Oracle Linux
Oracle Linux is an Open Source, free RHEL derivative developed by Oracle to be 100% application binary compatible alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Support Tiers
- Basic Support: Available for 10 years for versions 5-9 from date of release. Includes access to patches, fixes, security patches and security alerts.
- Premier Support: Available for 10 years for versions 5-9 from date of release. Includes access to patches, fixes, security patches and security alerts. Additionally includes live kernel patching (Certain security patches that may be applied without a reboot).
- Extended Support: Available for a limited time, after Premier Support ends, as per agreement with Oracle. Includes patches and fixes for critical security errata and select high-impact critical bug fixes. Updates are limited to select packages listed at https://linux.oracle.com/es/packagelist.html. Also includes live kernel patching.
- Sustaining Support: Available after Extended support ends. Does not include any new security fixes or alerts.
Differences with Upstream RHEL:
- Unlike RHEL, Oracle Linux does not support point releases once a newer one is available. Once a new minor point release is available, the older one is immediately considered end of life and users must upgrade to continue receiving security updates. For example once 8.5 gets a general release, 8.4 is immediately end of life. Whereas on RHEL this is not the case.
- Oracle Linux offers different support periods than upstream RHEL, with extra fees for using extended support which is explained here
- By default, Oracle Linux does not use the same kernel upstream RHEL uses, instead they support their own kernel builds called UEK which may not be compatible with upstream kernels. There is a Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK) available as an alternative.
More information is available on the Oracle Linux website.
You should be running one of the supported release numbers listed above in the rightmost column.
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Oracle Linux Support
Oracle’s worldwide, around-the-clock, cost-effective Linux support is offered in 145 countries for traditional, cloud-based, or virtual environments.
Oracle Linux Support benefits
Support coverage
Description
Premier Support
Basic Support
Load balancers in Oracle Linux manage network traffic by routing client requests across all the servers that can fulfill those requests.
- The HAProxy feature provides load balancing and high availability services to TCP and HTTP, while Keepalived performs load balancing and failover tasks on both active and passive routers.
- The NGINX feature can also be used in Oracle Linux for load balancing.
Podman, Buildah, and Skopeo are a set of tools available for Oracle Linux 9 and 8 that customers can use to create, run, and manage applications across compatible Oracle Linux systems by using Open Container Initiative–compatible containers.
Oracle Container Runtime for Docker, available for Oracle Linux 7, allows customers to create and distribute applications across Oracle Linux systems and other operating systems that support Docker.
Oracle Ksplice updates the Linux operating system (OS) kernel, hypervisor, and key user space libraries while the OS is running, on-premises or in the cloud, without a reboot or interruptions.
Oracle Linux Premier Support is included at no additional charge with Oracle Premier Support for Systems or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure subscriptions.