Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Is Ready for Heavy-Duty Computing

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Is Ready for Heavy-Duty Computing

by Fahmida Y Rashid

First Full RHEL Version Upgrade Since 2007

RHEL 6 is the first major version update to Red Hat’s Linux platform since RHEL 5 debuted in 2007. RHEL 5 currently has version 5.6 available in beta. The first public beta of RHEL 6 debuted in April.

RHEL 6 Offers Multiple Install Options

Red Hat incorporated 1,821 customer-requested features and resolved more than 14,000 bugs on its way to RHEL 6. The installer offers options on what to install, ranging from basic server to a virtual host.

RHEL 6 Brings 85% Increase in Code

RHEL 6 has more than 2,000 code packages and an 85 percent increase in the amount of code from RHEL 5. The most basic installation, of basic server using only the RHEL repository, required 532 packages.

Installing the GNOME Desktop Environment

The desktop installation required 1,063 packages, including those for the GNOME desktop environment.

GNOME Installs as Default Desktop

RHEL 6 installed the GNOME desktop environment by default as part of the desktop installation.

User Authentication Methods

RHEL 6 supports a variety of authentication options, including smart cards and fingerprint readers.

Support for Virtualization

Both a virtualization client and platform can be installed; although its not part of the basic installation. Users must install a hypervisor, such as QEMU to support virtualization.

Installation Options for Mainframe, Storage, Network Clients

RHEL 6 includes optional code packages for a Fibre Channel over Ethernet storage client, mainframe access, infiniband support, smart card support and iSCSI storage client.

Policy-Based RHEL 6 Firewall

The firewall provides a straightforward policy-driven list of applications to turn off and on to secure the system.

Tuning RHEL 6 for Enterprise Applications

Rather than bleeding-edge Linux, the focus in RHEL 6 is on stability and strong security for enterprise applications.