OStatic

By an anonymous user on Apr. 20, 2008

CentOS is based on the exact same code base as RHEL. Plus, you do not have to use the RedHat Network for your updates, and you can rely on the community for tested patches, as well as tested modules.

The only non-free aspect of RedHat Enterprise Linux is the actual update code for communicating with the RedHat Network, so you can replace that with CentOS's updates and you will basically have the same solution.

By an anonymous user on Apr. 21, 2008

Unbreakable Linux by Oracle is actually a great alternative. It is only $99 for an annual subscription, and uses an update manager similar to the one shipped with RHEL. Instead of the RHN, you connect to Oracle's system.

If you have existing deployments, you can simply replace those with UL's manager and you will be ready to manage those boxes too.

It looks like RedHat was not affected a lot by this, but this is definitely something that will be a very viable alternative, especially given Oracle's presence.

In the spirit of disclosure, I am in NO WAY employed by Oracle or its affiliates, but I do use Unbreakable Linux!