Hi,

I would like to know where to download Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 for free.

Thanks.

If you're waiting for a link to download RHEL, you're at the wrong place here. www.redhat.com/software/rhel/
The only thing you get from RedHat are the source RPM's.

Maybe you want one of RHEL's free alternatives:
CentOS [reccomended]
WhiteBox Linux
Scientific Linux

Greetz, Boby!

Dear Boby,

Thank you for your reply.

I have gone through the centOS website. However, I have no idea how to start. Which link do I download from? I have downloaded the bittorent but don't know what to do next.

I would appreciate if you could tell me the steps.

Thanks.

Hello again meihua_t!

If you have the 4 iso's, burn them to cd's and boot your PC with the first...follow the instructions for installation.

If you have not downloaded them, here are the images [cd, dvd, torrent], it's a mirror from Singapore, the nearest of you.

Torrent downloads:
[DVD] CentOS-4.0-i386-bin.DVD.iso.torrent
or
[CD] CentOS-4.0-i386-bin1to4.torrent

Normal downloads:
[download all 4 cd images]
CentOS-4.0-i386-bin1of4.iso
CentOS-4.0-i386-bin2of4.iso
CentOS-4.0-i386-bin3of4.iso
CentOS-4.0-i386-bin4of4.iso

Other mirrors you can find here.

Good luck!
Boby

PS: If your platform is not x86 like ppc or 64 bit, go back a directory in the ftp link.

try to download from a server in your country and go to the folder that says i386 for intel and amd 32bit systems and download the four iso's to put on cd's or download the dvd torrent and burn them all to one dvd

Its a bit of an old question this but thought I'd help out.

Just search mirror sites for the isos... like so: http://mirror.macs.psu.ac.th/RHEL/RHEL3/

I'm having to grab the isos as well hence finding this question Hope it helps.

I'm not understanding why we are unearthing a 3-year old thread to talk about getting RHEL for free. RHEL is now on version 5 and is not free. If RHEL 3 is available free, I would not imagine that the support from RedHat would be there.

More to the point, RHEL 3 is going to be painfully out of date. For example, even version 4 would not support SATA.

At this point, I don't know who is the audience for thsi thread, but I advise anyone who likes RedHat to go with Fedora. If you are in a corporate environment and really need RHEL,. then get version 5.

Hmm. Maybe that would be "better" advice if you supported it with a few qualitatively good, objective reasons?

No EL version of redhat is paid for.

The only thing you do need to pay for is support, and access to RHN for updates.

You are not understanding why? when the entire point of the post is as clear as daylight in my previous one above. I was googling for RHEL3 downloads, found the thread, found a solution to the problem that didn't involve going the non-RHEL route (i.e. centos... despite it being based upon it), and thought just in case someone has issues like myself it would be quite handy to have the information posted on here.

RHEL 3 is out of date, well done... you can read version numbers. Not every corporate environment uses the latest and greatest, in fact as you can probably guess, I work on environments that have to be RHEL3, in fact some of the products we use will only run on RHEL3U4 32bit.

They could be modified to work on a RHEL 4 server im sure, however there is no need to upgrade the infrastructure when what is in place, works.

Fedora would be completely unsuitable for the task I am trying to do, and is a workstation OS, not a server.

OOPS!!
The reasons:
For the average user, the extra overhead associated with an "enterprise" product such as RHEL is just going to be an annoyance. When one gets used to complete freedom to choose mainstream or "bleeding edge" SW through the repositories, something like RHEL can be stifling.
The other obvious argument is that Fedora gives you much of the same functionality but is free.

I don't personally like any RedHat versions. My main motivation for responding at all is simple: For whatever reason, a lot of newcomers start with RedHat--get steered to RHEL--and wind up struggling with how to get RHEL for free. The main point is to help them understand they have options that may be much better.

I will try to get my objectivity more in line with the norms of LQ....

Fair point but my original post was in response to the query "where can I download redhat enterprise linux 3 for free".

I'm not a newcomer to redhat, just I don't have a RHN subscription, and today is one of the few days I get to work from home, but I require the iso images to do some development.

I dig the freedom slash free argument. Only thing to worry about is it having implications like trading in features for stability. After all that's what RHEL and derivatives are about, isn't it?


ROTFL, no, it's not about norms. It's just that providing good arguments can preempt a lot of discussion about what's "good".

I accept that I was a bit trigger-happy. My excuse is that we are having some major T-storms (and a tornado last night)---there are ions in the air....

The vast majority of threads about out-dated distros involve "lost souls" ("help me install RH7.3") . Clearly there are exceptions.

Sometimes I find that things like RHEL are all about control---as in the IT mafia controlling the users in a corporate environment. To be sure, keeping the unruly users in line can make life easier for the SAs, but when Joe User starts knowing more than the SA, then there's trouble.

I live in an MS-dominated environment ("We're going to make your life BETTER by migrating to Vista + Office 2007, and standardizing on Outlook.")
The good news: They support Linux
The bad news: Only RHEL
I recently won a major battle in which I was allowed to get an institutional laptop and install something other than Windows or RHEL. I had to sign an agreement that they would support me only "best-efforts". My first call to them after 5 months will be on getting power management working.

I think you're confusing the lay of the land of the IT Orc caste in your Shire with what Teh True Ruler (five o'clock, hippy hair, looks like a beggar) really stands for and that is a trustworthy reign, stability in the land and prosperity. Now, for pleasing their IT Master (you know, white gown, Brezhnev eyebrows, owns tower) quickly and painlessly, the Orcs decided it "best" to hand off what whomever they can't slay themselves directly to Teh True Rulers offices (Liv and Teh Support Elves, but mostly Liv). So in essence you're not battling Teh True Ruler or his offices but fighting Orcs, Teh Evil Support Ring and its Master...