This archive contains answers to questions sent to Unidata support through mid-2025. Note that the archive is no longer being updated. We provide the archive for reference; many of the answers presented here remain technically correct, even if somewhat outdated. For the most up-to-date information on the use of NSF Unidata software and data services, please consult the Software Documentation first.
Hi Brendon, re: > I'm planning on doing some server hardware upgrades this summer. Rather > than open up another "which platform is the best debate" with the entire > Unidata community, I wanted to get your thoughts on whether I should > remain with the CentOS platform (which I've used since ~2005) or switch > to Scientific Linux. We have been long term Fedora users, but we have recently installed CentOS on some development machines. I use CentOS 6.4 x86_64 as both my personal VMware Player virtual machine and on my Unidata workstation. I have seen no compelling reason to switch from this environment to Scientific Linux. re: > From my own research, it seems as though the > differences are trivial, but I wanted to get some outside perspective. Mike and I were chatting about why some users have moved to Scientific Linux just yesterday. Neither of us knows why they did this as there does not seem to be any measurable benefit ** at least ** for users of Unidata supported packages. One site (UW/AOS) tried using Scientific Linux on a new IDD relay node, but backed out after he found that he could not make useful LDM queues greater than 15 (or was it 20?) GB in size. When he installed CentOS 6.x x8_64 on the same hardware, his problems disappeared. I must say that I have _NO_ idea why there would be a difference when using the LDM in each environment, but just the fact that one user ran into problems adds more weight to my thinking "why bother"! re: > Any insights are greatly appreciated. What made you consider moving to Scientific Linux in the first place? Cheers, Tom -- **************************************************************************** Unidata User Support UCAR Unidata Program (303) 497-8642 P.O. Box 3000 address@hidden Boulder, CO 80307 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unidata HomePage http://www.unidata.ucar.edu **************************************************************************** Ticket Details =================== Ticket ID: FDA-403251 Department: Support Platforms Priority: Normal Status: Closed