The distribution, Rocky Linux 9.3, has been presented and aims to create a free assembly of RHEL that can replace classic CentOS. This binary distribution is compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and can be used as a replacement for RHEL 9.3 and CentOS 9 Stream. The Rocky Linux 9 branch will be supported until May 31, 2032.
Installation ISO images of Rocky Linux are available for architectures x86_64, Aarch64, PPC64le, and S390X (IBM Z). In addition, live assemblies with the desktop GNOME, KDE, and XFCE have been published for the X86_64 architecture.
Changes made in Rocky Linux 9.3 include getting rid of the Red Hat brand and removing specific packages for RHEL, such as Redhat-*, Insights-Client, and Subscription-Manager-Migration*. For a detailed list of changes, you can refer to the announcement of RHEL 9.3. Notably, Rocky Linux 9.3 introduces additional packages in a separate repository, including OpenLdap-servers-2.6.3 and packages for network virtualization developed by the SIG-group NVF (Network Functions Virtualization). Repositories for Code Ready Builder (CRB), real-time packets (RT), high availability, Resilient Storage, and SAP HANA are also supported.
In terms of package sources, the Openla repository, supported by Oracle and SUSE, is now involved in the formation of Rocky Linux 9.3. This change comes as a result of the termination of the placement of the initial RPM package texts from RHEL by the RED HAT company in the public repository git.centos.org. The initial packages are now only accessible to the company’s customers through a closed section of the site, with a user agreement (EULA) that prohibits data redistribution, preventing the use of these packages to create distribution derivatives. The initial texts are still available in the CentOS Stream repository, but it is not always completely synchronized with RHEL and may not contain the latest versions of packages.
The development of Rocky Linux is carried out under the auspices of the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation.
Source: Rocky Linux 9.3 GA Release