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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now

By | October 5, 2011, 12:19pm PDT

Summary: Red Hat’s flagship operating system’s next version is out now in beta for both current subscribers and newcomers.

When you’re talking serious server Linux, chances are you’re talking Red Hat’s Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) , so it’s good news that the beta is now ready for the next edition: RHEL 6.2

Coming on the heels of the news that Red Hat is acquiring Gluster, a cloud-storage software company, it should come as no surprise that it will offer improved cloud deployment support. Of course, there’s a lot more here than just better cloud support.

While I don’t see any standout new features, I do see a lot of small overall improvements that will many any RHEL administrator happy. These include:

Performance and Scaling

  • Kernel-level optimizations implemented in the process scheduler, networking, virtualization, and I/O subsystems.
  • Faster creation of ext4 file systems and improved response times in XFS for certain workloads.
  • Improved CPU controller scalability and enhanced resource management features to set processor utilization ceilings.

Identity Management

  • Centralized identity management for the flexible management of users, roles, policies, and authentication services.
  • New capabilities for the unification of Kerberos ticketing, DNS naming, user and group ids, and Linux systems policies into a single service.

High Availability

  • Support for RHEL 6 guests on VMware hosts and comprehensive support for the GFS2 (Global File System) shared storage file system have been added to the High Availability Add-on Product, creating a more tightly integrated environment.
  • Full support for the UDP-unicast protocol which reduces administration overhead,resulting in easier cluster deployment.

Advanced Storage & Networking

  • World Wide Name (WWN) or World Wide Identifier (WWID), for storage devices making it easier to identify them during installation for users utilizing Storage Area Networks (SAN) and other advanced network topologies.
  • Transmit Packet Steering (XPS) capabilities which improve network packet transmission throughput by 30%.

Taken as a whole it’s a pretty impressive list of improvements. If you’re already a Red Hat Network (RHN) you can download the RHEL 6.3 beta and start testing in now. In addition, if you’re not a RHEL user, you can still download a copy of the beta for a 30-day evaluation.

Give it a try. Whether you run Linux on a stand-alone server, in a cluster, or in a cloud, RHEL’s an impressive operating system.

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Topics

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Inc., Beta, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.3 Beta, Open Source, Linux, UNIX, Operating Systems, Servers, Software, Hardware, Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, aka sjvn, has been writing about technology and the business of technology since CP/M-80 was the cutting edge, PC operating system

Disclosure

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols is a freelance writer. He does not own stocks or other investments in any technology company.

Biography

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, aka sjvn, has been writing about technology and the business of technology since CP/M-80 was the cutting edge, PC operating system; 300bps was a fast Internet connection; WordStar was the state of the art word processor; and we liked it!

His work has been published in everything from highly technical publications (IEEE Computer, ACM NetWorker, Byte) to business publications (eWEEK, InformationWeek, ZDNet) to popular technology (Computer Shopper, PC Magazine, PC World) to the mainstream press (Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, BusinessWeek).

Talkback Most Recent of 7 Talkback(s)

  • Currently Testing RHEV-D with 6.2 beta!
    VMware killer.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Dietrich T. Schmitz * Your Linux Advocate
    5th Oct
  • RE: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now
    @Dietrich T. Schmitz * Your Linux Advocate

    "VMware killer"

    Quoted for truth. Let's see if you're right in 2 years!
    ZDNet Gravatar
    AsifHussain1
    5th Oct
  • RE: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now
    @Dietrich T. Schmitz Technically speaking, you're right. The new KVM, and its tools, are better than VMware or HyperV. Unfortunately, most IT 'yes' men proclaim KVM as inferior without even trying it.
    Just last month I demoed KVM kicking HyperV a** side by side on 2 identical systems) to a group of MS partners. Their response: 'We are going to use HyperV, anyways'.

    Just proves you can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    anothercanuck
    5th Oct
  • Actually it means
    @anothercanuck
    You can lead a person to knowledge, but you might not have all of their information. If they've already spent the money to implement HyperV, then KVM is inferior 'cause it'll cost to get it installed and train people in its use. Hassles most IT departments can do without.

    HyperV may be inferior, but it's probably good enough, and in business, good enough rules in most cases.

    (I'm waiting for the standard responses here about Good Enough!)
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Cynical99
    5th Oct
  • RE: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now
    @Dietrich T. Schmitz * Your Linux Advocate

    *yawn* If there is going to be a "killer" of vmware, it is going to be in the solution that offers the management tools. That means Microsoft Hyper-V or Citrix XenServer. With the release of Citrix Xenserver 6.0 recently, my money is on one of these more complete systems. And -- yes, spare me the repeated dissertation on the meaningless alliance. Alliance does not equal adoption.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    facebook@...
    5th Oct
  • RE: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now
    @facebook@... Your post proves my first sentence. You have no idea what KVM management tools Redhat has, do you?

    Cynical99@ Install of Redhat+Kvm is way faster and easier than HyperV, Insert DVD, Select Virtualization server, disk(s) to install to, timezone, system name and admin password, wait 1/2 an hour, start adding VMs.

    Or has Windows and HyperV started installing themselves?
    Finally, 'Good enough', and paying more for less in business is a major contributor to the tanking economies all around the world.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    anothercanuck
    5th Oct
  • RE: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.2 Beta is out now
    @anothercanuck

    ummmm, a swing and a miss. Enomaly is good, but works equally well with Xen. Given Xen's strong roles-based provisioning and end-to-end management platform, Xen continues to be a leader in the markets not dominated by VmWare. KVM is a "good enough" solution for small to medium sized implementations. However, the E in RHEV is still not there yet. The chances of it "killing" vmware in the near future approaches nil.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    facebook@...
    6th Oct

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