The AlmaLinux team introduced the beta version of its popular CentOS alternative, AlmaLinux OS 8.5, codenamed Arctic Sphynx. The beta version for the x86_64 and Arm architectures is now ready and waiting for users to test. The ISO files can be downloaded from the AlmaLinux official website.
Security features and improvements
The beta version comes with improvements to container management tools, various new module streams, and enhancements. The AlmaLinux OS 8.5 Beta also introduces new additions to System Roles, an enhanced Cockpit web console, additional security features for personal access tokens, and network time security for NTP. AlmaLinux OS 8.5 Beta comes with OpenJDK 17 support.
The AlmaLinux team also warned users not to used the beta release for production installations, since it is for testing purposes only. Users who encounter and issues can send report their experiences on the AlmaLinux Bug Tracker. Users can also join The AlmaLinux Community Chat, The AlmaLinux Forums, and The AlmaLinux Community on Reddit to talk about anything, provide feedback, or ask questions.
Changelog
- Added new module streams:
- nginx 1.20
- Node.js 16
- Ruby 3.0
- Updated components:
- PHP 7.4.19
- Squid 4.15
- Mutt 2.0.7
- Compiler Updates:
- GCC Toolset 11
- LLVM Toolset 12.0.1
- Rust Toolset 1.54.0
- Go Toolset 1.16.7
- The closest mirror will be selected automatically in network install mode
- SCAP Security Guide has new profiles and improvements for the existing profiles:
- A new profile aligned with the Australian Cyber Security Centre Information Security Manual (ACSC ISM).
- The Center for Internet Security (CIS) profile restructured into four different profiles (Workstation Level 1, Workstation Level 2, Server Level 1, Server Level 2).
- The Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) security profile updated to version V1R3.
- A new STIG profile compatible with Server with GUI installations.
- A new French National Security Agency (ANSSI) High Level profile, which completes the availability of profiles for all ANSSI-BP-028 v1.2 hardening levels in the SCAP Security Guide.
Upgrade instructions
To upgrade the almalinux-release package to the 8.5-1.el8 version from the beta repositories run:
$ dnf install -y https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/almalinux-release-latest-8-beta.x86_64.rpm $ dnf clean all
The new package contains updated repository URLs so, you can run the command to update the rest of the packages:
$ dnf upgrade -y