Image: Oracle

Past now you're probably suffering from CentOS exposure–it'due south been all over the identify. Every twenty-four hour period, someone is writing about what Red Hat did to the beloved Linux distribution that powers so many information centers and services. The reaction has been so abrupt, that many forks of CentOS have begun to pop up. Some of these forks await seriously promising, fifty-fifty drib-in i:one binary compatibility with RHEL 8. When those forks appear, the landscape will most probable shift. However, until then, where's a business concern to plough?

Do yous go with CentOS 8 Stream? Some might. Others, on the other hand, see Stream as an incommunicable option, due to cPanel pulling back up, which is a very big deal.

What do y'all do? Yous could plow to Oracle Linux. Before you protestation, I didn't say you should plough to Oracle Linux; I said you lot could.

Why did I feel the need to make that clarification?

Let me explain, and then I'll get into why Oracle Linux is a viable choice.

SEE: Kubernetes security guide (complimentary PDF) (TechRepublic)

The vitriol toward Oracle

Oracle and open source accept always had a love/hate relationship–mostly detest. Every fourth dimension Oracle says or does something positive about or for open source, it'south followed upwardly by something negative. For example, back in 2017 Oracle joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. That was a good motility. Then it followed upward by saying to the U.s. government:

"There is no math that can justify open source from a cost perspective as the cost of support, plus the opportunity cost of forgoing features, functions, automation, and security overwhelm whatever presumed cost savings."

Larry Ellison describes Oracle every bit a profit-seeking corporation, not a peace-loving charity. In fact, Ellison has a long history of making offers to donate millions and then retracting said offers with little to no explanation.

And then there'south OpenOffice. You recollect that. Oracle buys OpenOffice, but then offers nil patches, no timelines, no customs advice, and the only attention given was to Fortune 500 contributors. Oracle'south failed management of OpenOffice led to LibreOffice.

What about MySQL? Same thing happens. Oracle buys the software and kicked information technology to the curb, hoping to drive users to Oracle DB. That led to the creation of MariaDB.

Why would you trust Oracle Linux?

If I'm being honest in doling out my opinion, you lot probably shouldn't, but if you lot're drastic for a CentOS replacement, Oracle Linux is an selection. Although Oracle Linux is free to use on as many machines as you lot similar (for as long every bit you like), you lot'll have to pay for back up. To observe our more than near back up costs, visit the Oracle Back up site.

It had been some time since I kicked the tires of Oracle Linux, so I downloaded an ISO and spun up a virtual machine.

Surprisingly impressed

I tin't lie, I didn't hate it. I wanted to. I wanted to spit at the screen and shout, "Traitor!" However, truth be told, I couldn't. Oracle Linux ran really well as a virtual machine. The one caveat is that I had to install the kernel headers to get the Invitee Additions to install which is done with the post-obit command: 

sudo dnf install kernel-uek-devel-`uname -r`

Of class, not hating something is a far cry from really recommending something. To those looking for a distribution for cPanel, proceed looking, as the hosting platform doesn't back up Oracle Linux. That's a big difficult laissez passer for a lot of admins.

I still, even so, haven't answered the but of import question:

Outside of the distaste for Oracle and the lack of cPanel support, is Oracle Linux a viable distribution?

Performance and stability

If you're not looking to host cPanel, hither's where the proverbial rubber meets the metaphorical route. If there's 1 thing Oracle Linux has over CentOS, information technology'due south performance. Out of the box, I immediately noticed how well the server distribution performed.

For example, ane of my biggest complaints with CentOS was how long updates and software installation could take. Compared to the likes of Ubuntu, CentOS was painfully tedious. Given that Oracle and CentOS are quite like in pedigree, I assumed the same issue would concur true.

I was pleasantly surprised. Updating Oracle Linux is on par with Ubuntu. In fact, I've never seen a RHEL-based server distribution upgrade this quickly. Even upgrading the kernel is fast–applications and services perform very well. A full LAMP stack was on par with any I'd ever used.

Equally for stability, Oracle Linux is rock solid. In the month I kicked the tires, the only hiccups I experienced were:

  • Getting the kernel headers installed for the VirtualBox guest additions.

  • Forgetting to enable network connections to automatically enable.

That's pretty impressive, given that I'd oftentimes run into various types of issues with CentOS, such as networking randomly failing.

Truthfully, during my testing of Oracle Linux, it was an absolute rock. Considering I wasn't looking to host cPanel, there were zero complaints I could register, and trust me, I was prepared for all sorts of complaints. They only didn't happen.

So, to answer the question "Is Oracle Linux a valid replacement for CentOS?," I would have to say this:

If y'all demand cPanel, information technology'southward a difficult laissez passer. If you need a general server operating system that'll feel as much like CentOS as you lot'll detect bachelor for free and perform like a champ, Oracle Linux might be just what you're looking for…until the forks start arriving. Or not.

That darned caveat

I get it–nosotros're all supposed to hate Oracle. I've held enough of disdain for the company over the years. I've spoken out against them, assumed the failures of the software in the portfolio was 100% due to project mismanagement, and avoided much of what they offer. With the latest CentOS kerfuffle, we find ourselves with the uncomfortable task of introducing "rock" to "hard place." As much equally I want to, there's no denying that Oracle Linux is a solid option for your information center.

So it is with a slight stain on my open source soul that I recommend Oracle Linux as your replacement for CentOS. And then long every bit y'all do not need cPanel and you don't actually intendance most Oracle's reputation, this Linux distribution will serve y'all and your business quite well.

It's lightning fast, stone solid stable, and every bit easy to use as any RHEL-based operating organisation. Of course, if you're already invested in the Oracle ecosystem, Oracle Linux is a no-brainer. This platform will perform on Oracle Deject as if it were made to be there (fancy that) and volition run Oracle Database better than any on the market.

Finish result? Oracle Linux is most certainly a viable option for your information middle–then long equally you tin get past their history with open source and you don't need cPanel.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the latest tech advice for business pros from Jack Wallen.