CentOS 8.x AlmaLinux AlmaLinux 8.x Linux Development Discussion Thread

It looks like AlmaLinux is more of a replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux than for CentOS.

With a similar strategy as Oracle Linux. The bits are available for free but support has to be paid for.

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Hivelocity, my server provider of choice, is now offering AlmaLinux in custom server configs:

Hivelocity Adds AlmaLinux to Custom Server Options - Hivelocity Hosting

 

Fortunately, there is no need to wait for providers to support it natively.
With the official migrate script below, you could easily migrate CentOS 8.*, Oracle Linux 8.* and RHEL 8.* to AlmaLinux 8.*.

I have tested it on a few dedi's and it works perfectly so far.
But that is actually no wonder. It is more or less the same product with a different color jacket.

AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy

 

Is it possible to include all binary compatible EL8 distro's?
As also shown here: EL8 drop in replacements, binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. They all use the same EPEL extra's and are binairy compatible.

Seems like a good idea to me, in case a distro quits, like CentOS did before and you have to do it all over again.

 

Oracle Linux
VzLinux
Circle Linux
Navy Linux
EuroLinux
- SUSE Liberty Linux

No problem. I have instructed an intern here that I want the relevant files from the distros above. SUSE is for existing customers only and by request only, and thus drops out. The rest should be obtainable.

By the way, this is not a dirty job to bully interns. It is a young person from practical education. The school-job is to install all known operating systems and to record it in a report with screenshots. As school still seems to be Windows-Cinderella lala-land. This is a proper assignment to learn Enterprise Linux (EL).

Proud the scholar is to manage a few (large) servers.
Hihi server clusters are pretty impressive when you first see them in a data center

 

Oracle Linux

/etc/os-release

Code:

NAME="Oracle Linux Server"
VERSION="8.5"
ID="ol"
ID_LIKE="fedora"
VARIANT="Server"
VARIANT_ID="server"
VERSION_ID="8.5"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Oracle Linux Server 8.5"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:oracle:linux:8:5:server"
HOME_URL="https://linux.oracle.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugzilla.oracle.com/"

ORACLE_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT="Oracle Linux 8"
ORACLE_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT_VERSION=8.5
ORACLE_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="Oracle Linux"
ORACLE_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION=8.5a

/etc/oracle-release

Code:

Oracle Linux Server release 8.5

/etc/redhat-release

Code:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 8.5 (Ootpa)

 

VzLinux

/etc/os-release

Code:

NAME="Virtuozzo Linux"
VERSION="8"
ID="virtuozzo"
ID_LIKE="rhel fedora"
VERSION_ID="8"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Virtuozzo Linux"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:virtuozzoproject:vzlinux:8"
HOME_URL="https://www.vzlinux.org"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.openvz.org"

/etc/vzlinux-release

Code:

Virtuozzo Linux release 8.5.0 (1)

/etc/redhat-release

Code:

Virtuozzo Linux release 8.5.0 (Vz)

 

Circle Linux

/etc/os-release

Code:

NAME="Circle Linux"
VERSION="8"
ID="circle"
ID_LIKE="rhel fedora"
VERSION_ID="8.5"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Circle Linux 8"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:circle:circle:8.5"
HOME_URL="https://cclinux.org/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.cclinux.org/"
CIRCLE_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="Circle Linux"
CIRCLE_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="8"

/etc/circle-release

Code:

Circle Linux release 8.5

/etc/redhat-release

Code:

Circle Linux release 8.5

 

Navy Linux

/etc/os-release

Code:

NAME="Navy Linux Enterprise 8.5r1"
VERSION="8.5r1 (Base)"
ID="navy"
ID_LIKE="rhel fedora"
VERSION_ID="8"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="Navy Linux Enterprise 8 (Base)"
ANSI_COLOR="0;31"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:navylinux:navylinux:8"
HOME_URL="https://www.navylinux.org/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://git.navylinux.org/issue-tracker/general/-/issues"

NAVYLINUX_MANTISBT_PROJECT="NavyLinux-8"
NAVYLINUX_MANTISBT_PROJECT_VERSION="8"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="navylinux"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="8"

