Running RedHat [7-9]: don't mind paying, but don't want to reinstall OS

Hi all,

If this has been addressed, feel free to point me to the thread.

My lab and one other run various versions of RedHat Linux (7.1, 8, and 
9) on Dell PCs with different functions/software.  We bought these PCs 
from Dell preinstalled with the RedHat Linux of the day.  Two of them 
were purchased within the last six months.

Now RedHat tells me that if I want to continue getting security patches 
via up2date, I need to install RedHat Enterprise Linux or Fedora.

Here's my deal:  I am willing to pay what I've been calling "protection 
money" (reminiscent of what the mob calls it when hitting up local 
businesses), because:

	* I realize it consumes valuable RedHat resources to provide these patches.
	* They are worth it to me; I don't want to rebuild sendmail [or insert 
other common software here] myself every few months, when the latest 
vulnerabilities are found.

My problem is with rebuilding the OS just a few months after buying it 
"preinstalled" from Dell.  I've built a lot of software on these 
workstations since then, and don't tell me it will all just run out of 
the box on the latest RedHat Enterprise Linux version.  Maybe it will, 
maybe it won't, but I really don't even want to install the new OS, much 
less port everything I've installed since over to it.

In short, I really don't need an extra major project added to my plate 
right now, and if I'm installing a new OS, I'm definitely going to look 
for other options.  I'm not real happy with RedHat right now.

If I am mistaken in my take on all this, I will be happy to post a 
correction to what I said on the AFNI message board:

http://afni.nimh.nih.gov/afni/phorum/read.php?f=1&i=2185&t=2149

Donna Hanlon