Overview
Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux are community rebuilds of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
They use dnf, systemd and SELinux, and are excellent choices when you want a
RHEL-compatible platform with long-term support. On ALYPOD you install them by
selecting the template in the ALYPOD Console.
Before you begin
- An ALYPOD account at account.alypod.com.
- An SSH public key.
- Note that provisioning replaces all existing data on the Pod.
Steps
- Sign in to account.alypod.com and open the ALYPOD Console.
- Click Deploy Pod, choose a plan and region.
- Under OS template, select Rocky Linux or AlmaLinux and a version such as 8 or 9.
- Add your SSH public key or set a root password.
- Optionally add a cloud-init script.
- Create the Pod and wait for Running.
First steps after boot
- Connect:
bash
ssh [email protected]
- Update packages:
bash
dnf -y upgrade
- Install common tools:
bash
dnf install -y vim curl wget firewalld epel-release
systemctl enable --now firewalld
- Set hostname and timezone:
bash
hostnamectl set-hostname web01
timedatectl set-timezone UTC
Rocky vs AlmaLinux
Both are downstream RHEL rebuilds with near-identical behaviour. Many users pick AlmaLinux for its foundation backing or Rocky for its community governance; for day-to-day administration the commands are the same.
SELinux notes
RHEL-family systems enable SELinux by default. Check its mode with:
bash
getenforce
If a service is blocked, read journalctl/ausearch before disabling SELinux — fixing
contexts is usually better than turning it off.
Troubleshooting
- Problem: a package is missing from the default repos. Solution: enable Extra
Packages with
dnf install -y epel-release. - Problem: firewalld blocks a service. Solution: open the port, e.g.
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http && firewall-cmd --reload. - Problem: SELinux denies an action. Solution: use
audit2alloworrestoreconto correct contexts.
Related articles
- [Installing Ubuntu Server]
- [Initial server hardening after installation]
- [Managing users and sudo access]
