AlmaLinux continues to gain traction as a preferred alternative for the free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), mainly since CentOS shifted its focus towards a rolling-release model with CentOS Stream.
But one thing can’t be denied – Alma consistently sets the standard for swift and efficient releases. This was once again proven true with the latest launch of AlmaLinux 9.3.
True to its reputation, the distro has managed to follow closely on the heels of the RHEL 9.3 release, unveiling its own updated version just six days later. So, let’s see what’s new.
AlmaLinux 9.3 Highlights
Powered by Linux kernel 5.14, AlmaLinux 9.3, codenamed “Shamrock Pampas Cat,” which, as a result of Red Hat’s decision to limit access to its source codes decided to be only RHEL ABI-compatible, ships with an eye strongly focused on security.
In light of this, Keylime, a sophisticated software solution focused on enhancing the security and integrity of various computing systems, received a bump to v7.3. Moreover, OpenSSH, one of the most widely used tools for secure network communication, has been migrated away from the less secure SHA-1 message digest.
Furthermore, AlmaLinux 9.3 has notably improved its security features by incorporating enhancements that support the Extended Master Secret (EMS) extension, as outlined in RFC 7627.
This integration is particularly significant as it aligns with the requirements of the FIPS-140-3 standard, a key benchmark in cryptographic security. Specifically, this enhancement is mandatory for all TLS 1.2 connections, which are widely used for secure communications over the Internet.
But the security-focused novelties don’t end there. SEtools, encompassing a suite of graphical and command-line tools and libraries for analyzing SELinux policy, has been updated to version 4.4.3, and OpenSCAP was rebased to version 1.3.8.
At the same time, many system and development tools have also received updates in the AlmaLinux 9.3 release, with the more important ones being GCC 13, LLVM 16.0.6, Rust 1.71.1, Go 1.20.10, Node.js 20, Valgrind 3.21, SystemTap 4.9, and elfutils 0.189.
Finally, if you bet on Alma as a desktop system, the distro ships (as in its previous 9.2 release) with GNOME 40.4 by default. You can refer to the official announcement or visit this for more information about all changes.
However, for a more detailed examination of the updates in this release, it is advisable to refer to the RHEL 9.3 release notes.
AlmaLinux 9.3 is available for four architectures, including x86_64, arm64, ppc64le, and s390x. The ISO installation image can be downloaded from some of the public mirrors.
Last but not least, if you are currently running AlmaLinux 9.x, to upgrade to the latest release, run the following DNF command in the terminal:
sudo dnf upgrade -ySo, with Alma 9.3 on the table, the spotlight now shifts to Rocky, another key contender in the enterprise Linux arena.
Anticipation is building as it is poised to unveil its 9.3 release shortly. As always, we are committed to keeping you at the forefront of this development, and you can count on us to be the first to provide detailed information about it as soon as it becomes available.
