but nothing that I can remember.
What about the implementation team?
We had help from Red Hat engineers during the implementation.
What was our ROI?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a much more secure and stable system than Windows infrastructure, and the support is also great. Of course, you pay for the support.
We were able to see its benefits after some time. Some of the returns are seen after a while, not immediately. Sometimes, migrations might be difficult to do if you are running legacy software.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not involved in the budgetary aspect, but from what I understand, the pricing is competitive, similar to what we paid for SUSE.
What other advice do I have?
Having a solid foundation in Linux can be very helpful. Learn as much as possible. Automation has become a very important part of the industry now. Learning how to automate with Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker, and Python along with Red Hat Enterprise Linux should set you up for success.
We have not tried Red Hat Enterprise Linux Image Builder or System Roles. Image Builder sounds good, but I have not tried Image Builder. We build our images from vCenter. Image Builder would definitely be something to check out.
Using it in a hybrid environment is a very interesting concept, where we keep some of the hardware and applications on-prem and then maybe rely on Red Hat to handle some of the networking or other configurations externally. I would like to try that hybrid approach.
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Daily use enables in-depth system troubleshooting with helpful customer support
What is our primary use case?
We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux as our server operating system to install and configure various applications. Its uses include system troubleshooting, DNS configuration, and many other tasks, especially in a mixed environment with Ubuntu.
How has it helped my organization?
Patching Red Hat Enterprise Linux in our environment is a straightforward process that utilizes Red Hat Satellite. We identify necessary patches for production servers in the content view and notify customers two days in advance via email. Before patching, we verify the Nagios servers for identification purposes. We then execute a pre-configured Ansible playbook to efficiently patch our 300 servers. This playbook was already established, and our only interaction with it is to run it.
The web console is handy, especially for tasks like command line operations. Its secure environment allows for the safe execution of queries.
What is most valuable?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is most valued for its reliability, as evidenced by my daily use.
What needs improvement?
The documentation needs improvement. Providing more detailed explanations would make it easier to work on projects.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for my entire career, which spans over eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is stable. There has been no significant issue regarding lagging or downtime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat is highly scalable and essential in the industry. I would rate scalability nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support from Red Hat is good. They are always there to help when needed.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Ubuntu, and Kali Linux alongside Red Hat.
How was the initial setup?
I have been involved with migrations to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which are not complex. For example, migrating to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or 8 is easy, requiring only the installation of necessary dependencies and the creation of a file to sync files to the new system.
What about the implementation team?
I typically work as part of a team rather than implementing integrations on my own.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux is quite expensive, particularly its technical support, which can cost $500 per hour.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux nine out of ten.
Realizing the benefits of Red Hat Enterprise Linux took time, as post-deployment troubleshooting was often necessary. This included tasks like opening ports and verifying functionality, which were sometimes prerequisites for the system to operate. These requirements varied depending on the specific application used and its security needs.
We perform maintenance on Red Hat Enterprise Linux every weekend, including backups. Incremental backups are done daily, while full backups are completed every weekend.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Essential
RHEL user experience
Provides enhanced system availability with improved security and file performance
What is our primary use case?
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux to control my Docker systems and build and run containers on them. I also use it for a tokenization project I'm working on.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has improved the availability and security of our systems. The knowledge base, Wiki forums, and other resources are very helpful in simplifying my daily operations. We realized the benefits immediately after deployment.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are the availability, file system performance, and overall system availability. The kernel is more secure than my previous operating systems, such as Windows. Red Hat's knowledge base is helpful. I consult it several times in my daily work. I can ask questions on the forums and get help in my daily operations.
Using Red Hat Enterprise Linux's image builder is easy. I can use GitAI to pull any image I want to build on my system and reach into it using Red Hat. I use Convert2RHEL to publish my work on tokenization. I'm publishing more than 70 prints on my system daily, and saving this file. It's easy to use.
What needs improvement?
