Exploring RHEL Paid Add-Ons (with examples)

Introduction

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a popular choice for organizations seeking a stable, secure, and scalable Linux distribution. While the base RHEL operating system offers a robust set of features, paid add-ons can extend its functionality and provide additional benefits tailored to specific use cases. In this blog post, we will introduce several RHEL paid add-ons, explain their benefits, and provide code snippets to check if they are installed on your system.

1. High Availability Add-On

The High Availability Add-On provides clustering and failover capabilities, ensuring the continuous availability of critical applications and services. It includes features such as the Pacemaker cluster resource manager, the Corosync Cluster Engine, and the ClusterLabs stack for high availability.

To check if the High Availability Add-On is installed, run the following command:

rpm -qa | grep -E 'pacemaker|corosync'

Example output:

pacemaker-libs-2.0.5-6.el8.x86_64 corosync-3.1.2-3.el8.x86_64

If Pacemaker and Corosync packages are present in the output, the High Availability Add-On is installed on your system.

2. Resilient Storage Add-On

The Resilient Storage Add-On enables shared storage configurations with the Global File System 2 (GFS2). GFS2 allows multiple nodes to access and share the same storage simultaneously, making it suitable for high-performance computing and highly available applications.

To check if the Resilient Storage Add-On is installed, run the following command:

rpm -qa | grep gfs2-utils

Example output:

gfs2-utils-3.2.0-21.el8.x86_64

If the gfs2-utils package is present in the output, the Resilient Storage Add-On is installed on your system.

3. Load Balancer Add-On

The Load Balancer Add-On provides load balancing for TCP and HTTP-based applications, distributing incoming traffic across multiple nodes to improve performance and availability. It includes the HAProxy load balancer, which can be configured for various load balancing algorithms and session persistence options.

To check if the Load Balancer Add-On is installed, run the following command:

rpm -qa | grep haproxy

Example output:

haproxy-1.8.15-6.el8.x86_64

If the haproxy package is present in the output, the Load Balancer Add-On is installed on your system.

4. Smart Management Add-On

The Smart Management Add-On simplifies the management of RHEL systems by integrating with Red Hat Satellite, a powerful infrastructure management platform. With the Smart Management Add-On, you can automate system provisioning, patching, and configuration, as well as monitor and report on your RHEL environment.

To check if the Smart Management Add-On is installed, run the following command:

subscription-manager list --consumed | grep "Smart Management"

Example output:

Name: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server with Smart Management (1-2 sockets) (Up to 1 guest)

If “Smart Management” is present in the output, the Smart Management Add-On is installed on your system.

TLDR

RHEL paid add-ons offer enhanced functionality and can significantly improve the performance, availability, and manageability of your enterprise Linux environment. By understanding the features and benefits of these add-ons, you can make informed decisions on which ones best fit your use case.

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