Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Tips on Managing Your RHEL Subscriptions

"Why do I need a Red Hat Subscription when the Linux server software is open source (freeware)?"

At SoftwareOne, this is usually the first question we hear from finance and procurement professionals when they mention that they're interested in purchasing Red Hat Linux subscriptions. Yes, Linux software is indeed open source, but the software you obtain from Red Hat is ready to be used on production servers, making it commercial software.

This article will help explain why you need a Red Hat subscription, what products and support level to buy, how to optimize software spend, and how to manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) server subscriptions.

Why do I need a Red Hat subscription?

The major reason you need a Red Hat subscription is to obtain critical security patches, bug fixes, technical support, and upgrades. If the business requirement is to use Linux on production servers, it would be a responsible business practice to purchase support from Red Hat.

Which Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription should I buy, and how do I optimize my software spend?

The most widely purchased subscriptions are RHEL and RHEL for virtual datacenters (VDC) with two support levels which are premium (24 x7) and standard (limited support).

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (RHEL) – this subscription is the less expensive option. Companies should utilize the RHEL subscription on physical servers, lower density virtual environments, virtual machines (VMs) without a host, and in the cloud with BYOS (Bring Your Own Subscription).
• RHEL for Virtual Datacenters (VDC) – this subscription is the more expensive option, allowing unlimited guests. Companies should utilize the VDC subscription in higher-density virtual environments.
• Development Environments Only – for RHEL servers, a company can acquire a developer support subscription for teams of 25 members or less. Companies can also obtain an individual workstation license for developer workstations.
• Workstations – do not deploy Red Hat Enterprise Linux server software on a workstation. Instead, you should purchase a separate subscription for workstations.

What level of support should I purchase – Premium (24x7 support) or Standard (limited support)?

• For RHEL – it depends on the device type. At SoftwareOne, we recommend that the premium subscription cover production and the standard subscription cover non-production.
• For VDC – you must purchase subscriptions for all servers at the highest level based on device type. For example, if you have one production server in a pool of non-production servers, you will need to purchase support at the highest level for all servers, which in this case would be production. It would be more cost-effective to manage clusters by device type.
• For Disaster Recovery – subscription requirements are:
  • Production (hot backups): subscription required
  • Warm backups: systems that are only turned on every 60 days. The Warm standby Disaster Recovery (DR) backup is 50% off the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP).
  • Cold backups: no subscription required

FAQs: How to Manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux Subscriptions

• Can I deploy Red Hat Linux software on all servers but only pay support for the servers I want to be supported in my environment? Unfortunately, no. Red Hat has no way of distinguishing supported servers from unsupported servers. Therefore, all servers with Red Hat Linux software installed must be covered by a subscription.
• Can I cover some VMs with an RHEL license and some with the VDC license? No, you will need to cover all VMs in the cluster with the same license type.
• How are Red Hat's Enterprise Linux versions supported? All Red Hat versions have a ten-year lifecycle. If you have versions installed that are past the tenth-anniversary date, Red Hat will not support those versions. You must purchase a current subscription to qualify for an upgrade.
• Any tips for using the Red Hat Customer Portal? Ensure your software asset management team has access to the Red Hat portal to validate entitlement counts and assign software to cloud instances if you're BYOS to the cloud. If you're a large global enterprise, you may have multiple Red Hat portals by region.
• What does IBM's recent purchase of Red Hat mean for me? At SoftwareOne, we're seeing Red Hat entitlements in IBM Passport Advantage (PPA). Make sure you review your entitlements on both the Red Hat Portal and IBM PPA websites.
• Do I need a discovery tool? Yes, make sure you have a good discovery tool in place that can discover Linux. Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) primarily functions to monitor Windows systems and not Linux. This misunderstanding is the most frequent problem in enterprise environments.
• How should I use a Change Management Database (CMDB)? You must have good process controls to monitor the status of devices within your environment. For example, if devices are no longer in use, you should remove the software, mark the devices as decommissioned in your CMDB, and remove them from the network, so they are no longer detected.
• What if I have Red Hat and Windows environments on the same cluster? If you have both Red Hat and Windows operating systems on the same cluster, you're paying for both Red Hat OS & Windows OS. Consider segregating the clusters by operating system to optimize software spend.
• What is CentOS? CentOS is an open source Linux development platform, and the open source community supports it. However, we don't recommend using open source software on critical production servers.
• How would RHEL work in the cloud (AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Azure)? Are you BYOS, or are you purchasing a pre-built image in the cloud? Be careful as this can get out of control very quickly. Have checks in place to monitor Red Hat usage in the cloud. If you BYOS, you must register the incidences in the Red Hat portal.

For more information on Red Hat Linux subscription requirements, see Red Hat's RHEL Subscription Guide.

For more information on Red Hat Linux-supported versions, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Life Cycle Overview on the Red Hat Customer Portal.