Rocky Linux—considered one of not less than two new distributions created to fill the void left when CentOS Linux was discontinued by father or mother company Pink Hat—introduced common availability of Rocky Linux 8.4 at the moment. Rocky Linux 8.4 is binary-compatible with Pink Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4, making it potential to run apps designed and examined just for RHEL with out RHEL itself.
Bug-for-bug, not simply feature-for-feature
One of many questions we have gotten repeatedly since first protecting CentOS Linux’s deprecation is “why not simply use [my favorite distro]?” Linux and BSD customers are typically so accustomed to the identical software program engaged on a number of distributions, with related package deal names and set up procedures, that they neglect what utilizing and putting in proprietary software program is ceaselessly like.
Rocky Linux and competitor AlmaLinux (which launched its personal binary-compatible RHEL 8.4 clone in March) aren’t merely “Linux distros” and even “Linux distros that carefully resemble RHEL.” They’re constructed from the identical supply code as RHEL 8.4, which ensures that a big selection of proprietary software program designed with nothing however RHEL 8.4 in thoughts will “simply work,” no matter how obscure a function (or bug!) in RHEL 8.4 is perhaps that these packages rely on.
Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux aren’t the one RHEL-compatible choices on the market, after all. Final December, we printed a partial list of binary-compatible alternate options to RHEL, together with RHEL’s personal CentOS Stream (which is just accessible as a rolling launch) and Oracle Linux, in addition to Rocky, Alma, and Alma’s father or mother distro, CloudLinux.
What makes Rocky Linux—and AlmaLinux—particular is that each distros had been created particularly to fill the void left by CentOS’ deprecation. Their particular purpose is to be accessible for anybody who wants them, with industrial help additionally accessible. That latter level is in distinction with, for instance, Springdale Linux—which is one other long-running “RHEL rebuild” that ought to “simply work.” However it was primarily supposed for and supported by a comparatively small educational neighborhood.
The best way to get Rocky Linux 8.4 (Inexperienced Obsidian)
Like some other Linux distro, you possibly can merely download an ISO of Rocky Linux and set up it from scratch. However since Rocky Linux is particularly supposed to function a straightforward alternative for related distributions, it comes with easy-to-use conversion scripts as properly.
There is no such thing as a supported migration path from considered one of Rocky Linux’s earlier launch candidate (RC) builds to at the moment’s manufacturing construct—however customers of different RHEL 8.4 binary-compatible distributions can use the free migrate2rocky instrument for handy, in-place migration to Inexperienced Obsidian that ought to not mess up current customers, put in software program, and many others. The next distributions are supported by migrate2rocky:
- AlmaLinux 8.4
- CentOS Linux 8.4
- RHEL 8.4
- Oracle Linux 8.4
The Rocky Linux crew warns that, whereas migrations from different level releases “may fit,” the one supported migration sources are these particularly constructed from RHEL 8.4 supply. There are additionally points with Katello and a few error messages related to migrations starting with RHEL 8.4 itself. We strongly advocate customers rigorously learn the total migrate2rocky launch notes previous to making an attempt a migration—and, as at all times, have examined and dealing backups accessible earlier than continuing!
Safe Boot will come later
Though Rocky Linux 8.4 is obtainable as a production-ready distribution at the moment, one notable function is not accessible but—help for Safe Boot, which the Rocky crew describes as a “non-trivial course of” to get happening a brand new distribution.
The method of enabling Safe Boot with Rocky is underway, nonetheless, and the crew expects a second set of ISOs with Safe Boot help to be constructed and launched comparatively quickly. Till then, potential Rocky Linux customers who cannot await Safe Boot help ought to take into account AlmaLinux 8.4, which obtained its personal Safe Boot help this Could.
Though there’s at all times some ingredient of threat when doing in-place migrations, it is value noting that putting in AlmaLinux (or one other 8.4 suitable distro) with Safe Boot at the moment doesn’t imply you possibly can’t shift over to Rocky Linux later—the migrate2rocky instrument referenced within the final part ought to usually work merely, comparatively rapidly, and reliably should you want Safe Boot at the moment however nonetheless choose Rocky Linux as soon as its Safe Boot help turns into accessible.
The RESF is greater than Rocky Linux
Within the phrases of the Rocky Linux crew, “that is just the start, and the [Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation] is extra than simply Rocky Linux.” The crew goes on to explain the RESF as “a house for those who consider that open supply is not only a change that may be toggled at will.”
So as to put its cash the place its mouth is, the RESF did not cease with making Inexperienced Obsidian’s supply code accessible—the construct infrastructure, Git repos, and “the whole lot else anybody would want to fork our work” is simple to search out.
Though the RESF hasn’t specified some other tasks by title, it says that customers ought to count on extra within the coming weeks and months—strongly implying that it might help in internet hosting software program and tasks from like-minded builders and communities within the close to future.
