# last updated: 2024-05-06
# AlmaLinux 9.4 Release Notes
These are the release notes for AlmaLinux OS 9.4 Stable for all supported architectures:
- x86_64
- aarch64
- ppc64le
- s390x
Codename: Seafoam Ocelot.
Distributed kernel version: 5.14.0-427.13.1.el9_4
# Providing Feedback and Getting Help
Please report any issues you may encounter during tests on the AlmaLinux Bug Tracker (opens new window). Additionally, if you feel like providing feedback, talking about anything or asking any questions you might want to check out The AlmaLinux Community Chat (opens new window), The AlmaLinux Forums (opens new window) and The AlmaLinux Community on Reddit (opens new window).
# Changelog
Updated module streams:
- Python 3.12
- Ruby 3.3
- PHP 8.2
- nginx 1.24
- MariaDB 10.11
- PostgreSQL 16
Updated components:
- Git to version 2.43.0
- Git LFS to version 3.4.1
Performance tools and debuggers updates:
- Valgrind 3.22
- SystemTap 5.0
- elfutils 0.190
Updated performance monitoring tools:
- PCP 6.2.0
Compiler updates:
- GCC Toolset 13
- LLVM Toolset 17.0.6
- Rust Toolset 1.75.1
- Go Toolset 1.21.7
Security updates:
- The SELinux userspace release 3.6 introduces deny rules for further customizing SELinux policies.
- The Keylime server components, the verifier and registrar, are available as containers.
- The Rsyslog log processing system introduces customizable TLS/SSL encryption settings and additional options that relate to capability dropping.
- The OpenSSL TLS toolkit adds a drop-in directory for provider-specific configuration files.
- The Linux kernel cryptographic API (libkcapi) 1.4.0 introduces new tools and options. Notably, with the new
-Toption, you can specify target file names in hash-sum calculations. - The stunnel TLS/SSL tunneling service 5.71 changes the behavior of OpenSSL 1.1 and later versions in FIPS mode. Besides this change, version 5.71 provides many new features such as support for modern PostgreSQL clients.
The following device drivers were modified to re-add PCI IDs for hardware that was previously disabled in our upstream:
- aacraid - Dell PERC2, 2/Si, 3/Si, 3/Di, Adaptec Advanced Raid Products, HP NetRAID-4M, IBM ServeRAID & ICP SCSI
- be2iscsi - Emulex OneConnectOpen-iSCSI for BladeEngine 2 and 3 adapters
- be2net - Emulex BladeEngine 2 and 3 adapters *
- hpsa - HP Smart Array Controller
- lpfc - Emulex LightPulse Fibre Channel SCSI
- megaraid_sas - Broadcom MegaRAID SAS
- mlx4_core - Mellanox Gen2 and ConnectX-2 adapters
- mpt3sas - LSI MPT Fusion SAS 3.0
- mptsas - Fusion MPT SAS Host
- qla2xxx - QLogic Fibre Channel HBA
- qla4xxx - QLogic iSCSI HBA
For a complete list of hardware support for which was added in this release, see the Extended hardware support section.
As we aim to match release versions and cadences with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, you can reference the RHEL 9.4 release notes (opens new window) for a full list of changes in this release.
# Installation instructions
There are three installation ISO images available:
AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso - a single network installation CD image that downloads packages over the Internet.
AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-minimal.iso - a minimal self-containing DVD image that makes possible offline installation.
AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-dvd.iso - a full installation DVD image that contains mostly all AlmaLinux packages.
You can select a mirror closest to your geographic area listed on the mirrors.almalinux.org (opens new window) website. A local mirror will be a lot quicker than using repo.almalinux.org directly. Then, download a suitable ISO image from the 9.4/isos/$arch/ directory of your source, for example:
$ wget https://atl.mirrors.knownhost.com/almalinux/9.4/isos/x86_64/AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso
Download and import the AlmaLinux public key:
$ wget https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-9
$ gpg --import RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-9
Download and verify a checksums list:
$ wget https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9.4/isos/x86_64/CHECKSUM
# we are looking for “Good signature”
$ gpg --verify CHECKSUM
gpg: Signature made Fri 03 May 2024 06:27:28 PM EDT
gpg: using RSA key D36CB86CB86B3716
gpg: Good signature from "AlmaLinux OS 9 <packager@almalinux.org>" [unknown]
gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!
gpg: There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.
