[CentOS-devel] What should I do in my cluster? CentOS streams dilemma.

On 12/25/20 11:54 AM, Pablo Sanz Mercado wrote:
> 
> 	I have been reading a lot about the new CentOS stream
> "revolution", but now I am trying to understand the dilemma most of
> "regular" sysadmin have: 
> 
> What should I do?
> 
> 	As you know there are a lot of computational centers working
> with CentOS. Sometimes because it is the best OS sysadmin knows,
> sometimes because of a low budget problem.
> 
> 	Now we have this important change, so we have to decide. We
> have to choose the OS we are going to install in our servers, moreover
> we have to decide as quickly as we can, because as you know changes
> should be done as calm as posible.
> 
> 	Could we list pros/cons about using CentOS stream in a
> computational Center?

Response of the Red Hat employees will most like be "do not worry, just
use it". Also, if you are educational institution, you might get no-cost
licenses, once offer is prepared.

Response of the many of current "CentOS Linux" users is that:

- "CentOS Stream" (still) does not have solved issue of 3rd party kernel
modules braking RHEL kernel devs decide to change kABI,

- and you have to be aware that "CentOS Stream" will have (has at this
moment) only latest/one version of all packages, so downgrade will not
be possible (without internal repo that saves old package versions).

- Also, be ready to potentially have daily updates of many packages
while they are prepared by RHEL devs. Scope and intensity of this is not
clear to anyone from outside RHEL, but every change that is done to
packages prepared for next RHEL minor version will land to "CentOS
Stream" at some point between RHEL minor releases (8.3 to 8.4, 8.4 to
8.5, etc), basically they can happen any day of the year and it could be
never for some packages but every few days for others, no way to predict.

- Other then these technical issues, only other difference is that
"CentOS Stream" will not correspond to any specific RHEL minor release,
so software and hardware vendors might or might not decide to officially
or unofficially support "CentOS Stream" as they did "CentOS Linux".

Notice that "CentOS Linux 7" will be supported to natural EOL in 2024,
you do not have to worry about those (hopefully).

If neither of no-cost RHEL and "CentOS Stream 8" is good option for you,
you should be able to rather easily switch "CentOS Linux 8" to
"Springdale" RHEL clone or "Oracle Linux 8", both are readily available
and no-cost options. CloudLinux project "Lenix" is expected to produce
usable distro before April 2021 ("in Q1 2021"), and Rocky Linux before
September 2021 ("in Q2 2021").


> 
> 	Are we going to see CentOS stream in the top500 list?

I doubt "CentOS/"CentOS Stream" will even keep it's today market share
"CentOS Linux" has after 2024 when "CentOS Linux 7" hits EOL

> 
> 	Best regards,
> 
> 				Pablo Sanz
> 
> 


-- 
Ljubomir Ljubojevic
(Love is in the Air)
PL Computers
Serbia, Europe

StarOS, Mikrotik and CentOS/RHEL/Linux consultant