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TuxCare BlogAlmaLinux 9.5 “Teal Serval” is Now Available: Find What’s New
by Rohan Timalsina
December 4, 2024 - TuxCare expert team
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has officially released the latest version AlmaLinux 9.5, codenamed Teal Serval, on November 18, 2024. Built from the same source code as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5, this new version arrived just 5 days after the release of RHEL 9.5. AlmaLinux OS 9.5 is powered by the Linux kernel 5.14 and offers a range of improvements, including enhanced performance, strengthened security, and an improved developer experience.
Let’s dive into the new features.
Highlights of AlmaLinux 9.5
Cryptography and SELinux Policies
This release introduces:
- Updated cryptography policies, which now extend control over algorithm selection in Java.
- A refined SELinux policy, introducing a boolean that allows QEMU Guest Agent to execute confined commands for virtualized environments.
Read more about SELinux: Mandatory Access Controls for Linux Security.
Developer-Friendly Updates
For developers, AlmaLinux OS 9.5 brings several compiler updates and performance tools updates that improve application performance, scalability, and reliability.
Compiler Updates:
AlmaLinux 9.5 includes updated toolsets like GCC Toolset 14, LLVM Toolset 18.1.8, Rust Toolset 1.79.0, Go Toolset 1.22, GCC 11.5, and Annobin 12.70.
System Performance Tools:
New versions of GDB 14.2, Valgrind 3.23.0, and SystemTap 5.1 simplify performance analysis and troubleshooting.
Updated Application Components
This release also brings updates to essential packages with BIND 9.18, Apache 2.4.62, Node.js 22, .NET 9.0, and OpenSSL 3.2.2. This new OpenSSL version supports certificate compression extension and adds Brainpool curves to the TLS 1.3 protocol. The NSS cryptographic toolkit has also been updated to upstream version 3.101. Additionally, system administrators can benefit from newer PCP 6.2.2 for performance monitoring and Grafana 10.2.6 for advanced visualization.
Getting AlmaLinux OS 9.5
Existing AlmaLinux 9.x users can upgrade to version 9.5 by running the following command in the terminal.
sudo dnf upgrade -y
For fresh installations, the ISO files are available on the official AlmaLinux website. AlmaLinux 9.5 offers installation ISOs for four architectures:
Enterprise Support for AlmaLinux
To maximize the potential of AlmaLinux in your organization, consider TuxCare’s Enterprise Support for AlmaLinux. It offers comprehensive coverage for businesses running AlmaLinux OS, including:
- Extended 16-Year Support Lifecycle: Enjoy long-term support and stability for your critical applications.
- Commercial Repository and Break-Fix Support: Access a commercial repository with prioritized bug fixes and security updates.
- Continuous FIPS Compliance: Ensure regulatory compliance with ongoing FIPS certification.
- Affordable Pay-as-You-Go Application Support: Get tailored support for specific applications as needed.
TuxCare offers two levels of AlmaLinux support:
Essential Support:
- AlmaLinux installation/update issues (packaging, dependencies, repositories)
- Migration issues between OS with the same major version (e.g., from CentOS/OL/RHEL 8 to AlmaLinux 8)
- Operating system bugs / kernel crashes; root cause analysis
Enhanced Support:
- Extends support to a wider range of open-source applications running on AlmaLinux.
For more detailed information about Enterprise Support for AlmaLinux, refer to this documentation.
Conclusion
As a free and open-source alternative to RHEL, AlmaLinux OS offers a community-driven operating system backed by enterprise-grade features. With its strong community support, regular security updates, and long-term support, AlmaLinux provides a cost-effective and dependable solution for various IT needs.
If you’re transitioning from CentOS to AlmaLinux, TuxCare’s CentOS Migration Guide provides a step-by-step approach to ensure a smooth migration process.
For a full list of changes in AlmaLinux 9.5, check out the release notes.
The sources for this article include a story from 9to5Linux.
