Scientific Linux
| Company type | Open source software project |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Operating systems |
| Founded | May 10, 2004 |
| Founder | Fermilab, CERN, DESY, ETH Zurich |
| Defunct | 2019 |
| Fate | Development ended; transitioned to CentOS Stream and AlmaLinux |
| Successor | CentOS Stream, AlmaLinux |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Connie Sieh (initial development lead) |
| Products | Scientific Linux (Linux distribution) |
| Owner | Consortium of scientific laboratories and academic institutions (main sponsor Fermilab) |
| Website | scientificlinux |
Scientific Linux (abbreviated as SL) was a Linux distribution that is no longer actively developed, originally created by Fermilab, CERN, DESY, and ETH Zurich. This open-source and freely available operating system was built upon the foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Although based on Red Hat’s open-source components, Scientific Linux was independently managed and supported by its original developers.
Development of new features ended in April 2019, but maintenance updates continued for the 6.x and 7.x series until their official end of life. Afterward, Fermilab and CERN transitioned their 8.x systems to utilize CentOS Stream and AlmaLinux.
History
Fermilab initially maintained a Linux variant known as Fermi Linux, which was a long-term support release grounded in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Meanwhile, CERN was working on an updated iteration of CERN Linux, also derived from RHEL, and reached out to Fermilab to collaborate on a shared solution. Connie Sieh spearheaded the initial development efforts. The inaugural official version of Scientific Linux, 3.0.1, was launched on May 10, 2004.
By 2012, Scientific Linux’s upkeep was handled by a consortium of scientific laboratories and academic institutions, with Fermilab serving as the principal sponsor.
In 2015, CERN began the process of moving away from Scientific Linux in favor of adopting CentOS.
Design philosophy
The primary objective of Scientific Linux was to establish a unified Linux platform for laboratories and universities internationally, aiming to minimize redundant work. It sought to maintain full compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux while implementing only essential modifications and allowing straightforward site-specific customization without affecting the core system. Unlike distributions such as Poseidon Linux, Scientific Linux did not include an extensive suite of scientific applications but focused on ensuring compatibility for installing such software.
Features
Scientific Linux was derived directly from Red Hat Enterprise Linux but excluded proprietary elements like Red Hat’s trademarks, making it freely distributable. New versions were generally released approximately two months after their corresponding Red Hat releases. The distribution was available as a complete package (on two DVDs) as well as in LiveCD and LiveDVD formats.
Out-of-the-box support included wireless networking and Bluetooth capabilities. The software collection encompassed multimedia codecs, Samba, Compiz, server and client utilities, storage clients, networking tools, and system administration programs.
Additionally, Scientific Linux provided utilities for creating customized versions, enabling organizations and users to produce tailored variants.
Release history
The following table lists previous Scientific Linux versions. Each release underwent community testing before its official launch.
| Scientific Linux release | Codename | Architectures | RHEL base | Scientific Linux release date | Red Hat Enterprise Linux release date | Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0.1 | Lithium | i386, x86-64 | 3.1 | 2004-05-10 | 2004-01-16 | 106d |
| 4[1] | Beryllium | 4 | 2005-04-20 | 2005-02-14 | 65d | |
| 5 | Boron | 5 | 2007-05-14 | 2007-03-14 | 61d | |
| 6 | Carbon | 6 | 2011-03-03 | 2010-11-10 | 113d | |
| 7 | Nitrogen | x86-64 | 7 | 2014-10-13 | 2014-06-10 | 125d |
Support
Security patches remain available as long as Red Hat continues to issue updates for the associated versions.
| Scientific Linux version | End of full update support | End of maintenance update support |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 20 July 2006 | 31 October 2010 |
| 4 | 31 March 2009 | 29 February 2012 |
| 5 | First quarter 2014 | 31 March 2017 |
| 6 | Second quarter 2017 | 30 November 2020 |
| 7 | Fourth quarter 2019 | 30 June 2024 |
See also
- Fermi Linux, a customized Scientific Linux variant developed by Fermilab
- CentOS, a Linux distribution derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- AlmaLinux, the suggested alternative distribution
- Rocks Cluster Distribution, tailored for high-performance computing clusters
External links
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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