CERN Ditches RHEL

CERN, the European research organization, is making a significant shift in its operating system of choice, transitioning its industrial computers from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) to Debian. The decision affects over 2,200 industrial computers and embedded systems, which are expected to be running Debian 13 by the end of 2026.

CERN had previously used RHEL-derived Scientific Linux for about a decade before moving to CentOS in 2015. However, the organization has now decided to move away from CentOS and adopt Debian for a portion of its systems. The default compiler flag '-march=x86-64-v2' in RHEL was a key factor in this decision, as it was seen as forcing obsolescence for old hardware.

Before settling on Debian, CERN considered moving to CentOS Stream, but ultimately decided against it. The organization's data centers and experimental computing will remain on RHEL/AlmaLinux, with the migration focusing on industrial accelerator-control computers.

The transition to Debian has not been without its challenges, with CERN facing issues such as the lack of standard tooling for automated building and publishing of packages. Additionally, some tools do not support multiple versions of the same packages, creating gaps in the official tooling.

## Why it matters The move to Debian is significant, as it highlights the importance of flexibility and compatibility in operating systems. CERN's decision to abandon RHEL for its industrial computers demonstrates the need for organizations to carefully consider their technology choices and ensure they align with their long-term goals. As CERN continues to push the boundaries of scientific research, its choice of operating system will play a critical role in supporting its mission.

The news was announced at the MiniDebConf, which took place in Winterthur, Switzerland. Those interested in learning more about CERN's migration to Debian can view a video presentation from the conference.