IT Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Scalable with good integration capabilities and fair pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support has been good."
  • "There needs to be some margin for improvement in terms of the way Satellite manages subscriptions. It is still very confusing when we have different contracts or different bundles of subscriptions, and we need to manage those within Satellite in a way that's very user-friendly."

What is our primary use case?

We use Satellite to distribute updates to all our Linux apartments. It's our content management platform for Linux Operating Systems. We use this to orchestrate our entire network and also to validate the configurations.

What is most valuable?

The integration with Ansible and the orchestration itself is a highly valuable aspect of the solution. It's basically the core function of the product, the way to handle orchestration and management patching in our Linux environment is great.

Technical support has been good.

The solution can scale. 

The stability is good.

We've found the pricing to be fair.

What needs improvement?

One of the challenges we have at the moment is managing the subscriptions for Red Hat. Apart from managing the patching for the Linux systems, we also use Satellite to manage the subscriptions that are associated to reach operating systems. There needs to be some margin for improvement in terms of the way Satellite manages subscriptions. It is still very confusing when we have different contracts or different bundles of subscriptions, and we need to manage those within Satellite in a way that's very user-friendly.

There is still some margin for improvement in terms of integration with the Ansible. Perhaps, it would be nice to be able to extend the usage of Satellite to other operating systems.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been dealing with the solution for about six or so years at this point.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There is no reason for complaints in terms of scalability. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's been a good experience so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Right now, we have a team of 7 administrators which is relatively small. We use it on a daily basis. 

It's been easy to scale. It is based on a distributed architecture. We have some essential nodes, however, then we can have multiple proxies for different geographies and different talents. Therefore, it's flexible and scalable.

How are customer service and support?

We have a technical account manager from Red Hat. We have weekly meetings to discuss many different topics. Satellite is also a subject on the table, trying to find some ways to improve our usage of the product. They have been pretty good. They are insightful and knowledgeable. We have no complaints about the level of service we receive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was relatively complex. Six years ago, we didn't have much experience. We did the first deployment with some external help from a partner. Since then, we have been improving our expertise on prototypes, and we are much more autonomous now. Therefore, I'd say that it does get easier to implement with time and experience. 

For maintenance, we do need to keep the products up to date, It is something we do every six months at least. It hasn't been a big effort.

What about the implementation team?

When we first deployed the solution, we did get help from our partner.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing was reviewed about three years ago. We like the pricing setup as it scales up and down easily, as we are charged by the number of med notes. The pricing is fair. We simply have to pay for the subscription to get access to the software and the support system and don't have any costs above that. 

What other advice do I have?

We're just a customer and an end-user.

We are a vendor that works with Open Source Solutions, mostly Linux-based. It was recently - maybe two years ago - acquired by IBM, so it's not part of the IBM group. We work a lot with the branded products from Red Hat Enterprise Linux to Satellite to Automation Solutions.

We are working with the latest version of Satellite, as we've recently upgraded it about three months ago.

I'd recommend it to anyone who manages significantly sized Linux environments.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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National Expert in Infrastructure and Operations at a training & coaching company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Easy to set up and integrate with other tools and has helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the integration with other tools."
  • "Automation can always be improved and refined to continue to make it better."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for automation. For example, it can help me to deploy applications. We are intending to do continuous delivery and continuous deployment. For this approach, we are using this product.

What is most valuable?

I like the integration with other tools. For example, WeWork. With the automation, I can describe the process to the facility, the people, to reduce the manipulation of the code and make automated jobs easy. We get all the results exactly the same, which is great for us.

It's an easy solution to set up.

I find the product to be stable.

The scalability is great.

Technical support has been very helpful and responsive.

What needs improvement?

Automation can always be improved and refined to continue to make it better.

I'd like to see the ability for this tool to integrate with other developer tools like Jenkins or maybe different tools that could help us to implement and continuously deliver continuous deployment. We'd like to have some information about how to do it as well. It needs more documentation.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using the solution maybe five or six years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product has been stable. There are no bugs or glitches that affect the performance. It's reliable. It doesn't crash or freeze.

I don't have problems with Ansible, the Ansible controller, or the satellite.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

We have 20 to 30 people using the solution at this time. The users, us, basically provide services to other areas of the organization.

How are customer service and support?

If I ever have issues with support, they are very helpful. They've been good to me. We've never had an issue with a ticket.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We do use another technology as well.

How was the initial setup?

For me, the initial setup was easy. I have two certifications. I have HTT and RTB. For these reasons and the fact I find it so similar to the technologies, I don't have problems learning the setup procedures for the process.

For the deployment we have in my organization at this moment, we have to do a few steps to implement it into the production environment. We make the installation in two to three days more or less. We are, for the moment, waiting for the final position to implement it with all my services, however, at this point, I may have spent two or three weeks to make it work in the production environment.

While it depends on each deployment how many people you need for deployment and maintenance, from our side, we'll have about 12. They are all engineers and they can handle all of the tasks necessary.

What about the implementation team?

I'm sure I'll end up doing the final deployment by myself. However, we have support that can assist us at a moment's notice if we have trouble at any point. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't directly handle the licensing contracts. I can't speak to the exact price. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

While the solution was selected from other products at the time, the company implemented it seven or eight years ago. I can't speak to what solutions they looked at then.

