cPanel & WHM version 112 for AlmaLinux OS 9 and Rocky Linux 9

Introduction:

This article consists of information on cPanel & WHM’s experimental software release for the AlmaLinux OS 9 and Rocky Linux™ 9 operating systems. However, cPanel and WHM version 112 and more are available for use on servers with these operating systems.

It is currently classified as experimental. This means that cPanel & WHM will function on these operating systems, there may be some bugs or compatibility issues that have not yet been identified.

First, we will understand these two Operating Systems in detail:

AlmaLinux OS 9

AlmaLinux OS 9 is a free and open-source Linux operating system that is designed to be a binary-compatible replacement for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9. It is the successor to CentOS 8, which reached its end of life in December 2021.

Here are some key features of AlmaLinux OS 9:

• Binary-compatible with RHEL 9 This means that applications and tools that are designed for RHEL 9 will also work on AlmaLinux OS 9.
• Long-term stability: AlmaLinux OS 9 is supported for at least 10 years, which makes it a good choice for mission-critical applications.
• Free and open-source: AlmaLinux OS 9 is developed by a community of volunteers and is free to use and distribute.
• Modern and secure: AlmaLinux OS 9 is based on the latest Linux kernel and includes all of the latest security updates.
• Wide range of supported architectures: AlmaLinux OS 9 is available for x86_64, ARM64 (aarch64), and PowerPC (ppc64le) architectures.

Here are some use cases for AlmaLinux OS 9:

• Web servers
• Database servers
• Mail servers
• File servers
• Development servers
• Production environments

Here are some resources where you can learn more about AlmaLinux OS 9:

• AlmaLinux OS website:https://almalinux.org/
• AlmaLinux OS documentation:https://wiki.almalinux.org/
• AlmaLinux OS blog:https://almalinux.org/blog/

Overall, AlmaLinux OS 9 is a powerful and versatile operating system that is a great choice for a wide range of applications.

Rocky Linux 9

Rocky Linux 9 is a free and open-source enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9. It was released in May 2023 and is the successor to Rocky Linux 8.

Here are some key features of Rocky Linux 9:

• 100% bug-for-bug compatible with RHEL 9:This means that applications and tools that are designed for RHEL 9 will also work on Rocky Linux 9.
• Long-term stability: Rocky Linux 9 has been supported for 10 years, which makes it a good choice for mission-critical applications.
• Community-driven: Rocky Linux 9 is developed by a community of volunteers and is free to use and distribute.
• Modern and secure: Rocky Linux 9 is based on the latest Linux kernel and includes all of the latest security updates.
• Wide range of supported architectures: Rocky Linux 9 is available for x86_64, ARM64 (aarch64), and IBM Z (s390x) architectures.

Here are some use cases for Rocky Linux 9:

• Web servers: Rocky Linux 9 is a stable and reliable platform for hosting websites and applications.
• Database servers: Rocky Linux 9 can be used to run a variety of database management systems, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle Database.
• Mail servers: Rocky Linux 9 is a popular choice for running email servers, such as Postfix and Dovecot.
• File servers: Rocky Linux 9 can be used to store and share files across a network.
• Development servers: Rocky Linux 9 is a good choice for developing and testing applications.
• Production environments: Rocky Linux 9 is a stable and secure platform for running production workloads.

Here are some resources where you can learn more about Rocky Linux 9:

• Rocky Linux website:https://rockylinux.org/
• Rocky Linux documentation:https://docs.rockylinux.org/
• Rocky Linux blog:https://ciq.com/blog/category/rocky-linux/

Overall, Rocky Linux 9 is a powerful and versatile operating system that is a great choice for a wide range of applications.

Experimental:

cPanel and WHM support AlmaLinux 9 and RockyLinux 9 considered as experimental OS for cPanel and WHM version 112.

• They don’t support using these OS in production environments. If you use AlmaLinux 9 or RockyLinux 9 in a production environment, you’ll come across unexpected errors.
• Avoid installing an older version of cPanel & WHM on this operating system.

They have mentioned in writing in advance for WHM users who are known to these operating systems in their servers.  For more information, check this documentation on the Installation Guide by cPanel.

They have tested cPanel & WHM version 112 in the following environments:

• AlmaLinux 9
• Rocky Linux 9

Changes that impact functionality

Following mentioned are the changes in AlmaLinux 9 and Rocky Linux 9 that affect the functions in cPanel & WHM version 112:

1. These two Operating Systems support different MySQL and MariaDB versions than other OSs.
2. These two Operating Systems don’t support EasyApache 4 PHP versions older than PHP 8.0. To know more read the PHP versions section of our Introduction to PHP
3. As we know Python has almost ended its life, cPanel supports Python 3 on AlmaLinux 9 and Rocky Linux 9 servers. Browse How to Use Python on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, and CloudLinux 9
4. These two Operating Systems include the Network Manager service. You don’t need to disable Network Manager on these systems.

Overall, cPanel & WHM version 112 is a promising new release that offers a number of new features and improvements. However, it is important to be aware that it is currently experimental for AlmaLinux OS 9 and Rocky Linux 9. If you are considering using this version of cPanel & WHM, it is important to carefully review the system requirements and compatibility information before proceeding.