/etc/navylinux-release

Code:

Navy Linux Enterprise release 8.5r1-121221 (Base)

/etc/redhat-release

Code:

Navy Linux Enterprise release 8.5r1-121221 (Base) 

 

EuroLinux

/etc/os-release

Code:

NAME="EuroLinux"
VERSION="8.5 (Tirana)"
ID="eurolinux"
ID_LIKE="rhel fedora centos"
VERSION_ID="8.5"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el8"
PRETTY_NAME="EuroLinux 8.5 (Tirana)"
ANSI_COLOR="0;34"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:eurolinux:eurolinux:8"
HOME_URL="https://www.euro-linux.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://github.com/EuroLinux/eurolinux-distro-bugs-and-rfc/"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="EuroLinux"
REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="8"

/etc/el-release

Code:

EuroLinux release 8.5 (Tirana) 

/etc/redhat-release

Code:

EuroLinux release 8.5 (Tirana) 

 

Consider it done!

 

Nice job. And that in that short time. Seems to me secretly quite a lot of work.
All those different operating systems.

 

If it were up to me, you'd grab one distribution only.
If time is an issue. For example, take AlmaLinux.
Because this is where your preference lies (I read elsewhere on the forum).

Detection only for the other EL based distros would be awesome so please add that, along the lines of reporting in your installing script like: 'Centmin Mod does officialy support AlmaLinux only, but as it is compatible with Enterprise Linux (EL) in general. It should work on drop in replacements, binary compatible with AlmaLinux'.

Yes a lot of work but it does teach out of the box thinking.
Instead of spending hours installing distributions and copying the release files afterwards, the scholar could have downloaded and extracted almalinux-release, rockylinux-release and the other distro specific *-release rpm's to copy the relevant files.

Then the scholar in question could/should have been ready in just a few minutes, instead of hours. I explained that afterwards, of course. As part of the assignment.

Nja probably now we are the only significant organization in the world with all EL8 based distributions on a single (test) cluster larger than a truck haha LOL

It is very important to be able to move quickly and think out of the box.
Especially in a mission critical environment. After all, when things go wrong, you have to act now.

So not literally carrying out an assignment but thinking what: 'can I improve or speed-up this task myself'. This is a very good lesson.

That's what I try to teach scholars: move quickly and think out of the box.
Instead of woke and inclusive, school would do much better to deal with essential basic skills.

Code:

# create /etc/system-release and /etc/redhat-release
echo "%{product_family} release %{full_release_version}%{?beta: %{beta}} (%{release_name})" > %{buildroot}/etc/almalinux-release
echo "Derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux %{upstream_rel} (Source)" > %{buildroot}/etc/almalinux-release-upstream
ln -s almalinux-release %{buildroot}/etc/system-release
ln -s almalinux-release %{buildroot}/etc/redhat-release
ln -s almalinux-release %{buildroot}/etc/centos-release

# Create the os-release file
cat << EOF >>%{buildroot}%{_prefix}/lib/os-release
NAME="%{product_family}"
VERSION="%{full_release_version} (%{release_name})"
ID="almalinux"
ID_LIKE="rhel centos fedora"
VERSION_ID="%{full_release_version}"
PLATFORM_ID="platform:el%{base_release_version}"
PRETTY_NAME="%{product_family} %{full_release_version}%{?beta: %{beta}} (%{release_name})"
ANSI_COLOR="0;34"
CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:almalinux:almalinux:%{base_release_version}::baseos"
HOME_URL="https://almalinux.org/"
DOCUMENTATION_URL="https://wiki.almalinux.org/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.almalinux.org/"

ALMALINUX_MANTISBT_PROJECT="AlmaLinux-%{base_release_version}"
ALMALINUX_MANTISBT_PROJECT_VERSION="%{full_release_version}"

EOF

 

Never hide distros from the cold start.
Just enable one distro and add some welcome info.
El8 compatible distro's other than AlmaLinux, should opt-in themselves after clear notification.

Then you get rid of all the whining and asking for the known way.
Because initially any EL8, should be able to work. With the emphasis on should.