Primary key fingerprint: BF18 AC28 7617 8908 D6E7 1267 D36C B86C B86B 3716
Verify the downloaded ISO image checksum:
# calculate the downloaded ISO SHA256 checksum
$ sha256sum AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso
1e5d7da3d84d5d9a5a1177858a5df21b868390bfccf7f0f419b1e59acc293160 AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso
# compare it with expected checksum, it should be the same
$ cat CHECKSUM | grep -E 'SHA256.*AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso'
SHA256 (AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso) = 1e5d7da3d84d5d9a5a1177858a5df21b868390bfccf7f0f419b1e59acc293160
If you decide to use the AlmaLinux-9.4-x86_64-boot.iso image, you may need to provide the 9.4/BaseOS/x86_64/kickstart/ URL repository from the selected mirror as the Installation Source in the event that the installer is not able to find the closest mirror for some reason.
There are no extra Installation Sources required if you decided to go with either the minimal or DVD ISO images.
# Upgrade Instructions
To update your AlmaLinux OS 9 to 9.4 run:
$ dnf upgrade -y
# 9.4 Beta Testers
To update your AlmaLinux 0S 9.4 beta to 9.4 run:
$ rpm -i https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9.4/BaseOS/x86_64/os/Packages/almalinux-repos-9.4-1.el9.x86_64.rpm --replacefiles
$ dnf upgrade -y
# Additional packages
Here is a list of packages that are AlmaLinux-specific, and will not be found in compatible versions of RHEL.
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| almalinux-backgrounds | AlmaLinux background images. Replaces redhat-backgrounds |
| almalinux-indexhtml | AlmaLinux default browser page Replaces redhat-indexhtml |
| almalinux-logos | AlmaLinux graphics for OS Replaces redhat-logos |
| almalinux-logos-httpd | AlmaLinux graphics for HTTPD server Replaces redhat-logos-httpd |
| almalinux-logos-ipa | AlmaLinux graphics for IPA server Replaces redhat-logos-ipa |
| almalinux-release | AlmaLinux release package, repos, and EULA Replaces redhat-release and redhat-release-eula |
# Removed packages
Here is a list of packages you will not find in AlmaLinux when comparing with the compatible version of RHEL.
AlmaLinux OS is a community distribution so all changes are subject to discussion. If you would like to do so, please join AlmaLinux Chat (opens new window) as well as filing a bug report at AlmaLinux Bug Tracker (opens new window) to discuss if you think any of the packages below should be included into the repos.
| Package | Description |
|---|---|
| insights-client | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| kmod-redhat-* | RHEL specific modules from Driver Update Program |
| kpatch* | RHEL specific live patches for kernel |
| openssl-fips-provider | RHEL specific package with FIPS certified openssl binaries |
| redhat-backgrounds | RHEL specific background images |
| redhat-indexhtml | RHEL specific default browser page |
| redhat-logos | RHEL specific graphics for OS |
| redhat-logos-httpd | RHEL specific graphics for HTTPD server |
| redhat-logos-ipa | RHEL specific graphics for IPA server |
| redhat-release | RHEL specific release package and repos |
| redhat-release-eula | RHEL specific EULA |
| redhat-support-lib-python | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| redhat-support-tool | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| rhc | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| rhc-worker-playbook | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| rhsm-gtk | RHEL specific GUI for Subscription Manager |
| rhsm-icons | RHEL specific GUI for Subscription Manager |
| spice-client-win-x64 | Contains binaries built by upstream vendor |
| spice-client-win-x86 | Contains binaries built by upstream vendor |
| spice-qxl-wddm-dod | Contains binaries built by upstream vendor |
| spice-vdagent-win-x64 | Contains binaries built by upstream vendor |
| spice-vdagent-win-x86 | Contains binaries built by upstream vendor |
| subscription-manager-cockpit | RHEL specific Cockpit module for Subscription Manager |
| subscription-manager-initial-setup-addon | RHEL specific initial setup addon for Subscription Manager |
| subscription-manager-plugin-container | RHEL specific Subscription Manager plugin for upstream vendor containers |
| virt-who | RHEL specific package to connect to upstream vendor resources |
| virtio-win | Contain binaries built by upstream vendor |
# Extended hardware support
The following devices support is added in this release, when compared with the RHEL 9.4:
| Device PCI ID | Device name | Driver name |
|---|---|---|
| 0x0E11::: *:01:04 | Compaq | hpsa |
| 0x1000:0x0050 | LSI SAS1064 | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0054 | LSI SAS1068 | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0056 | LSI SAS1064E | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0058 | LSI SAS1068E | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0059 | LSI SAS1068_820XELP | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0060 | LSI MegaRAID SAS1078R | megaraid_sas |
| 0x1000:0x0062 | LSI SAS1078 | mptsas |
