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We have some good news for AlmaLinux users! On 10 November 2022, the AlmaLinux OS Foundation proudly announced the release of AlmaLinux OS version 8.7, codenamed ‘Stone Smilodon’. Version 8.7 is based on the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7 and uses the 4.18.0-425.3.1.el8 kernel.
The installer is now available for four different architectures, which can be downloaded via the links below:
Further mirror servers are available by clicking here, or you can download the x86_64 minimal installer directly from the AlmaLinux archive via the link below: vault.almalinux.org/8.7/isos/x86_64/AlmaLinux-8.7-x86_64-minimal.iso
Cloud and containers, plus a live system
AlmaLinux also offers a number of cloud, container and live disk images. The builds for these are initiated once the public repository is ready, which is why only the installation ISOs were available for download on the day of release; the AlmaLinux team has promised a separate ‘Images Update’ announcement regarding the rest. The planned images are:
- Live systems with GNOME, GNOME-mini, KDE, XFCE and other desktop environments
- Cloud images: AWS AMIs (x86_64 and Graviton), Azure (standard and HPC), Google Cloud, a generic Cloud/cloud-init image for all four architectures, OpenNebula and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
- Docker images, the Platform and alternatives to UBI
- Raspberry Pi and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Release notes and further information
AlmaLinux 8.7 Stable provides a more stable foundation for open hybrid cloud solutions, new developments and features for the more efficient deployment of workloads, applications and services across multiple environments, as well as security features and updates to reduce risks and maintain better compliance.
AlmaLinux 8.7 includes changes to the system configuration, including the installer and disk image creation, which now support the creation of disk images with custom /boot partitions and sizes. It includes important security updates, including an update to the Network Security Services (NSS) libraries, which changes the minimum key size for all RSA operations from 128 bits to 1023 bits. Updates and enhancements to the infrastructure services shipped with AlmaLinux 8.7, as well as to dynamic programming languages, are also included.
It provides new automation and management features to make it easier to automate further manual tasks, carry out standard installation processes at scale, and simplify day-to-day system administration.
These developments include the addition of numerous system roles, as well as new features and functions for the web console. As for containers, Sigstore technology has been integrated into the container tools.
Software versions in AlmaLinux 8.7
According to the release notes, these are the key new and updated components:
| Area | Versions |
|---|---|
| New ‘Streams’ module | Ruby 3.1, Node.js 18, Mercurial 6.2, Maven 3.8 |
| Updated module stream | Redis 6.2.7 |
| Compilers and toolkits | GCC Toolset 12, LLVM Toolset 14.0.6, Rust Toolset 1.62, Go Toolset 1.18 |
| Infrastructure | chrony 4.2, unbound 1.16.2 |
| Troubleshooting and performance monitoring | Valgrind 3.19, SystemTap 4.7, Dyninst 12.1.0, elfutils 0.187, PCP 5.3.7, Grafana 7.5.13 |
| Command-line tools | opencryptoki 3.18.0, powerpc-utils 1.3.10, libva 2.13.0, new package: XMLStarlet |
Further changes:
- New storage solutions: SAP and SAPHANA, for running SAP applications
- Minimal ISO: OpenSCAP security profiles can now be selected during installation, rsyslog is now part of the minimal installation, and the kernel-modules-extra package supports more hardware
- Clevis: can unlock volumes encrypted with LUKS, even those mounted late in the boot process, without the need to enable the separate
clevis-luks-askpass.pathservice - SCAP Security Guide: the DISA STIG profile is better aligned with DISA content, whilst the CIS profiles are aligned with version 2.0.0 of the CIS AlmaLinux 8 Benchmark
Node.js 18, for example, can be enabled via the module system as follows:
dnf module reset nodejs
dnf module install nodejs:18
ISO verification and updating
For the x86_64 architecture, ISO images are available for the network installer (boot), the minimal and the full DVD (dvd). After downloading, you can use the signed CHECKSUM file to verify that the image file is intact and genuinely comes from AlmaLinux:
wget https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux
gpg --import RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux
wget https://vault.almalinux.org/8.7/isos/x86_64/CHECKSUM
gpg --verify CHECKSUM
sha256sum AlmaLinux-8.7-x86_64-boot.iso
In the output of gpg --verify, you should see the line ‘Good signature from “AlmaLinux”’, and the result of sha256sum should match the value in the CHECKSUM file.
An existing AlmaLinux 8 system can be updated in the usual way:
dnf upgrade -y
As the point releases are reaching the end of their lifecycle with the release of the next version, we are now updating to the final release in the series, 8.10. You can upgrade to the major version 9 locally using the ELevate tool; see the guide on upgrading AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux from 8 to 9 using ELevate.
How long will AlmaLinux 8 be supported?
Active support for AlmaLinux 8 ran until 31 May 2024; security updates will be provided until 31 May 2029. Releases in the 8 series:
- AlmaLinux 8.6 (May 2022)
- AlmaLinux 8.8 (May 2023)
- AlmaLinux 8.9 (November 2023)
- AlmaLinux 8.10 (May 2024, the final point release in the series)
You can read more about this release in the release notes, which contain technical details; the full list of changes can be found in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.7 release notes.
AlmaLinux is an operating system available on both our KVM VPS servers and our dedicated servers.