AlmaLinux 9.2, the latest version of the popular RHEL clone, has been released. This version maintains the technological foundation of the source code while avoiding any legal issues by removing references to the original brand.
While AlmaLinux 9.2 closely resembles RHEL 9.2, it doesn't introduce any groundbreaking changes. The project's main objective is to provide a viable alternative to CentOS, which was discontinued.
AlmaLinux 9.2 offers official builds for x86_64, ARM64 (aarch64), IBM PowerPC (ppc64le), and s390x (IBM Z). Several components and tools have been updated, including Python 3.11, nginx 1.22, PostgreSQL 15, Git 2.39.1, and GCC 11.3.1. The kernel version is Linux 5.14.
It's important to note that AlmaLinux prioritizes stability for production environments, so it may not always provide the latest versions of components like RHEL and Debian's stable branch.
In terms of security, AlmaLinux 9.2 updates various components, such as OpenSSL 3.0.7 and SELinux userland packages. It also introduces new features like Clevis accepting external tokens and Rsyslog's improved TLS logging.
As a RHEL clone, AlmaLinux 9.2 inherits the extension of system role capabilities through Ansible, which simplifies administrative tasks. It also includes support for Podman, an open-source container engine, and enhances Podman with container creation event tracking and custom container "health checks."
To learn more about AlmaLinux 9.2, refer to the official announcement and changelog. The system can be downloaded from the official website for the mentioned architectures.