What other advice do I have?

My past company was a partner of Red Hat. My latest company is not. It's just a customer and an end-user.

I am working with an updated version of the solution at this time. We're using a private cloud on-premises right now.

I'd advise new users maybe get more information about the releases about the new features first to get a sense of the technology and what's to come.

I'll rate the solution at a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Red Hat Satellite
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BMC discovery consultant at Radium Technologies Ltd
MSP
Top 10
Stable product with a straightforward initial setup process
Pros and Cons
  • "The product allows us to handle patching for multiple servers at a time manually."
  • "There could be a feature to simplify the process without the requirement of any patch manager subscription."

What is our primary use case?

We use the product for patching features.

What is most valuable?

The product allows us to handle patching for multiple servers at a time manually.

What needs improvement?

Red Hat Satellit requires certification when installing an RSCD agent on the patch report server. There could be a feature to simplify the process without the requirement of any patch manager subscription.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Red Hat Satellite for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product's stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have around 100 Red Hat Satellite users in our organization. I rate the scalability a ten out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup process is straightforward. The deployment time depends on customers' specific requirements for monthly and weekly patching.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is very expensive for our customers.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Red Hat Satellite a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
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System Administrator at CST
MSP
Top 20
It's a useful product that makes updating and provisioning servers easier, but it should be bundled with an automation platform
Pros and Cons
  • "Previously, we were using one server to update from a different repository over the HTTP. We had to manually manage the updates on the repository server. Satellite made the process easier."
  • "Satellite should be bundled with Ansible Tower and the Ansible Automation platform. We face challenges from a security perspective because we have micro-segmentation in our network. For each server we provision, we have to set permissions to different ports so that the servers can communicate with Satellite. If I have a single server with Satellite and the Ansible Automation Platform, it would be easier to manage security issues instead of having two or three products on various servers."

What is our primary use case?

We use Satellite to get updates directly from Red Hat because our servers are not connected to the internet, so we get all the updates through Satellite using a central repository. We use the solution regularly when we update or reprovision servers.  

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, we were using one server to update from a different repository over the HTTP. We had to manually manage the updates on the repository server. Satellite made the process easier. 

What needs improvement?

Satellite should be bundled with Ansible Tower and the Ansible Automation platform. We face challenges from a security perspective because we have micro-segmentation in our network. For each server we provision, we have to set permissions to different ports so that the servers can communicate with Satellite. If I have a single server with Satellite and the Ansible Automation Platform, it would be easier to manage security issues instead of having two or three products on various servers. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used Satellite for about five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Satellite has been stable so far.

How are customer service and support?

We hardly use technical support because we can usually find everything we need online. Red Hat support is adequate. They don't respond quickly, but they resolved our issue. 

How was the initial setup?

Deploying Satellite is straightforward and takes less than a day. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Red Hat Satellite seven out of 10. It's an excellent product that has been useful for us. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Project & Software Manager at a consultancy with self employed
Real User
Makes it easier to manage the software and comes with excellent support
Pros and Cons
  • "Fixing is the most valuable. When you deal with a lot of hardware and software and you have a lot of packages, fixing is a bit difficult. You need to track and pull up all such things, but Satellite makes this task easy. We have branches in other locations, and I can manage other branches by using Satellite Capsule, which is a great feature."
  • "It wasn't easy in the beginning, and some effort was required to work it out. I already had the product documentation, but it was not well organized. It wasn't easy to follow. There were a lot of documents here and there."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it mainly for managing the software and taking care of licensing periods, fixes and enhancements, features, and all similar things for the software.

What is most valuable?

Fixing is the most valuable. When you deal with a lot of hardware and software and you have a lot of packages, fixing is a bit difficult. You need to track and pull up all such things, but Satellite makes this task easy.

We have branches in other locations, and I can manage other branches by using Satellite Capsule, which is a great feature.

What needs improvement?

It wasn't easy in the beginning, and some effort was required to work it out. I already had the product documentation, but it was not well organized. It wasn't easy to follow. There were a lot of documents here and there.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Satellite for about nine months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. I can control different locations by using Satellite Capsule.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale.

How are customer service and technical support?

Red Hat's technical support is excellent.

How was the initial setup?

The deployment took a couple of days. It took me some time to figure it out initially, but after that, it took just a couple of hours, and it was up and running.

What about the implementation team?

I implemented it in my company. We also maintain it ourselves. We upgrade it and work it out. We are Red Hat business partners, so we do everything.

We have hardware engineers who are implementing HPE, IBM, and Cisco solutions. They are not users of Satellite, but they are benefiting from Satellite. There are two or three engineers who are working on Satellite, and they are more than enough because you just need someone who has worked with Satellite to follow up on things. At a location, you just need one engineer. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its price is good. They call it subscription, not license, and it is on a yearly basis. There is only one subscription, and that's it.

What other advice do I have?

We chose this product because we are a Red Hat business partner, and we know that Red Hat has excellent products. It was our first choice.

I would definitely recommend this solution to anyone who wants to manage the software. I would rate Red Hat Satellite an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
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