Rocky Linux 9.4 released with KIWI image builder, enhanced security, and software updates

Rocky Linux, the open-source Linux distribution which is fully compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux, has launched version 9.4. The update is compatible with x86_64, AArch64, ppc64le, and s390x architectures.

The majority of the images for this release were generated using a new image builder, KIWI from OpenSUSE. The goal for these images is to match the features of the previous versions without any significant regressions. However, Vagrant-VBox, Vagrant-VMware, and OCP-Base (Oracle Cloud Platform) images were still created with imagefactory. The updated build workflow, which now includes KIWI, will allow Rocky Linux to deliver more frequent image updates across all cloud providers.

Rocky Linux can now also be accessed on the Azure Community Gallery, in addition to the Azure Marketplace. This offers a straightforward way to operate Rocky on Microsoft Azure. In another development, AWS images can now boot in IPv6-only subnets, addressing a persistent bug that the Cloud SIG has been working with upstream to fix.

The 9.4 version of Rocky Linux also incorporates several security enhancements and a range of software updates. These include Python 3.12, Ruby 3.3, PHP 8.2, nginx 1.24, MariaDB 10.11, PostgreSQL 16, Git 2.43.0, and Git LFS 3.4.1 among others.