AlmaLinux comes to Windows Subsystem for Linux
- Reference: 1649081707
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/04/04/almalinux_wsl/
- Source link:
Born out of Red Hat's [2]CentOS shenanigans , in which the freebie downstream fork of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) was axed, [3]AlmaLinux was created to provide a community-supported and RHEL-binary compatible distribution. The first [4]stable release was in March 2021 and the non-profit foundation has since been raking in new members, [5]including the likes of AMD last month .
AlmaLinux has claimed some high-profile scalps as companies weigh up their options following Red Hat's CentOS decision. CentOS went end-of-life at the end of 2021, leading to companies such as GitLab [6]opting for a move to AlmaLinux for its build platform.
[7]
The distribution adds to the list of options available to WSL users, including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and the seemingly ubiquitous Ubuntu. WSL is Microsoft's take on running Linux distributions (and applications) under Windows. The first iteration of the platform was a translation layer, while the second added a Linux kernel for a bit of extra compatibility while also implementing a lightweight virtual machine approach.
[8]AlmaLinux OS Foundation welcomes AMD to the fold
[9]AlmaLinux 8.5 now includes a PowerPC edition
[10]Alma and Rocky Linux release 8.5 builds, Rocky catches up with secure boot
[11]How not to attract a WSL (or any) engineer
Firing up the distribution under WSL is straightforward and brings up an environment that lays claim to 1:1 binary compatibility with RHEL.
Other Red Hat-compatible options in the Microsoft Store include Whitewater Foundry's Pengwin Enterprise 8, although the Pengwin take is built on Rocky Linux and, according to the company, is "for demonstration purposes and personal use only."
[12]
While tweaking a Linux distribution to work under WSL2 is not exactly rocket science (indeed, there are many [13]how-to guides floating around the web concerned with making RHEL work on the platform), AlmaLinux's arrival is significant, particularly for developers in environments that have standardized on RHEL but prefer Windows for their code-wrangling tools. ®
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[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/almalinux-8-wsl/9nmd96xjj19f#activetab=pivot:overviewtab
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/09/centos_red_hat/
[3] https://almalinux.org/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/30/almalinux_project_issues_first_stable_release/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/18/almalinux_os_foundation_amd/
[6] https://almalinux.org/blog/gitlab-moves-to-almalinux-as-supported-platform/
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YksWMH-Q9XHQNqz3S2TwhwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/18/almalinux_os_foundation_amd/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/28/almalinux_85_powerpc/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/11/16/alma_and_rocky_linux_release/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/21/interview_questionnaire/
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YksWMH-Q9XHQNqz3S2TwhwAAAJE&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://access.redhat.com/discussions/5398621
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Serves a roll
Agreed. I use it all the time as I spend half my time in Linux.
It's the best way rather than faff with dual boot.
Used in combination with Windows Terminal.......
Re: Serves a roll
-> Most students have no knowledge of sys admin so why not keep that away from them unless they actually want/ need to?
| sed s'/students/linux users/'
I'll tell you why I disagree with you. I see a lot of miserable script kiddies trying, day in and day out, to break in/look for pathetic vulnerabilities/etc/etc/etc on our systems. In a LOT of cases, if we just turn round and try to connect to port 22 on those machines, we see they are Linux machines. They are out there on the internet, presumably put there by people who 'have no knowledge of sys admin'. Yet they have been led down this rabbit hole by people who mislead them with false information about Linux simply being more secure (than Windows, for example). Maybe it is, but not without 'knowledge of sys admin'.
Please do not encourage people to be bumble-headed Linux users. Sys admin is an important function of running a UNIX/Linux machine, and don't try to pretend otherwise.
Serves a roll
Whilst WSL may not be everyone's cup of tea I find it really useful. We don't have a managed Ubuntu image yet and using WSL2 allows people to run CFD tools like openfoam without having to resort to dual boot machines. If they actually need lots of raw processing power they can prototype on their laptops or desktops before moving to bigger iron. Most students have no knowledge of sys admin so why not keep that away from them unless they actually want/ need to?