Choosing an RHEL System

Red Hat, Inc. is not geared up for selling and supporting one or two Linux systems at a time, so the packaging and pricing of Red Hat systems is aimed at orders of multiple systems. With RHEL, you aren't really paying for the software. Instead, you're paying for a subscription, which includes access to all released versions of RHEL, support from Red Hat, and maintenance updates for seven years . The prices in the following list are actually yearly subscription prices.

Note 

Visit the Red Hat site ( www.redhat.com/software/rhel ) for the latest subscription rates and terms for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Make sure that cookies are enabled before your visit the Red Hat site.

Here are the major forms in which RHEL systems are available:

• RHEL WS - The RHEL WS systems are intended for high-end workstations. Besides running on standard Intel x86 computers, WS systems can also be run on Intel Itanium2, EM64T, and AMD64 systems. A WS subscription supports up to two CPU units. (A CPU unit is defined as a physical socket on the motherboard.) Red Hat charges $179 for a WS Basic Edition (basic installation and configuration web support) or $299 for a WS Standard Edition (business hours phone support, Monday through Friday). Web support is 24x7, but has a two-day response time service agreement. See the client support options page at http://www.redhat.com/rhel/compare/client/ .

• Red Hat Desktop - The Red Hat Desktop systems are designed for general-purpose desktop use. These systems would be appropriate, for example, for a university or business that needed ways to allow students or employees to browse the Web, check e-mail, or run applications. Pricing for Red Hat Desktop systems starts at $2500 for ten desktop entitlements .

• RHEL ES - The RHEL ES systems are intended to be used as small- to mid-range servers (such as Web servers, file servers, and print servers). The RHEL ES servers come in Basic ($349) and Standard ($799) subscriptions. Support for ES servers is limited to computers that have up to two CPUs and up to 16GB of RAM. Supported computer architectures include Intel x86, AMD64/EM64T, and Itanium.

• RHEL AS - RHEL AS systems are intended for large-capacity servers that require high levels of support. RHEL AS computers can carry an unlimited number of CPUs and RAM. Round-the-clock support is available for AS systems. Additional computer architectures are available, including IBM zSeries, S/390, and Power architectures.

To encourage students and teachers to use Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat offers special pricing ( www.redhat.com/solutions/education ). Pricing for the Red Hat Desktop Academic Edition starts at $25 per subscription. Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS, ES, and AS Academic Editions starts at $50 per subscription.