When deploying SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, CentOS has been the industry standard for years. As a downstream rebuild of RHEL, it offers:

• 10-year lifecycle with Long-Term Support (LTS)
• Strict version-locked package management (yum/dnf)
• Enterprise-grade security updates backported to stable versions
• SELinux policies pre-configured for industrial environments

# Example of CentOS's stable package approach
sudo yum install epel-release
sudo yum --enablerepo=epel install modbus-tools
# Version will remain stable for the OS lifecycle

Fedora serves as upstream for RHEL/CentOS and provides:

• Newest kernel features (like real-time patches)
• Faster hardware support through recent drivers
• Short 13-month lifecycle per release
• Modern development tools (e.g., Podman 4.x vs CentOS's 3.x)

// Fedora's newer libiec61850 library example
#include 
// Typically 1-2 versions ahead of CentOS's backported packages

For industrial control systems, key differentiators include:

If transitioning from Fedora to CentOS for SCADA:

1. Test containers first using Podman:

   podman run -it --rm quay.io/centos/centos:stream9
   dnf install plc-tools

2. Rebuild custom RPMs with:

   mock -r epel-9-x86_64 rebuild package.src.rpm

3. Validate SELinux policies:

   audit2allow -a -M scada_policy

Consider Fedora if your SCADA deployment requires:

• Prototyping with unreleased industrial protocols
• Testing hardware with very new chipsets
• Developing next-gen IIoT applications

Example for experimental PROFINET:

# Fedora's COPR often has newer stack
sudo dnf copr enable industrial/profinet
sudo dnf install libprofinet-dev

When deploying SCADA solutions, the primary advantage of CentOS (now Rocky/AlmaLinux) over Fedora lies in its enterprise-grade stability. While Fedora serves as an excellent bleeding-edge development platform, its 6-month release cycle introduces challenges for long-term industrial deployments:

# Example systemd service stability check (relevant for SCADA daemons)
# CentOS maintains consistent systemd versions throughout its lifecycle
$ systemctl --version | head -1
systemd 219 (CentOS 7)
systemd 239 (CentOS 8 Stream)

# Fedora frequently updates systemd
$ systemctl --version | head -1
systemd 253 (Fedora 38)

SCADA systems often require specific library versions that must remain stable for decades. CentOS's yum/dnf behavior differs significantly:

# CentOS prioritizes stability over new features
$ sudo yum install modbus-tools
--> Will maintain same major version throughout OS lifecycle

# Fedora's frequent updates may break legacy dependencies
$ sudo dnf install libplctag
--> May receive incompatible updates during system upgrades

Industrial hardware often relies on out-of-tree drivers that require kernel consistency. The CentOS kernel policy ensures long-term ABI stability:

# Checking kernel version consistency
$ uname -r
3.10.0-1160.102.1.el7.x86_64 (CentOS 7 - maintained for 10+ years)
6.5.12-200.fc38.x86_64 (Fedora 38 - changes every few months)

Consider a Ignition SCADA deployment using OPC UA:

# CentOS installation script (stable environment)
#!/bin/bash
# Add EPEL for industrial packages
sudo yum install -y epel-release
sudo yum install -y \
    ignition-edge \
    opcua-tools \
    python2-modbus-tk # Maintains Python 2 compatibility

# Versus Fedora potential issues
sudo dnf install -y ignition-edge
# May force Python 3-only dependencies breaking legacy integrations

For existing Fedora developers, consider these transition strategies:

# Using Podman to containerize Fedora-developed components
podman run -dt --name scada-dev \
    -v ./project:/code:z \
    registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/ubi:latest \
    /code/deploy.sh

# Maintaining development on Fedora but targeting CentOS/RHEL builds
# In your spec files:
%if 0%{?rhel} || 0%{?centos}
BuildRequires: modbus-libs >= 1.5
%else
BuildRequires: libmodbus >= 3.1
%endif

Fedora remains superior for:

• Prototyping with cutting-edge industrial IoT protocols
• Developing containerized SCADA components
• Testing compatibility with future RHEL/CentOS versions

# Example of Fedora's advantage for prototyping
sudo dnf install -y \
    opc-ua-iiot-demo \
    mqtt-prometheus-bridge \
    node-red-contrib-opcua