AlmaLinux 9.4 Released: Security and Legacy Hardware Support

Rohan Timalsina

May 20, 2024 - TuxCare expert team

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AlmaLinux 9.4, codenamed “Seafoam Ocelot,” arrived on May 6, 2024. This exciting new release from the AlmaLinux OS Foundation closely mirrors Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.4, offering a free and open-source alternative with full compatibility. In this article, we will explore the key features available in this edition.

New Features and Improvements in AlmaLinux 9.4

Improved web-console functionality

This release brings a plethora of enhancements aimed at bolstering machine security, optimizing data protection, and prioritizing system reliability. With a focus on empowering users with additional automation capabilities, AlmaLinux OS 9.4 introduces improvements to the Web Console and system roles, ensuring seamless management and consistency in complex IT environments.

Security Updates

Several security-focused updates are included in AlmaLinux 9.4:

The SELinux userspace release 3.6 enhances policy customization with deny rules.
Keylime server components, the verifier and registrar, are now available as containers.
Rsyslog, a log processing system, gains customizable TLS/SSL encryption and capability dropping options for improved security.
The OpenSSL TLS toolkit now includes a drop-in directory dedicated to provider-specific configuration files, facilitating easier customization and maintenance.
The Linux kernel cryptographic API (libkcapi) 1.4.0 introduces new tools and options, including the new addition of the -T option that allows users to specify target file names in hash-sum calculations
Lastly, the stunnel TLS/SSL tunneling service undergoes significant updates in version 5.71, including changes in behavior compatible with OpenSSL 1.1 and later versions in FIPS mode. Additionally, version 5.71 introduces various new features, such as support for modern PostgreSQL clients, expanding its utility and compatibility.

Virtualization Features

For users working in hybrid cloud environments, AlmaLinux 9.4 delivers enhanced virtual machine snapshot capabilities. This facilitates improved backups, restores, and overall management of virtualized workloads.

Performance and Developer Tools

With updated module streams, AlmaLinux OS 9.4 offers improved performance, reliability, and scalability for building and managing applications. This includes updated versions of popular development tools like Python 3.12, Ruby 3.3, PHP 8.2, nginx 1.24, MariaDB 10.11, and PostgreSQL 16. It doesn’t stop there. This release also brings other updated components, such as Git, GCC, LLVM, Go, and Rust toolset.

Legacy Hardware Support Makes a Comeback

AlmaLinux 9.4 re-introduces support for a range of deprecated hardware. This includes specific PCI IDs for controllers from Dell, HP, IBM, and others. This is a welcome addition for those maintaining older hardware.

To see the full list of legacy hardware supported in this release, visit the “Extended hardware support” section.

Getting AlmaLinux 9.4

Intel/AMD (x86_64)
ARM64 (aarch64)
IBM PowerPC (ppc64le)
IBM Z (s390x)

The installation ISOs can be found on AlmaLinux mirrors.

Upgrading from AlmaLinux 9.x

Upgrading to AlmaLinux 9.4 is simple. If you’re already running AlmaLinux 9.x version, simply run the following command in your terminal:

$ sudo dnf upgrade -y

AlmaLinux: A Robust Open-Source Option

AlmaLinux 9.4 continues to solidify AlmaLinux as a powerful open-source alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux. With its focus on security, stability, performance, and broader hardware support, it is the go-to choice for businesses and individual users alike.

For a complete list of changes and detailed information, refer to the official release notes.

Read our step-by-step guide on how to seamlessly migrate from CentOS 7 or 8 to AlmaLinux 9.

The sources for this article include a story from 9to5Linux.

Summary