Scientific Linux – The Big Physics Community Linux of Choice

In the Big Physics community, Linux is quite popular. Having met with numerous groups, Linux almost always comes up as a topic of discussion and in many cases it’s part of their labs roadmap for rolling out control, test, and other systems. The first issue is cost. Microsoft Windows costs $100 or more for each computer and when you have hundreds of systems, it adds up to real money fast. The second issue is support. Some claim that almost any problem with Linux (seeking a driver, asking a technical question, etc.) can be found on Google since the Linux community is quite large.

To reduce redundancy and provide commonality, Fermilab and CERN have anointed a version of Linux as Scientific Linux.

The FAQ on the site talks about the foundation of Scientific Linux as the “Enterprise version” of Linux. I believe it’s based on a version of Red Hat Linux but the FAQ declines to mention it citing trademark restrictions.

As always the issue of support comes up since the community provides it rather than a particular vendor. Fermi Lab offered a Fermi Linux so the support users found with that version will probably be what they find with the Scientific Linux version.

A general history of Scientific Linux can be found here.

Best regards,
Hall T.