Red Hat has just announced the availability of its next-generation Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL 7) platform, which has been in the works since 2010. The software packs several new features, including support for Docker’s container virtualization technology and a new file system capable of scaling to 500 terabytes.

RHEL 7 launches to the general public following a closed beta, with the company making the bold promise that it will “redefine the enterprise operating system”.

One of the most notable new features is the improved support for Linux containers, notably Docker. Support for Docker was first added to RHEL 6.5 back in November, and Red Hat has been collaborating with Docker since its 0.7 release to improve its code-execution and storage drivers. Another major improvement sees XFS made as the default file system for RHEL 7, rather than Ext4, which means the distro can now support volumes of up to 500TB.

RHEL 7 also adds the ability to integrate Active Directory domains for better interoperability with Windows environments, while easier management is afforded with support for OpenLMI.

Mark Coggin, Red Hat senior director for product marketing, told The Inquirer, “We believe that the new set of capabilities with RHEL 7 really do dramatically improve the experience of the customer on many levels, on the agility and flexibility level but also still paying attention to making sure the daily life of the system administrator and infrastructure team is improved through easier management, deployment and performance tuning.”

Red Hat has enhanced some of its own contributions to the OS too, including improvements to the installer with a new GUI, and the addition of new tools that can analyze RHEL 6 installations and give advice on the best way to migrate/upgrade. Everything that can be automated will be automated, while admins will be guided to the appropriate documentation for anything requiring manual intervention.

Speaking via a webcast announcing the new release yesterday, Red Hat’s VP of Platform Business unit Jim Totton said he expected RHEL 7 to be the fastest-adopted version of the OS so far, based on feedback from beta participants.

That doesn’t mean everyone is going to migrate straight away, and Red Hat knows this. Which is why it announced at the Red Hat Summit back in April that it’s still planning to offer a RHEL 6.6 maintenance release, even as RHEL 8 undergoes development. For those who do want to upgrade, RHEL 7 is available immediately for all current subscribers.

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