CIQ (Rocky Linux), Oracle, and Suse announced the creation of the Open Enterprise Linux Association (openela) aimed at jointly developing a package base compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
The Association of Distribution Developers openela aims to combine distribution developers’ efforts in ensuring compatibility with RHEL. As part of this initiative, a jointly supported public repository with the initial package texts has been created. These texts can be used to build distributions compatible with RHEL.
Similar to the ceased Git.Centos.org repository, the Openlav repository will publish all necessary source texts for creating distributions compatible with RHEL 8 and 9 branches. Additionally, a compatible option with the RHEL 7 branch will also be available. The project will also provide the tools necessary for creating derivatives of distributions completely compatible with RHEL.
The Openlav repository will adhere to high-quality standards, utilizing an open development process and ensuring the prompt publication of updates and vulnerabilities. The project is open to any interested organizations, companies, and individual developers willing to contribute to the repository. The initial package texts will be distributed free of charge and without restrictions.
It is important to note that Red Hat no longer publicly publishes SRPM packets in the Git.Centos.org repository. Instead, the only public source for RHEL package code is the Centers Stream repository. Customers can access SRPM packets through a closed section of the site, subject to an additional user agreement (EULA) that prohibits data redistribution and the creation of derivatives of distributions.
However, the Centers Stream repository is not fully synchronized with RHEL, and the latest versions of packages may not always coincide. The development of CentoS Stream typically involves slight manual differences, but there are also cases where updates for certain packages, such as the kernel, are delayed in CentoS Stream.