| In this article, I will share the top Linux distributions for enterprise environments. Some of these distributions are used in server and cloud environments as well as desktop tasks. One thing all of these alternative Linux options have in common is that they are all enterprise Linux distributions -- so you can expect a higher degree of functionality and, of course, support. |
An enterprise-grade Linux distribution boils down to the following -- stability and support. In an enterprise environment, the version of Linux used must meet these two points. Stability means that the provided packages are stable and usable while still maintaining the expected security.
Enterprise-level support factors mean there is a solid support mechanism. Sometimes this is a single (official) source, such as a company. In other cases, it might be a not-for-profit governance body that provides solid advice to good third-party support providers. Obviously, the former is the best option, but both are acceptable.
Red Hat has a lot of great products that are guaranteed to be available with enterprise-level support. Its core focus is as follows:
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Servers: This is a set of server products that includes everything from container hosting to SAP services, with other derivatives.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktops: These are tightly controlled user environments that run Red Hat Linux and provide basic desktop functionality. These features include access to the latest applications such as web browsers, email, LibreOffice, and more.
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation: This is basically a Red Hat Enterprise Linux desktop, but optimized for high performance tasks. It's also great for large deployments and ongoing management.
Red Hat is a very successful large company that sells services around Linux. Basically, Red Hat makes money from companies that want to avoid vendor lock-in and other related issues. These companies recognize the value of hiring open source software experts and managing their servers and other computing needs. A company just needs to buy a subscription to let Red Hat do the support work.
Red Hat is also a solid social citizen. They sponsor open source projects and FoSS support sites like OpenSource.com and provide support for the Fedora project. Fedora is not owned by, but sponsored by, Red Hat. This allowed Fedora to grow, and it also benefited Red Hat a lot. Red Hat can take what they want from the Fedora project and use it in their enterprise Linux products. For now, Fedora acts as the upstream channel for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
SUSE is a great company that provides a solid Linux choice for business users. SUSE's products are similar to Red Hat, with both desktops and servers being the company's focus. From my own experience with SUSE, I believe YaST has proven to be a huge advantage for non-Linux administrators looking to use a Linux operating system in the workplace. YaST provides a friendly GUI for tasks that require some basic Linux command line knowledge.
The core focus of SUSE is as follows:
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Class Server (SLES): Includes mission-specific solutions, from cloud to SAP, as well as mission-critical computing and software-based data storage.
- SUSE Linux 企业级桌面：对于那些希望为员工提供可靠的 Linux 工作站的公司来说，SUSE Linux 企业级桌面是一个不错的选择。和 Red Hat 一样，SUSE 通过订阅模式来对其提供支持。你可以选择三个不同级别的支持。
SUSE 是一家围绕 Linux 销售服务的公司，但他们仍然通过专注于简化操作来实现这一目标。从他们的网站到其提供的 Linux 发行版，重点是易用性，而不会牺牲安全性或可靠性。尽管在美国毫无疑问 Red Hat 是服务器的标准，但 SUSE 作为公司和开源社区的贡献成员都做得很好。
我还会继续说，SUSE 不会太严肃，当你在 IT 领域建立联系的时候，这是一件很棒的事情。从他们关于 Linux 的有趣音乐视频到 SUSE 贸易展位中使用的 Gecko 以获得有趣的照片机会，SUSE 将自己描述成简单易懂和平易近人的形象。
Ubuntu Long Term Release （LTS） Linux 是一个简单易用的企业级 Linux 发行版。Ubuntu 看起来比上面提到的其他发行版更新更频繁（有时候也更不稳定）。但请不要误解，Ubuntu LTS 版本被认为是相当稳定的，不过，我认为一些专家可能不太同意它们是安全可靠的。
- Ubuntu 桌面版：毫无疑问，Ubuntu 桌面非常简单，可以快速地学习并运行。也许在高级安装选项中缺少一些东西，但这使得其更简单直白。作为额外的奖励，Ubuntu 相比其他版本有更多的软件包（除了它的父亲，Debian 发行版）。我认为 Ubuntu 真正的亮点在于，你可以在网上找到许多销售 Ubuntu 的厂商，包括服务器、台式机和笔记本电脑。
- Ubuntu 服务器版：这包括服务器、云和容器产品。Ubuntu 还提供了 Juju 云“应用商店”这样一个有趣的概念。对于任何熟悉 Ubuntu 或 Debian 的人来说，Ubuntu 服务器都很有意义。对于这些人来说，它就像手套一样，为你提供了你已经熟知并喜爱的命令行工具。
- Ubuntu IoT：最近，Ubuntu 的开发团队已经把目标瞄准了“物联网”（IoT）的创建解决方案。包括数字标识、机器人技术和物联网网关。我的猜测是，我们将在 Ubuntu 中看到大量增长的物联网用户来自企业，而不是普通家庭用户。
社区是 Ubuntu 最大的优点。除了在已经拥挤的服务器市场上的巨大增长之外，它还与普通用户在一起。Ubuntu 的开发和用户社区是坚如磐石的。因此，虽然它可能被认为比其他企业版更不稳定，但是我发现将 Ubuntu LTS 安装锁定到 “security updates only” 模式下提供了非常稳定的体验。
首先，让我们把 CentOS 作为一个企业发行版，如果你有自己的内部支持团队来维护它，那么安装 CentOS 是一个很好的选择。毕竟，它与 Red Hat 企业级 Linux 兼容，并提供了与 Red Hat 产品相同级别的稳定性。不幸的是，它不能完全取代 Red Hat 支持订阅。
那么 Scientific Linux 呢？它的发行版怎么样？好吧，它就像 CentOS，它是基于 Red Hat Linux 的。但与 CentOS 不同的是，它与 Red Hat 没有任何隶属关系。 Scientific Linux 从一开始就有一个目标 —— 为世界各地的实验室提供一个通用的 Linux 发行版。今天，Scientific Linux 基本上是 Red Hat 减去所包含的商标资料。
Neither distribution is truly interchangeable with Red Hat because they lack Red Hat support components.
Which one is the top enterprise distro? I think it depends on many factors that you need to determine for yourself: subscription scope, availability, cost, services and features offered. These are factors that each company must decide for itself. Personally, I think Red Hat wins on servers and SUSE wins handily on desktops, but that's just my opinion - don't you agree? Hit the comments section below and let's talk about it.