1Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Is Ready for Heavy-Duty Computing
by Fahmida Y Rashid
2First 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.
3RHEL 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.
4RHEL 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.
5Installing the GNOME Desktop Environment
The desktop installation required 1,063 packages, including those for the GNOME desktop environment.
6GNOME Installs as Default Desktop
RHEL 6 installed the GNOME desktop environment by default as part of the desktop installation.
7User Authentication Methods
RHEL 6 supports a variety of authentication options, including smart cards and fingerprint readers.
8Support 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.
9Installation 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.
10Policy-Based RHEL 6 Firewall
The firewall provides a straightforward policy-driven list of applications to turn off and on to secure the system.
11Tuning RHEL 6 for Enterprise Applications
Rather than bleeding-edge Linux, the focus in RHEL 6 is on stability and strong security for enterprise applications.