The difference between CentOS and Redhat Linux

Introduction to CentOS

CentOS is community ENTerprise operating system abbreviation, we have a lot of people call it the Community enterprise operating system, no matter what you call it, it is a Linux operating system release version.

CentOS is not a brand new Linux distribution, and everyone seems to have heard it when it comes to Red hat. In the Red Hat family there is an enterprise version of the product, which is Red Hat Enterprise Linux (hereinafter referred to as RHEL), CentOS is the clone version of this Rhel. Rhel is a Linux distribution that is used by many businesses and needs to be paid to Red Hat for service and technical support and version upgrades. CentOS can build a Linux system environment like Rhel, but does not need to pay any product and service fees to Red hat, without any paid technical support and upgrade services.

Red Hat Linux (such as redhat8,9) and the enterprise-issued version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux are available and available for free via web FTP, but in 2003 Red Hat Linux stopped publishing, and its project was replaced by Fedora Project, which was released with the name Fedora Core and offered for free use by ordinary users. Fedora Core, the Linux release, is updated quickly, with a new release around half a year or so. The current version is Fedora Core 6, the Fedora Core test has a strong flavor, each release has a new function to be added to it, the successful results will be adopted in the Rhel release. In spite of this, frequent, improved and updated unstable products are not the best choice for the enterprise, most enterprises will choose paid Rhel products (which has deep meaning, for example, enterprises with Linux to make money, make money to return to the enterprise, funds in the circulation between enterprises, pay back the community, improve service standards, etc.).

In most of the packages that make up Rhel, it's based on the GPL protocol, which is what we often call open source software. Because of this, Red hat company also follows this agreement, will constitute the Rhel package public release, as long as is under the GPL agreement, anyone can develop and release on the basis of the original software composition. CentOS is the way to build a Linux distribution of Rhel clones on the basis of Rhel release. The clone version of Rhel is not just centos, but also white Box Enterprise Linux and Tao Linux and Scientific Linux (none of which has been heard, right?).

Although the cloning of Rhel, but not exactly the same, the cloning is said to have 100% interchangeability (really?). But does not guarantee the corresponding Rhel software to CentOS above also can 100% normal work. And the correction of vulnerabilities and the upgrading of packages corresponding to Rhel's paid services and technical support, there are also (in fact, not much slower) the number of months of delays in several days and weeks.

Characteristics of CentOS

In the full name of CentOS we can see the enterprise OS, that is, the enterprise system, the enterprise system is not an enterprise-level system, but it can provide enterprise-class applications required by the elements.

For example:

A stable environment

Long-term upgrade update support

Conservative strong

Large-scale systems can also perform very good performance

CentOS to meet the above elements, to meet the above elements of the distribution and fedora. Fedora and CentOS are very much alike, but for CentOS, Fedora offers more new features and software, faster release updates, and so on, which adds a lot of work to stability and management. The system environment required by an enterprise should be an efficient and stable system environment, a system environment that can be used for a long time after construction, so the system environment that is frequently updated and released by Fedora does not correspond to the application of the enterprise. On the other hand, CentOS is able to meet the needs of the above enterprises, in a number of Rhel cloned version, CentOS is very outstanding and excellent.

The difference between CentOS and RHEL

Why are there CentOS in fact? What's the relationship between CentOS and RHEL?

There are two ways to RHEL when it is released. One is the binary distribution and the other is the way the source code is distributed.

Either way, you can get it for free (for example, download from the Internet) and publish it again. But if you use their online upgrades (including patches) or consulting services, you'll have to pay for them.

RHEL has always provided the source code distribution, CentOS is the release of the source of RHEL, a new version of the code to form a binary. Since LINUX's source code is GNU, it is legal to get RHEL source code to compile into a new binary. Just REDHAT is a trademark, so it is necessary to remove the REDHAT logo in the new release.

REDHAT's approach to this release is: "We don't really object to this release, the people who really pay us, they don't value the system, it's the business services we offer." ”

So, CentOS can get all the features of RHEL, even better software. But CentOS does not offer business support to users, nor does it have any commercial responsibility.

I'm moving my RHEL to CentOS, because I don't want to pay for RHEL upgrades. Of course, it's because I've had years of experience with UNIX, so RHEL's business technology support is not important to me.

But if you are a simple business-oriented enterprise, then I suggest you buy RHEL software and purchase the corresponding service. This will save you your IT overhead and be professionally serviced.

In a word, choose CentOS or RHEL, depending on whether your company has the corresponding technical force.

Add:

1, CentOS also fixed some as bugs, such as the installation process of the package selection problem

2, CentOS increased the Yum online upgrade

3,

CentOS-3.1 = as3-update1 CentOS-3.2 = As3-update2 CentOS-3.3 = As3-update3 CentOS-3.4 = As3-update4 CentOS-3.5 = As3-update5 CentOS-4.0 = AS4 CentOS-4.1 = as4-update1

4, the use of CentOS is completely legal, does not involve copyright issues

5, access to CentOS is very convenient, the world provides more than 10 site mirroring (HTTP/FTP), as well as the BT way (perennial supply of seeds).

CentOS (Community ENTerprise operating System) is one of the Linux distributions that compiles the source code of Red Hat ENTerprise Linux (primarily to remove the Red Hat logo). Why does Red Hat tolerate CentOS's behavior? CentOS Downloads source code from Red Hat server, compiles, grants free, does not provide paid business support. Red Hat releases an upgrade patch, and CentOS will also release patches after a few hours or up to a few days. CentOS is perfectly legal, and Red hat has nothing to do with it, and its business is based on open source mode. But CentOS is indeed eating Red Hat's market, and it can be seen from Google trends. In the present case, the damage caused by CentOS has not yet reached the point where red Hat has to change the business model. The advantage is that it forces Red hat to speed up innovation so that it stays ahead of other Linux server distributions. The real victims of CentOS's great success are other distributions, such as Novell's Sles,ubuntu server.