| 0x1000:0x0064 | LSI SAS2116_1 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0065 | LSI SAS2116_2 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0070 | LSI SAS2004 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0072 | LSI SAS2008 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0074 | LSI SAS2108_1 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0076 | LSI SAS2108_2 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0077 | LSI SAS2108_3 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0078 | LSI MegaRAID SAS1078 Gen2 | megaraid_sas |
| 0x1000:0x007C | LSI MegaRAID SAS1078DE | megaraid_sas |
| 0x1000:0x007E | LSI SSS6200 | mpt3sas |
| 0x1000:0x0411 | LSI MegaRAID SAS1064R | megaraid_sas |
| 0x1000:0x0413 | LSI MegaRAID SAS1068 Verde ZCR | megaraid_sas |
| 0x1011:0x0046:0x103C:0x10C2 | HP NetRAID-4M | aacraid |
| 0x1011:0x0046:0x9005:0x0364 | Adaptec 5400S (Mustang) | aacraid |
| 0x1011:0x0046:0x9005:0x0365 | Adaptec 5400S (Mustang) | aacraid |
| 0x1011:0x0046:0x9005:0x1364 | Dell PERC 2/QC | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0001:0x1028:0x0001 | DELL PERC 2/Si (Iguana) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0002:0x1028:0x0002 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Opal) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0002:0x1028:0x00D1 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Viper) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0002:0x1028:0x00D9 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Lexus) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0003:0x1028:0x0003 | DELL PERC 3/Si (SlimFast) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0004:0x1028:0x00D0 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Iguana FlipChip) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x000A:0x1028:0x0106 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Jaguar) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x000A:0x1028:0x011B | DELL PERC 3/Di (Dagger) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x000A:0x1028:0x0121 | DELL PERC 3/Di (Boxster) | aacraid |
| 0x1028:0x0015 | Dell PERC5 | megaraid_sas |
| 0x103C::: *:01:04 | HP | hpsa |
| 0x1077:0x2100 | QLogic ISP2100 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2200 | QLogic ISP2200 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2300 | QLogic ISP2300 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2312 | QLogic ISP2312 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2322 | QLogic ISP2322 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2422 | QLogic ISP2422 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x2432 | QLogic ISP2432 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x5422 | QLogic ISP5422 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x5432 | QLogic ISP5432 / QLE220 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x6312 | QLogic ISP6312 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x6322 | QLogic ISP6322 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8001 | QLogic ISP8001 / QLE81xx | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8021 | QLogic ISP8021 / QLE82xx | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8022 | QLogic ISP8022 | qla4xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8032 | QLogic ISP8324 | qla4xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8042 | QLogic ISP8042 | qla4xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8044 | QLogic ISP8044 / QLE84xx | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0x8432 | QLogic ISP8432 / QLE8000 | qla2xxx |
| 0x1077:0xF001 | QLogic ISPF001 / QLE10000 | qla2xxx |
| 0x10DF:0x1AE5 | FIREFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE100 | PROTEUS VF | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE131 | BALIUS | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE180 | PROTEUS PF | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE208 | LANCER_FC_VF | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE260 | Emulex OneConnect OCe15102-FM/OCe15104-FM/OCm15108-F-P | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xE268 | LANCER_FCOE_VF | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF095 | RFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF098 | PFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0A1 | LP101 | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0A5 | TFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0D1 | BSMB | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0F5 | NEPTUNE | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0F6 | NEPTUNE SCSP | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF0F7 | NEPTUNE DCSP | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF700 | SUPERFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF800 | DRAGONFLY | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF900 | CENTAUR | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xF980 | PEGASUS | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFA00 | THOR | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFB00 | VIPER | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFC00 | LP10000S | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFC10 | LP11000S | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFC20 | LPE11000S | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFC50 | PROTEUS S | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFD00 | HELIOS | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFD11 | HELIOS SCSP | lpfc |