There are performance issues with the response time when accessing the console, but I'm unsure if that's Red Hat Enterprise Linux's fault or if it's due to the lack of CPU or memory on our machines. The enterprise interface could be improved. I can only use the keyboard to transfer files from one system to another. I want to use my mouse on the interface, not just scroll up and down. I would also like my logs archived as an RAR and sent to me.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is critical to us. Red Hat Enterprise Linux ensures our machine's availability and reduces the need for frequent restarts.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted customer or technical support myself. Our infrastructure team handles any contacts with Red Hat support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Ubuntu before. Red Hat has a more robust knowledge base, and finding solutions to any problem is easier.
How was the initial setup?
The infrastructure team handled the initial setup. I'm a software engineer working on my applications. The infrastructure team builds the machine, and I only use it. It was relatively easy, depending on the complexity of the deployment configuration. After deployment, we have maintenance on our machine if there are new patches to deploy. I have three machines, and each one is identical, with the same containers, so I don't need to do maintenance on our machines more than once monthly.
What other advice do I have?
It is important to use the knowledge base and familiarize oneself with key commands to gain more about Linux and ease its usage.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
We get better performance, reliability, and security with this operating system
What is our primary use case?
We use this operating system for our on-prem servers because it is more secure and reliable. We can install whatever application we want.
How has it helped my organization?
I chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux because it is more secure and reliable than other operating systems. Red Hat has a feature called SELinux. I always use it because it is more secure than the other operating systems. I am using it with most of the applications. It is our baseline OS for any application.
The built-in security features are helpful when it comes to simplifying risk reduction and maintaining compliance.
Red Hat has very useful documentation. I always use it when I face an error or something like that. It is very reliable, and I use it all the time.
Over the last three to four years, I did not work in just one environment. I worked in two environments, but all the time we used Red Hat Enterprise Linux, we got more security and reliability. We have seen performance enhancement and less downtime for our main application. There is more reliability and better performance. It has improved our environment. We now have better performance, more reliability, and more security. There is about 30% to 50% improvement.
I have previously worked in the banking sector for one of the banks. We can now configure Red Hat Enterprise Linux for PCI-DSS Compliance. It has improved in that aspect.
What is most valuable?
SELinux is valuable. The main reasons for using Red Hat Enterprise Linux are security, reliability, and efficiency. The system is very reliable, and it is more efficient than others.
What needs improvement?
It is not very easy to manage because it has a command line interface, and it can be a little bit confusing from one version to another. For example, the administration of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is a bit different than Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9. It is a little bit hard but not that much.
The GUI experience can be better. They can make it easier to access files and copy them. We should be able to do that without the command line. For example, if you compare it with Windows, Windows is easier to use. They can just simplify the user experience.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is stable. I would rate it an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I did not face any issue with scalability, so I would rate it a nine out of ten.
We implemented it at the HQ and the DR site. We used it at two locations. We had 100 to 200 users using these servers.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with Windows Server. From a security perspective, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is more secure. From a performance perspective, Red Hat Enterprise Linux has better performance, but from the ease of management perspective, Windows is better.
How was the initial setup?
The installation at the application layer is a little bit complex. The duration depends on the application, but most of the application takes months. Implementing an easy application or service, such as a web service, takes two to three days.
When it comes to the management, I manage it locally. I go through SSH on the command line and manage it. For security patching and updates, most of the time, I use Red Hat Satellite. It is a product from Red Hat for managing updates. Red Hat Satellite is easy to use and very helpful. I have upgraded from Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.
When it comes to security patches, they require a restart. That can cause some downtime.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I do not have much knowledge of licensing. That is handled by the procurement team, but I know that it is expensive. If they can provide more licensing options, it will be much easier for companies to buy.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Red Hat Enterprise Linux because it is more secure, reliable, and scalable.
I used System Roles two years ago. It was simple to use System Roles. I succeeded in implementing them, so it was simple. They can be managed, but I used them only one time, so I do not have this much experience with them.
I also used a service called Cockpit. It was easy to use. It was very helpful and easy.
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux an eight out of ten.