Shulou(Shulou.com)06/01 Report--

How to choose the Linux version of the data center, I believe that many inexperienced people do not know what to do, so this paper summarizes the causes of the problem and solutions, through this article I hope you can solve this problem.

Several years ago, IDC began to prepare letter of credit numbers for free (self-supported) Linux. The paid version of Linux released includes Novel's SUSE Linux enterprise server, Oracle's enterprise Linux, Red Flag Linux server, Red Hat enterprise Linux, Turbolinux server and Ubuntu Linux server. The free version includes CentOS, Debian, Fedora, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, OpenSUSE, Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Ubuntu server.

There is still a lot of debate about whether Linux should be charged. Do you have to pay for all Linux? What are the benefits of both the Linux paid version and the free version? Why are some users willing to pay for Linux while others are not? Which workloads are more suitable for the free version?

For paid Linux vendors such as Red Hat, Linux binaries are not allowed to download, but Red Hat's enterprise Linux source code is available for download. If you buy an enterprise-class Linux from Red Hat for $349, you can get its binaries and basic technical support, such as installation, configuration, bug fixes, and security patches. If you need a "better" support, you need to pay more for it. This is the same as Novell's SUSE Linux enterprise server.

In addition, you can download CentOS binaries for free. CentOS is basically a compiled version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), but does not provide technical support for Red Hat.

Cases of free or self-supporting linux

You may be one of many users who complain that support for a paid version of Linux is only at the core of a system failure. If you find that the technical support of the paid version of Linux purchased does not involve non-core issues, but that you are completing the support task on your own, you must consider: since you have already paid a certain amount of work, why not use a free version of Linux such as CentOS.

In the absence of a technical support plan, you should not consider using the free Linux. Technical support programs usually depend on the level of the company's support staff. But in any case, some companies want someone to call or be responsible for a problem when something goes wrong, even if they already have Linux expertise.

Companies with strong technical capabilities (that is, their Linux support staff have sufficient technical expertise) and / or those that see licenses as a major challenge often choose to be responsible for technical support themselves. They download bug fixes and security patches, which are supported by their Linux experts. They can accomplish the same task in a more cost-effective and timely manner than the way they order support for each Linux system in the data center. Obviously, there are many self-supporting Linux systems, which means that 46% of the deployed Linux is free.

The case of paid Linux ordering

You may use paid technical support from 24x7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to run critical business tasks such as data warehouse, OLTP, ERP and CRM with a response time of one or two hours, and system shutdown will greatly disrupt your business and its customer service operations. Generally speaking, the paid version has better compatibility, interoperability and application support than the free version.

As the system becomes more and more complex, you should consider a paid version of Linux, because the problems you face may not be solved by internal technical support staff. However, if you have the right technical support staff, you can also consider using the free version of Linux to do non-critical business work, especially for high capacity, non-critical work and application / development. Consider using the free version of Linux.

Until recently, paid versions have attracted the attention of independent software vendors (ISV). But the new approach that ISV is trying to deliver applications has far-reaching implications for the use of free Linux. ISV do not have to pay commercial Linux vendors such as Novell and Red Hat to use their software products heavily, so the prices of related software products will be lower.

Pressure on Linux suppliers to achieve a use-oriented pricing model

Compared with the Linux used to run the equipment in the production mode, some Linux must have different levels of support and price. This is sometimes called use-oriented pricing. IT managers must put pressure on commercial Linux suppliers to reduce costs. Commercial Linux vendors must implement use-oriented pricing to reduce the number of free versions.

So far, commercial Linux suppliers have not adopted a use-oriented pricing approach. Novell and Red Hat provide basic support services at $349 per server. They believe this will meet the need for low-cost orders such as testing / development, and they believe that most companies will not pay by pricing anyway.

During the economic downturn, self-support Linux has increased

Due to the poor economic environment in 2008 and 2009, many users have begun to use the free version of Linux. From 2007 to 2008, shipments of the free version of Linux grew by as much as four times as much as the paid version of Linux. More than 20% of SUSE Linux enterprise servers are free, while more than 25% of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are free.

Novell accounts for more than 10% of all free Linux, while Red Hat accounts for nearly 30% of free Linux. The shipment share of Red Hat's free version of Linux is larger than that of Novell's paid Linux, which makes the free version of RHEL a bigger problem than Novell. Ubuntu accounts for only a small share of paid Linux and free Linux deployments, but their share is expected to grow in the coming years.

The problem is not just that some companies have decided to replace the paid version of Linux with a free version of Linux: the key problem is that some companies are breaking contracts with their commercial Linux suppliers. For example, if you have paid Red Hat for RHEL orders and use these order deployment systems, there is a clause in your contract with Red Hat that requires you to pay for all Red Hat enterprise Linux deployments. Otherwise, you will violate your contract with Red Hat Company. However, some companies are using more Red Hat Enterprise Linux than they pay.

In the next few years, we will see more and more companies reconsidering the paid version of Linux used in their data centers, while non-critical business work will move to the free version of Linux.

About the author: Bill Claybrook is a market research analyst with 30 years of experience in the computer industry and 10 years of experience in Linux and open source code, with a doctorate in computer science. From 1999 to 2004, Bill worked at Boston's Aberdenn Group as research director of Linux and open source code. After four and a half years at Novll, he quit his job as an analyst / Linux product market positioning in 2009 and is now at Mass. Concord NewRiver is the president of the market research company.

After reading the above, have you mastered how to choose the Linux version in the data center? If you want to learn more skills or want to know more about it, you are welcome to follow the industry information channel, thank you for reading!

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