| 0x10DF:0xFD12 | HELIOS DCSP | lpfc |
| 0x19A2:0x0211 | Emulex BladeEngine 2 Network Adapter | be2net * |
| 0x19A2:0x0212 | Emulex BladeEngine 2 10Gb iSCSI Initiator | be2iscsi |
| 0x19A2:0x0221 | Emulex BladeEngine 3 Network Adapter | be2net * |
| 0x19A2:0x0222 | Emulex BladeEngine 3 iSCSI | be2iscsi |
| 0x19A2:0x0700 | Emulex OneConnect Tigershark NIC | be2net * |
| 0x19A2:0x0702 | Emulex OneConnect OCe10101/OCm10101/OCe10102/OCm10102 | be2iscsi |
| 0x19A2:0x0703 | Emulex OneConnect OCe10100 | be2iscsi |
| 0x19A2:0x0704 | Emulex OneConnect Tigershark FCoE | lpfc |
| 0x19A2:0x0710 | Emulex OneConnect Tomcat NIC | be2net * |
| 0x19A2:0x0712 | Emulex OneConnect Tomcat iSCSI | be2iscsi |
| 0x19A2:0x0714 | Emulex OneConnect Tomcat FCoE | lpfc |
| 0x9005:0x0200:0x9005:0x0200 | Themisto Jupiter Platform | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0283:0x9005:0x0283 | Catapult | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0284:0x9005:0x0284 | Tomcat | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285 | Adaptec Catch All | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x1014:0x02F2 | IBM 8i (AvonPark) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x1014:0x0312 | IBM 8i (AvonPark Lite) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x1028 | Dell Catchall | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x1028:0x0287 | Perc 320/DC | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x1028:0x0291 | CERC SATA RAID 2 PCI SATA 6ch (DellCorsair) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x103C:0x3227 | AAR-2610SA PCI SATA 6ch | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x17AA | Legend Catchall | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x17AA:0x0286 | Legend S220 (Legend Crusader) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x17AA:0x0287 | Legend S230 (Legend Vulcan) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0285 | Adaptec 2200S (Vulcan) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0286 | Adaptec 2120S (Crusader) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0287 | Adaptec 2200S (Vulcan-2m) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0288 | Adaptec 3230S (Harrier) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0289 | Adaptec 3240S (Tornado) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x028A | ASR-2020ZCR SCSI PCI-X ZCR (Skyhawk) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x028B | ASR-2025ZCR SCSI SO-DIMM PCI-X ZCR (Terminator) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x028E | ASR-2020SA SATA PCI-X ZCR (Skyhawk) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x028F | ASR-2025SA SATA SO-DIMM PCI-X ZCR (Terminator) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0290 | AAR-2410SA PCI SATA 4ch (Jaguar II) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0292 | AAR-2810SA PCI SATA 8ch (Corsair-8) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0293 | AAR-21610SA PCI SATA 16ch (Corsair-16) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0294 | ESD SO-DIMM PCI-X SATA ZCR (Prowler) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0296 | ASR-2240S (SabreExpress) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0297 | ASR-4005 | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0298 | ASR-4000 (BlackBird) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x0299 | ASR-4800SAS (Marauder-X) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x029A | ASR-4805SAS (Marauder-E) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x02A4 | ICP9085LI (Marauder-X) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0285:0x9005:0x02A5 | ICP5085BR (Marauder-E) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286 | Adaptec Rocket Catch All | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x1014:0x9540 | IBM 8k/8k-l4 (Aurora Lite) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x1014:0x9580 | IBM 8k/8k-l8 (Aurora) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x028C | ASR-2230S/ASR-2230SLP PCI-X (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x028D | ASR-2130S (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x029B | AAR-2820SA (Intruder) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x029C | AAR-2620SA (Intruder) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x029D | AAR-2420SA (Intruder) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x029E | ICP9024RO (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x029F | ICP9014RO (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x02A0 | ICP9047MA (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x02A1 | ICP9087MA (Lancer) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x02A2 | ASR-3800 (Hurricane44) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x02A3 | ICP5445AU (Hurricane44) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x02A6 | ICP9067MA (Intruder-6) | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0286:0x9005:0x0800 | Callisto Jupiter Platform | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0287:0x9005:0x0800 | Themisto Jupiter Platform | aacraid |
| 0x9005:0x0288 | Adaptec NEMER/ARK Catch All | aacraid |
* Since kernel version 5.14.0-427.18.1.el9_4
# Trademarks
Red Hat and RHEL are trademarks or registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.