[lug] Fedora *MEETS* KRUD comments wanted

[Andrew Gilmore]

On Thu, 2003-09-25 at 11:25, John Hernandez wrote:
> Ed Hill wrote:
> > 
> >   1) If you want stability (5-year product life) with guaranteed 
> >      support and updates then you can run RHEL WS or ES for 
> >      $180/yr or $350/yr for the first year (~100/yr afterwards), 
> >      with all updates through RHN.
> > 
> >   2) If you want a distro thats in the process of *becoming* 
> >      the next RHEL and contains more frequently updated packages, 
> >      then you can run the "Fedora Core".  And if you subscribe 
> >      to RHN for $60/yr (which is completely optional) then you 
> >      can get access to updates in exactly the same fashion as 
> >      the RHEL versions---albeit with a shorter "product 
> >      lifetime".  You will also be able to get these updates 
> >      through other (free) channels such as apt and yum. 
> > 
> 
> Because the updated SRPMS for RHEL are made publically available, I 
> think you'll start seeing reliable apt and yum repositories for RHEL 
> updates.  If/when this happens, it should be possible to eliminate the 
> recurring cost of ongoing RHN subscriptions.
> 
> On top of that, my understanding is that you can install your copy of 
> RHEL on multiple boxes, provided you don't expect RHN updates and RH 
> support for instances beyond the first.
> 
> Best case scenario, if I understand all the legalities, this means a 
> modest initial investment (along with a touch of extra effort and 
> knowledge) will be all that's required to realize the stability and 
> longevity benefits of RHEL.

Can anyone confirm these statements? It sounds a bit contrary to what
I've heard about Redhat's policy about the binary packages.

Specifically, can you install RHEL ES to multiple boxes if you do not
require support or RHN for them?

Given that the initial costs of RHEL is high, the sub $100/year
continuing cost of RHN isn't too bad.

The major sticking point for me is the longevity of a Fedora install. It
doesn't sound like it is feasible without upgrades for more than 9
months to a year. I think that if we see commitments from KRUD or other
distributors to longer security/major bug errata lifetimes, this becomes
more doable. I'm not sure how feasible this is for Fedora.

Another minor question I have is compatibility between RHEL and Fedora.
Removing the near free ability of anyone to target Redhat production
boxes with their machine + free ISOs is not a good move, in my opinion.

Andrew