RHEL
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| RHEL | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
| Developer | Red Hat |
| Family | Linux |
| Source model | Open source |
| Released | 22 February 2000 |
| Latest release version | 9.4 |
| Latest release date | 07 May 2024 |
| Marketing target | Commercial enterprise |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| Package manager | RPM Package Manager |
| Userland | GNU |
| Ui | GNOME |
| License | GNU General Public License and others |
| Working state | Current |
| Predecessor | Red Hat Linux |
RHEL. It is a commercial Linux distribution developed by Red Hat, designed specifically for the enterprise market. The operating system is renowned for its stability, long-term support, and stringent certification with hardware and software vendors. It is a downstream product derived from the community-driven Fedora project but is built with a focus on reliability and security for mission-critical deployments.
Overview
RHEL is built from the Linux kernel and the GNU userland, utilizing the RPM Package Manager system for software distribution. Its default graphical interface is GNOME, and it is engineered to run on a wide array of hardware platforms, including x86-64, ARM64, IBM Power Systems, and IBM Z. The distribution is a cornerstone of many modern data center and cloud computing environments, forming the base for platforms like Red Hat OpenShift. Its development and release cycle are meticulously managed, with each major version receiving full support for a decade.
History
The lineage of RHEL traces back to the original Red Hat Linux, which was first released in the mid-1990s. In 2003, the company merged the Red Hat Linux development stream with the community-oriented Fedora project, establishing a clear separation between its free, cutting-edge offering and its commercial, stable enterprise product. Key milestones in its evolution include the introduction of the systemd init system and the XFS file system as defaults. The acquisition of Red Hat by IBM in 2019 marked a significant corporate shift, further integrating RHEL into the broader enterprise IT landscape.
Features
RHEL incorporates numerous features aimed at enterprise stability and security. These include SELinux for mandatory access control, the Firewalld dynamic firewall manager, and the Cockpit web-based administration interface. It offers robust container support through tools like Podman and Buildah, and includes comprehensive virtualization capabilities via Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM). The operating system also provides advanced clustering and high-availability solutions through the Red Hat High Availability Add-On and supports in-place upgrades between major releases.
Editions and variants
Red Hat offers RHEL through several primary subscription tiers, including Server, Workstation, and Desktop editions. For specific use cases, specialized variants exist, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux for SAP Solutions and Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Real Time. Furthermore, tailored images are available for major public clouds like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. The Red Hat Universal Base Image (UBI) provides a foundation for building and distributing containerized applications that are compatible with RHEL environments.
Development and support model
Development follows a rigorous process where packages are first introduced and tested in the Fedora project. Promising features are then hardened and integrated into RHEL's multi-year development branches. The support model guarantees ten years of lifecycle support for each major release, divided into full and maintenance phases, with regular security and bug-fix errata. Access to all software packages, updates, and support portals is governed by a paid subscription, which is a central tenet of Red Hat's business model.
Relationship with Fedora and CentOS
RHEL maintains a symbiotic relationship with the Fedora project, which serves as its upstream, innovation-focused source. In turn, RHEL acts as the upstream for the CentOS project, which historically provided a free, binary-compatible rebuild. This dynamic changed with the introduction of CentOS Stream, which now positions itself as a rolling preview of the next minor RHEL release. These relationships form a core part of the so-called "Red Hat ecosystem," influencing broader community projects like Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux.
Adoption and market share
RHEL holds a dominant position in the enterprise Linux market, particularly within corporate data centers, financial institutions, and government agencies. It is the preferred operating system for running critical workloads on platforms from vendors like Oracle Corporation and SAP SE. Its widespread adoption in cloud computing is evidenced by its availability as a default or premium image on virtually all major cloud providers. The operating system's reliability has also made it a common choice for hosting complex applications in sectors such as healthcare, telecommunications, and scientific research.
Category:Linux distributions Category:Red Hat software