The AlmaLinux OS Foundation has announced the release of AlmaLinux 9.5 Beta "Teal Serval" for all supported architectures, which encompass Intel/AMD, ARM64, IBM PowerPC, and IBM Z.
This is a beta version and is not suitable for production environments. The release process has been streamlined following Red Hat's update to its minor release strategy, which now involves earlier and continuous package releases. The release is designed to enhance performance, development tools, and security through updated module streams, compilers, and system performance monitoring. The release further fortifies cryptography and SELinux policies, thereby enhancing the overall security of the system. Feedback and input are essential for successful production releases.
Announcing AlmaLinux 9.5 Beta!
Hello Community!
The AlmaLinux OS Foundation is announcing the availability of AlmaLinux 9.5 Beta “Teal Serval” for all supported architectures:
- Intel/AMD (x86_64)
- ARM64 (aarch64)
- IBM PowerPC (ppc64le)
- IBM Z (s390x)
Beta ISOs are available at repo.almalinux.org.
A usual reminder: this is a BETA release. It should not be used for production installations. The provided upgrade instructions should not be used on production machines unless you don’t mind if something breaks. If you are looking to see how things are going to work in stable, you are on the right track.
Keeping Betas in our Release Process
Eariler this year, Red Hat updated their minor release process.
Starting with RHEL 9.5, minor release versions will be simplified. This means releasing packages earlier, and continuously, while reserving documentation, full installation media and virtual machine images for the full release.
We have decided to keep our existing release process as is to ensure that our thorough testing can be done both by the Core SIG and by our Community.
Release Notes and More Information
AlmaLinux 9.5 Beta aims to improve performance, development tooling, and security. Updated module streams offer better support for web applications. New versions of compilers provide access to the latest features and optimizations that improve performance and enable better code generation. The release also introduces improvements to system performance monitoring, visualization, and system performance data collecting. Security updates are directed at strengthening cryptography, while SELinux policies enforce stricter access controls. Additionally, crypto-policies offer stronger encryption, improving the overall security of the system.
You can read the full release notes for this version on the wiki: AlmaLinux OS 9.5 Beta Release Notes.
What you can do to help?
Your input into testing and feedback is crucial and essential for successful production releases. Please, report any bugs you may see on the Bug Tracker. Also, pop into the AlmaLinux Community Chat and join our Testing Channel, post a question on our 9.5 Beta Forum, on our AlmaLinux Community on Reddit or catch us on X.
Enjoy this Beta release, let us know what you think and stay tuned.
Happy Testing!
