The release of the AlmaLinux 8.4 distribution has been presented, synchronized with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 distribution. Builds are prepared for the x86_64 architecture in the form of bootable (709 MB), minimal (1.9 GB), and full images (9.8 GB). Builds for the ARM architecture are also planned to be published soon.
The distribution is recognized as ready for production deployments and is fully identical to RHEL in functionality, except for changes related to rebranding and the removal of RHEL-specific packages such as redhat-*, insights-client, and subscription-manager-migration*. Notable changes compared to the first release of AlmaLinux include the implementation of UEFI Secure Boot support, the support for the OpenSCAP package, the creation of a 'devel' repository, the addition of several new App Streams modules, and the updating of the compilers used.
The AlmaLinux distribution is based on CloudLinux in response to Red Hat's premature discontinuation of CentOS 8 support (the release of updates for CentOS 8 is set to end in late 2021, rather than 2029 as users had anticipated). Despite the involvement of resources and developers from CloudLinux, the project is overseen by a separate non-profit organization, the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, which was created to develop it in a neutral setting with community participation. A million dollars per year has been allocated for the development of the project. All AlmaLinux developments are published under free licenses.
The distribution evolves in line with the principles of classic CentOS, being formed through the re-compilation of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 package base and maintains full binary compatibility with RHEL, which allows it to be used as a transparent replacement for classic CentOS 8. Updates for the AlmaLinux distribution branch, based on the RHEL 8 package base, are promised to be released until 2029. To migrate existing CentOS 8 installations to AlmaLinux, it is sufficient to download and run a special script.
The distribution is free for all categories of users, developed with community involvement, and utilizes a management model similar to the organization of the Fedora project. AlmaLinux seeks to find an optimal balance between corporate support and community interests — on one hand, resources and developers from CloudLinux, which has extensive experience in maintaining RHEL forks, are involved in the development, while on the other hand, the project remains transparent and accountable to the community.
As alternatives to the old CentOS, Rocky Linux and Oracle Linux are also positioned alongside AlmaLinux. Additionally, Red Hat has provided the option for free use of RHEL in organizations developing open-source software and in environments for individual developers with up to 16 virtual or physical systems.
Source: opennet.ru
