Rocky is a representation of what CentOS used to be when it first started out: a reliable, wholly compatible downstream distribution of Red Hat Enterprise Linux that is best suited for servers. Rocky Linux is a community-driven, enterprise-grade operating system and is designed to be a secure and stable platform.
Built from the same source code as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), Rockly Linux provides a stable base for distribution and was designed to be a replacement for CentOS, which shifted its focus from CentOS Linux to CentOS Stream. It is important to understand how to update Rocky Linux to prevent vulnerabilities from being exploited on the endpoints in your network. With Patch Manager Plus, you can make Rocky Linux patching a cinch.
This section will discuss:
Rocky Linux is a free and open-source operating system based on the RHEL distribution. The goal of Rocky Linux is to provide a stable and secure platform for enterprise users and organizations with a focus on long-term support and compatibility with RHEL. Rocky Linux uses the same upstream sources as RHEL, including the kernel and software packages, and maintains binary compatibility with RHEL.
Rocky Linux is designed to be a drop-in replacement for RHEL with the same features and functions. It is available for download as ISO images, which can be used to install the operating system on physical or virtual machines. Rocky Linux is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which allows for free distribution and modification of the software. It is supported by a community of developers and users, who contribute to the project by testing, reporting bugs, and developing new features.
Patch Manager Plus allows you to fully automate the entire process of Rocky Linux patching, including scanning for missing patches, downloading them from the vendor site, and deploying them.
To deploy Rocky Linux security updates:
Click Patch Specific Applications under Updates & Severities to update Rocky Linux specifically.
With Patch Manager Plus, you can completely automate the process of deploying Rocky Linux updates to your endpoints.
You can manually deploy Rocky Linux updates from the product console by navigating to Patches > Missing Patches.
Follow the steps below to download and install Rocky Linux updates manually using dnf package manager:
This will download information about the latest packages from the Rocky Linux repositories.
This will show you a list of all available updates that can be installed.
This will download and install all available updates. After the updates have been installed, reboot your system to ensure that all updates are fully applied.
That's it! Your Rocky Linux system is now updated with the latest packages.
To find the supported Linux operating systems, see Patch Manager Plus' list of supported applications.
Rocky Linux and CentOS are based on the same source code and aim to provide a free and open-source alternative to RHEL. However, Rocky Linux is a newer distribution that is committed to a fixed release schedule while CentOS has shifted its focus towards CentOS Stream, a rolling release distribution.
You can install Rocky Linux security updates by running the following command: sudo yum update --security. This command will only install updates that address security vulnerabilities. You can also automate the deployment of Rocky Linux security updates based on severity with Patch Manager Plus.
The latest version is Rocky Linux 9.1, which was released on November 26, 2022.
Yes, Rocky Linux does have a graphical user interface (GUI). By default, Rocky Linux uses the GNOME desktop environment, which provides a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features and applications.
Rocky Linux has several advantages:
As a whole, Rocky Linux is a robust, secure, and reliable operating system that is suitable for a wide range of use cases from desktops and servers to data centers.
