- Rocky Linux 9.0 is built with an in-house developed and open-source Cloud Native build system called Peridot.
- The distro offers GNOME 40 as the default desktop environment. The redesigned core apps, settings, and UI intend to make it easier to use Rocky Linux as a desktop operating system.
- Rocky Linux 9 series has deactivated root user authentication with a password over SSH by default to prevent attackers from gaining access using brute-force password attacks.
Rocky Linux is an open-source Linux distribution developed by Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. The developers just announced a new release of its Red Hat Enterprise Linux clone, Rocky Linux 9.0. The new release comes with GNOME 40 as the default desktop environment and will be supported until May 31st, 2032.
Release highlights
Rocky Linux was founded more than a year ago and supported by CentOS co-founder, Gregory Kurtzer. Earlier this year, the Linux distro became available on the major public clouds. Now, Rocky Linux 9, a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9 clone, has arrived. It was built with an in-house developed and open-source Cloud Native build system called Peridot. Peridot was used to build Rocky Linux 9 for x86_64, aarch64, s390x, and ppc64le architectures.
We are pleased to announce the stable release of Rocky Linux 9.0! 🥳 More details and download links are available at https://t.co/3HQHo2i5Un pic.twitter.com/Q8xei7DIBL
— Rocky Linux (@rocky_linux) July 14, 2022
Rocky Linux 9 offers GNOME 40 as the default desktop environment. The redesigned core apps, settings, and UI intend to make it easier to use Rocky Linux as a desktop operating system. The file system, XFS now supports Direct Access (DAX) operations, permitting direct access to byte-addressable persistent memory and the “eager write” mount option to help reduce latency.
Rocky Linux 9 has many of the latest runtimes and compilers, including GCC 11.2.1, LLVM (13.0.1), Rust (1.58.1), and Go (1.17.1). It has updated versions of developer tools including GCC (11.2.1), glibc (2.34), and binutils (2.35). New features in the GCC compiler help developers better trace code flow with improved debugging options and write optimized code for efficient hardware usage.
Download Rocky Linux 9.0
The new release also contains the languages Python 3.9, Node.js 16, Ruby 3.0.3 , Perl 5.32, and PHP 8.0. All packaging methods, such as Software Collections, Flatpaks, and RPMs, have been incorporated into application streams, making it easier for developers to use their preferred packages.
As per security features, Rocky Linux 9 series has deactivated root user authentication with a password over SSH by default to prevent attackers from gaining access using brute-force password attacks. And OpenSSL 3.0 adds a provider concept, a new versioning scheme, and improved HTTPS. One of the other notable improvements is that the Cockpit web console has an improved performance metrics page that helps identify causes of high CPU, memory, disk, and network resource usage spikes.
Rocky Linux will be supported until May 31st, 2032 and Rocky Linux 8 continues to be supported until May 31st, 2029.
You can download Rocky Linux 9.0 here.
FAQ
What is the latest version of Rocky Linux?
The latest version in Rocky Linux 8 series is 8.7 which was released on 14 November 2022, and in 9 series is 9.1 released on 26 November 2022.
How long will Rocky Linux be supported?
Rocky Linux 8.X versions will be supported until 2029 and Rocky Linux 9.X versions will be supported until 2032.
Is Rocky Linux free?
Yes, Rocky Linux is free and open-source software. It is released under the GNU General Public License.
Is Rocky Linux lightweight?
Rocky Linux is designed to be lightweight and minimalistic, it is built to be a drop-in replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and it uses the same packaging, management, and update tools. It aims to be a fast, stable, and secure platform for enterprise use, so it is not as lightweight as other Linux distributions such as Arch Linux or Gentoo, but it is still considered a lightweight distribution when compared to others that are designed for enterprise use.
Who owns Rocky Linux?
Rocky Linux is owned and developed by the Rocky Linux Project, which is a community-driven and open-source project. The project is led by Gregory Kurtzer, who is also the founder of the CentOS project.
Is Rocky Linux same as RHEL?
Rocky Linux is similar to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) in many ways, as it is designed to be a drop-in replacement for RHEL and uses the same packaging, management, and update tools. It aims to be fully compatible with RHEL and to provide the same level of performance, stability, and security as RHEL.
Is Rocky Linux same as CentOS?
Rocky Linux and CentOS are similar in many ways, but Rocky Linux is a new project that aims to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of CentOS and it has some different goals and directions.
Is Rocky Linux good for servers?
Rocky Linux is designed for enterprise use and as a drop-in replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), so it can be a good choice for servers. It aims to provide the same level of performance, stability, and security as RHEL and uses the same packaging, management, and update tools.
Does Rocky Linux have a desktop environment?
Yes, Rocky Linux comes with a desktop environment, it ships with the KDE Plasma desktop environment by default, but it also provides other options like GNOME and Xfce that can be installed via the package manager. The desktop environment is just one of the many packages that can be installed on Rocky Linux, so users can choose to install a different desktop environment or none at all, depending on their needs.
Can Rocky Linux be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, Rocky Linux can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install Rocky Linux on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install Rocky Linux on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to create VM and install a Linux distro on VMWare Workstation