RHEL Clone issues

Tracy Perry · Jun 30, 2023

Curios... is the new RHEL/AlmaLinux fiasco of RHEL no longer posting their code to the CentOS GIT repository going to result in a fork of the support of AlmaLinux and/or Rocky Linux for CentMin?
https://almalinux.org/blog/impact-of-rhel-changes/

With Alma being based upon actual RHEL code line and apparently Rocky more along the CentOS code line, I can see issues between the two of which will have a harder time getting access to their normal source.

One thing you have to give Debian and it's "family"... they don't seem to have had this issue.
Wonder if the ultimate issue is money... RHEL wants as much of it as they can get.

eva2000 · Jun 30, 2023

Latest update from Rocky Linux at least (and probably AlmaLinux) https://community.centminmod.com/th...on-of-its-source-code.23903/page-2#post-96597

So pretty much business as usual

How Rocky Linux intends to obtain RHEL sources legally https://rockylinux.org/news/keeping-open-source-open/ through UBI container images and/or per pay use public cloud instances.

Previously, we obtained the source code for Rocky Linux exclusively from the CentOS Git repository as they recommended. However, this repository no longer hosts all of the versions corresponding to RHEL. Consequently, we now have to gather the source code from multiple sources, including CentOS Stream, pristine upstream packages, and RHEL SRPMs.
Moreover, Red Hat’s Terms of Service (TOS) and End User License Agreements (EULA) impose conditions that attempt to hinder legitimate customers from exercising their rights as guaranteed by the GPL. While the community debates whether this violates the GPL, we firmly believe that such agreements violate the spirit and purpose of open source. As a result, we refuse to agree with them, which means we must obtain the SRPMs through channels that adhere to our principles and uphold our rights.
The latency of this status update has been due to our desire to balance the needs of the community and technical requirements, with the challenges to open source and community principles that Red Hat has created. Fortunately, there are alternative methods available to obtain source code, and we would like to highlight two examples:
One option is through the usage of UBI container images which are based on RHEL and available from multiple online sources (including Docker Hub). Using the UBI image, it is easily possible to obtain Red Hat sources reliably and unencumbered. We have validated this through OCI (Open Container Initiative) containers and it works exactly as expected.
Another method that we will leverage is pay-per-use public cloud instances. With this, anyone can spin up RHEL images in the cloud and thus obtain the source code for all packages and errata. This is the easiest for us to scale as we can do all of this through CI pipelines, spinning up cloud images to obtain the sources via DNF, and post to our Git repositories automatically.
These methods are possible because of the power of GPL. No one can prevent redistribution of GPL software. To reiterate, both of these methods enable us to legitimately obtain RHEL binaries and SRPMs without compromising our commitment to open source software or agreeing to TOS or EULA limitations that impede our rights. Our legal advisors have reassured us that we have the right to obtain the source to any binaries we receive, ensuring that we can continue advancing Rocky Linux in line with our original intentions.
While we continuously explore other options, the aforementioned approaches are subject to change. However, our unwavering dedication and commitment to open source and the Enterprise Linux community remain steadfast.
In the unfortunate event that Red Hat decides to ramp up efforts to negatively impact the community, Rocky Linux will persist to continue serving the best interests of the entire open source community.
As a reminder, we welcome everyone to contribute to our efforts. You can learn more about how you can join us and all of the various ways to contribute on our wiki. Want to voice your support for Rocky Linux? Help us spread the word by sharing with your network, engaging with or contributing to the community, or telling friends about us. Our community is vital to our success, and we value your support. Together, we can make Rocky Linux continue to thrive!
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I tried it via UBI container and yup seems to work 938 src RPM packages RHEL src RPMs from UBI containers see FAQ Universal Base Images FAQ | Red Hat Developer
UBI EULA allows for free redistribution

What is the difference between the pre-UBI base images and UBI base images?
As with pre-UBI base images, UBI is derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It differs from pre-UBI Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 base images in a number of ways, most notably the fact that it can be freely redistributed under the terms of the Red Hat Universal Base Image End User License Agreement (EULA). In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, all base images are governed by the UBI EULA. See the following UBI documentation section: How are UBI images different?
When deploying on Red Hat OpenShift and/or RHEL, developers can use any package accessible via their Red Hat subscription. When deploying on non-Red Hat platforms, developers can only use the reduced set of packages that are tagged with the UBI-EULA.
“UBI content” and “non-UBI content” are different primarily due to the EULA. The former can be freely redistributable; the latter is not.
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Redistribution
20. Can I freely distribute applications built on UBI?
Yes, applications built on the Red Hat Universal Base Images and UBI-compatible tools and packages can be distributed with the embedded UBI content in the base image, as per the UBI EULA. Software vendors and community projects which build on UBI may have additional EULAs, which apply to their layered software.
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Tracy Perry Active Member

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Tracy Perry Active Member

eva2000 Administrator Staff Member

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