Red Hat’s launch of the transition from CentOS Linux to the CentOS Stream platform at the end of 2021 has created various problems for users who adopt CentOS 8 as a stable and convenient server in many applications and were counting on support being guaranteed until 2029. Those who are still looking for a replacement for CentOS 8 in the open source world can still find several possible alternatives: some are already available, while others are still in development but will be released soon.
In addition, Red Hat recently made a significant change to its source code access policy, raising concerns in the open source community. This action has raised concerns among users as RHEL relies on collaborative contributions from various projects, including the Linux kernel from contributors such as SUSE. At the moment, in response to this scenario on Centos/Redhat, there are reactions in the open source world to create a fork of RHEL and modify access to the source code.
In this sense, Suse is the main proponent of this initiative, along with AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Oracle, planning to invest over $10 million in the development of a RHEL-compatible distribution, ensuring free and continuous access to the source code. This reflects the challenge between Red Hat’s enterprise licensing requirements and the open source world. Rocky Linux, a 100% RHEL-compatible distribution managed by Gregory Kurtzer, the original founder of CentOS, is joining SUSE in this effort, seeking to preserve innovation and avoid vendor lock-in.
Linux Open Source: the right support makes all the difference
Sorint.Lab is a company deeply committed to the principles of open source and collaboration. Linux Open Source is no exception. That’s why it supports all users who want to continue to uphold the freedom to access, modify, and distribute software.
In this sense, Sorint.Lab can provide support for management and transition to other distributions supporting open source, offering specialist assistance through this migration process from RHEL/CentOS to a new Linux distribution with a team of experts in the field, to adapt and optimize your infrastructure. The aim is to provide innovative technological solutions and specialist consulting to companies that need them. This initiative reflects the importance of the open source ecosystem and our commitment to facilitating a smooth transition for companies wishing to embrace new solutions in light of Red Hat’s recent decision to change access to its source code. Many companies are evaluating alternatives and, in our opinion, openSUSE could prove to be a valid and common choice.
Red Hat’s decision will not affect the continued support of alternative distributions, which will strive to promote open source innovation through collaboration with industry experts, developers, and partners, and will maintain collaboration with the community by offering updates and security fixes compatible with Red Hat’s binary.
It is important to note that migrating from CentOS to an alternative distribution requires some attention and consideration.
Specifically, you need to:
- A stable system with long-term support.
- Inherit the benefits of Enterprise distribution: high quality, security, and hardware compatibility.
- A tool to simplify system management.
- Support for the BTRFS file system.
- Support for containers and virtualization.
- A large package repository.
- An active and important community.
Sorint.Lab can take care of all these points and positions itself as a reliable partner for companies wishing to make a smooth and successful transition.