The release of the AlmaLinux 8.5 distribution has been finalized, synchronized with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5 distribution and containing all the changes proposed in this release. Builds are prepared for x86_64 and ARM64 architectures in the form of bootable (740 MB), minimal (2 GB), and full images (10 GB). Additionally, system images for installation on Raspberry Pi boards have been prepared. Live builds, as well as images for containers and cloud platforms, are promised for later release.
The distribution matches RHEL in functionality, with the exception of changes related to rebranding and the removal of RHEL-specific packages such as redhat-*, insights-client, and subscription-manager-migration*. AlmaLinux is free for all user categories, developed with community involvement, and uses a governance model similar to the Fedora project. The creators of AlmaLinux have attempted to achieve 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 development, while on the other hand, the project is transparent and accountable to the community.
The AlmaLinux distribution is based on CloudLinux, which, despite utilizing its resources and developers, has transferred the project to an independent non-profit organization, the AlmaLinux OS Foundation, for neutral development involving the community. A million dollars per year has been allocated for the project's development. All AlmaLinux developments are published under open licenses.
The distribution is developed according to the principles of classic CentOS, formed through the rebuilding of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 package base, and retains full binary compatibility with RHEL, allowing it to be used as a transparent replacement for classic CentOS 8. Updates for the AlmaLinux 8 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.
Red Hat has announced that it will release updates for the classic CentOS 8 distribution only until December 2021, instead of until 2029 as initially planned. Users are advised to switch to the CentOS Stream distribution, which is fundamentally different in that the classic CentOS acted as a 'downstream,' meaning it was built from already established stable releases of RHEL, whereas CentOS Stream is positioned as 'upstream' for RHEL, meaning it will undergo testing of packages before being included in RHEL releases (the beta release of RHEL 9 is based on CentOS Stream).
In addition to AlmaLinux, alternatives to the old CentOS include Rocky Linux (developed by a community under the guidance of the CentOS founder with support from the specifically created company Ctrl IQ), VzLinux (prepared by Virtuozzo), and Oracle Linux. Red Hat, in turn, has provided the opportunity for free usage of RHEL in organizations that develop open-source software and in environments of individual developers with up to 16 virtual or physical systems.
Source: opennet.ru
