Quoting Robert Canary <rwcanary@xxxxxxxxxxxx>:
Weeeeellll, these will be production systems. I have been doing Linux and Unix flavors long enough I really don't need the "Hand-Holdng" tech support. However, I'm interested in having a support network for updating RPMS when there is security issues. And I do like being able add a package via up2date and it also collecting the dependant RPMs as well.
A free RHEL clone such as CentOS might be a good fit than. It will provide you with updates via yum as long as Red Hat is providing updates for corresponding RHEL release. You'll also be able to install packages and dependencies in the same way. I've never attempted to use up2date with CentOS. However, i thing I read somewhere that it should be functional. However it will simply use yum as backend (so you might as well use it directly). You might want to recheck that.
However, there are still other things to consider that may sway you towards buying RHEL.
There'll be delay (sometimes only hours, sometimes a day or two) between Red Hat fixing a security related bug and releasing the update, and that same update being available on the CentOS (and other clones). The clones have to wait until Red Hat releases the update, than rebuild the RPM package. Depending on the environment this might or might not be an issue.
Maybe you don't need "hand-holding" tech support. However, if you run some propriatory software on the server, that vendor might (rightfully) tell you your system is not supported because it doesn't have RHEL sticker on it. And refuse to troubleshoot something that is bug in their software. They tested and support their application against binary that Red Hat provides. Not somebody else. Even it the binary is built from exactly the same source.
If there's some obscure bug in the system (for example in kernel or in one of applications) you might get better support if you are running "the real thing". If running CentOS, Red Hat can (again completely rightfully) tell you "well, yeah, we made that SRPM that somebody else compiled into binary RPM, but it's not really in our domain to troubleshoot it becasue it's not our binary and we are not going to troubleshoot something that somebody else might have changed even if they claim they haven't changed it". Usually they'll fix bugs even if you run into them on the clones (if there's bug in the clone, there's exactly the same bug in the original too). However, if it's something obscure that affects only you, it's not going to be exactly high priority for them to fix it (they have other people running "the real thing" lined up for fixes).
Are those thing still available with ES? What exactly are the implication of an annaul subscription? This thing isn't going to shutdown if I don't resubscribe will it?
It's not going to shutdown itself. But access to updates will be terminated. I'd check that license agreement too. Maybe it says you are supposed to shut it down ;-)
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