Ubuntu vs Redhat/CentOS in the Enterprise.

langenoir

So I'm a linux noob, been usingFedora(on my desktop) and CentOS(on my servers) for a few years now. I just had an interview for a company I really like. I'm mostlygoing to be doing the VMware / EMC stuff, but they run Postfix,amongst other things, on Ubuntu server. Now I've always been of themind that I would learn one thing really well in IT before I wouldmove on to other products. I don't feel like two years of RedHatwould put me in a position to know it well. I'd like to get myRHSA/E, but is this Ubuntu thing going to screw me up?

ChooseLife

I was in a similar position and had similar doubts some years ago. My experience at the time was mostly with RedHat/CentOS on servers, and this company used Ubuntu Server exclusively. "Ubuntu is a noobs' desktop OS" I thought to myself. "You will like it" said one of the technical interviewers. And he was right - I did grow to like it a lot over the following years. Ubuntu Server has its debianisms and there was a good chunk of time spent at the beginning learning "the Ubuntu way" of doing things, but generally the experience was pretty smooth. More importantly, I have gained invaluable technical experience because of the role I accepted with the company.

So my advice is to look at the role, responsibilities, and the opportunities for growth it presents. Technologies that you will work with are a very important factor, but Linux distro should not be a deal breaker, IMO.

P.S. And we ended up introducing RHEL at the company some time later
P.P.S. Ubuntu Server is making its headway in the cloud environments anyway, so it may screw you up in a good way (i.e. convert to a valuable Ubuntu server expert)
P.P.P.S. If you have any more questions on the subject, shoot

Slowhand

One thing that's important to remember is that RHCSA/RHCE level skills are pretty comprehensive. When you've got knowledge on that level, translating it to Debian-based, (or any other type of) Linux environments isn't going to be a huge leap, just a slight adjustment on how some things are done. I don't think working with Ubuntu at this stage is going to "screw you up" if you're shooting for the Red Hat certs, it'll really only serve to show that you've worked with more than just RHEL and help broaden your experience.

lordy

Working with Ubuntu is just slightly different from RHEL/CentOS. It will not be a problem when you pursue RHCSA/RHCE as you should be able to memorize the differences and some commands you might have used on Ubuntu simply will not be available. But you have the man pages available in the exams, so it's not a problem if you know what you are looking for.