Gardience · Compare · Updated 2026-11-07 · Gardience Engineering · How we test

Red Hat Satellite alternative for mixed Windows and Linux fleets

Gardience is a Red Hat Satellite alternative for fleets that are not all RHEL. It patches Windows Server, RHEL, Rocky, Ubuntu, Debian, and Amazon Linux from one console, keeps a STIG/CIS-aligned baseline and CMMC Level 2 evidence for all of them, and costs $6,000 a year for up to 250 machines or $15,000 for up to 1,000.

Red Hat Satellite manages the lifecycle of RHEL machines, from content views to provisioning. Gardience is a console on open-source Salt that manages the whole fleet, Windows included, with patching, compliance, approvals, and evidence in one place.

How does Gardience compare to Red Hat Satellite?

	Red Hat Satellite	Gardience
Pricing model	Smart Management on top of each RHEL subscription	Flat yearly price per fleet
Windows	No	Yes: every Windows Server from 2016 to 2025, plus Windows 10 and 11
Linux	RHEL, deep lifecycle and content views; other distributions limited or no	Yes: RHEL, Oracle, Rocky, SUSE, Ubuntu, Debian, and Amazon Linux, each verified on real machines
Offline (air-gapped) install	Disconnected Satellite	Yes: fully offline from one signed bundle
Patching	Content views and Ansible	Built in: pilot and broad rings, change windows, second-person approval
Vulnerabilities	Through Red Hat Insights (connected)	CVE matching with CISA KEV due dates and EPSS, offline too
DISA STIG checklists for eMASS	SCAP on RHEL	Yes: Windows Server 2016 to 2025, Windows 10 and 11, RHEL family, SLES, and Ubuntu, with DISA STIG scans and a STIG Viewer checklist per machine
CMMC Level 2	Not part of Satellite	Covers all 110 requirements: live SPRS score, SSP, POA&M, signed evidence pack
Approvals and audit	Roles and task history	Two-person approval, change windows, tamper-evident audit log
Ansible playbooks	Ansible integration	Runs your existing playbooks over Salt, Windows included
Server requirements	RHEL 9, 4 cores, 20 GB RAM, about 300 GB for content (Red Hat)	Any supported Linux server with Docker

Why do teams add or switch to Gardience?

Most fleets are not all RHEL. Windows file servers and domain controllers, Ubuntu application servers, Debian appliances, and the Rocky or AlmaLinux machines someone stood up for a project need a second and third tool next to Satellite, and someone stitches their reports together for the auditor.
The auditor wants one record. Stitching patch and STIG reports from several tools is the slowest part of an assessment.
Windows evidence matters for CMMC. The machines that hold controlled data are often Windows servers.

Do you have to replace Satellite on day one?

No. Satellite is very good at the lifecycle of RHEL machines, from content views to provisioning, and it often comes with your Red Hat subscriptions. Many teams keep it as the RHEL content source and let Gardience patch, prove, and approve changes across everything, Windows included. Gardience installs on any supported Linux server in about five minutes, so you can run both side by side and compare.

What do you keep?

Satellite as your RHEL content source, if you want it. RHEL machines keep their Red Hat repositories, and Gardience applies updates on your schedule and records the evidence.
Your Ansible. Gardience runs your playbooks as they are, on Windows too, with no WinRM listener.

Questions

Does Red Hat Satellite manage Windows?

No. Satellite is built for RHEL. Windows needs a separate tool, which Gardience replaces with one console for both.

Can Gardience work next to Satellite?

Yes. Many teams keep Satellite for RHEL content views and use Gardience to patch, prove, and approve changes across the whole fleet.

Does Gardience manage Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux?

Yes. Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux are patched from the same console as RHEL, Ubuntu, Debian, and Windows, and the built-in update cache serves Rocky, AlmaLinux, and EPEL packages to machines that should not reach the internet.

Sources: Red Hat Satellite 6.18 installation planning documentation; CDW listings for Red Hat Smart Management with Satellite (RH00837, RH00838). Seen November 3, 2026.

Planning a move from Red Hat Satellite?

Book a migration call and bring your hardest state file or playbook. We walk through what carries over, what changes, and a plan that runs both side by side. Gardience Team is $15,000 a year at 1,000 machines.

Book a migration call The Red Hat Satellite migration plan See pricing

Salt is a trademark of its owner, Ansible is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc., and other names are trademarks of their owners. Gardience is independent and not affiliated with any of them.