Source URL: https://linux.slashdot.org/story/24/08/28/2345255/uncertainty-drives-linkedin-to-migrate-from-centos-to-azure-linux?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Source: Slashdot
Title: ‘Uncertainty’ Drives LinkedIn To Migrate From CentOS To Azure Linux
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Summary: The text discusses LinkedIn’s transition to using Microsoft’s Azure Linux operating system, moving away from the outdated CentOS 7. This transition is tied to Microsoft’s larger infrastructure strategy and presents significant implications for DevSecOps and cloud computing practices.
Detailed Description:
The report outlines Microsoft’s strategic shift in LinkedIn’s operating system, which involves transitioning from CentOS 7 to the internally developed Azure Linux. This move is indicative of larger changes within Microsoft’s infrastructure and its alignment with cloud computing and associated security practices. Here are the key points:
– **Background Context**: LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft in 2016, but efforts to migrate its infrastructure took a long time, partially due to significant workforce reductions.
– **Transition Significance**:
– The shift represents a crucial step for LinkedIn as it seeks to depend more on Microsoft’s cloud capabilities while optimizing performance and reliability.
– Concerns had previously been raised regarding CentOS Stream, which contributed to the uncertainty about updates and reliability, making this transition imperative.
– **Technical Insights**:
– LinkedIn’s infrastructure has primarily been running on XFS, which is also the default file system for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
– The transition involved ensuring XFS support in Azure Linux and retaining some components from CentOS and RHEL to maintain stability.
– **Deployment Tools**:
– The team created tools to facilitate deployments using Metal as a Service (MaaS), a Canonical service that supports various Linux distributions, suggesting some Ubuntu components may also be included in LinkedIn’s stack.
– **Handling Challenges**:
– Although the post suggests there were various technical challenges during deployment, it indicates that the blog post has been carefully curated and approved, hinting at possible issues that were left unaddressed as a strategic choice.
– **Broader Implications for Security and Compliance**:
– The transition illustrates the importance of reliable operating systems within cloud environments, especially for maintaining security and compliance standards within large organizations.
– The insights regarding the operating system’s migration also highlight the need for proactive DevSecOps practices, ensuring security is integrated through every phase of development and deployment.
By moving to Azure Linux, LinkedIn is likely enhancing its infrastructure security posture, and the details of this transition can inform similar strategic decisions in other organizations, particularly those leveraging cloud services for their operations.