CentOS Migration to Red Hat Linux Enterprise
CentOS stands for Community Enterprise Operating System. CentOS is a sub-branch or distribution of many sub-branches of the Linux operating system. This open-source platform provides its users with a free platform to continue their activities under the supervision of the community of online experts.
CentOS started in 2004 as an independent revolution supported by online forums. The structure of this commercial operating system, which is used in the servers of small and large businesses, originates from the resources that have been made available to the public for free by Red Hat.
CentOS officially merged with Red Hat in 2014 while continuing its activities. But at the same time, it continues its activities independent of Red Hat’s commercial operating system, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
In general, it can be said that CentOS is a free version of RHEL, lacking the technical support provided by Red Hat. On the other hand, CentOS can meet the needs of organizations for a secure server to a high extent.
Red Hat Terminates Servicing CentOS
Since many organizations are using CentOS versions, currently, the major concern plaguing these organizations is the announcement made by Red Hat recently. Red Hat will support the CentOS8 version until December 2021 and the CentOS7 version until June 2024.
This might be very concerning for many businesses that have built their servers based on CentOS. Because after this period, it will not be possible to update the services stably, and we will mention some of these problems in the following.
Non-Migration from CentOS to Red Hat Enterprise Linux
First of all, you should know that Red Hat has cut eight years from the time set to support CentOS 8, and according to the recent announcement, CentOS7 will only be supported until the middle of 2024. In fact, after the end of 2024, CentOS is no longer as reliable as before and may be vulnerable to new viruses. Also, it will not be possible to update software such as Apache, MYSQL, etc. stably, and the services installed on this operating system will suffer from security vulnerabilities.
Main reason for selecting Red Hat Linux Enterprise for Migration
The main reason for selecting Red Hat Linux Enterprise operating system as an alternative to CentOS operating system compared to other available choices such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, etc., is easy migration, high compatibility without data loss, and running configurations. Also, since CentOS originates from Red Hat and these two operating systems are highly similar, a familiar environment will be provided for the users of this system, resulting in the minimum waste of energy and time in learning this operating system.
According to the above, Red Hat Linux Enterprise can be the best alternative for the organizations that used CentOS before, because this company is the owner and supporter of CentOS and known the customers’ needs well. It also knows that by offering the Red Hat Linux Enterprise product, it has solved these problems and needs.
How to Migrate from CentOS 6,7,8 to Red Hat Enterprise Linux
According to the recommendation of Red Hat, for migrating from CentOS to Red Hat, you should choose your CentOS version according to the Red Hat version.
For example, if you are using CentOS6, it is better to choose Red Hat6 for migration and upgrade Red Hat after complete migration.
The following figures show the migration roadmap from CentOS6, Oracle linux 6, CentOS7, CentOS8, Oracle linux 7, and Oracle Linux 8 to Red Hat Linux.
Roadmap of upgrading CentOS7, CentOS8, Oracle linux 7, and Oracle Linux 8 to Red Hat Linux
Roadmap of upgrading CentOS6 and Oracle linux 6 to Red Hat Linux
