Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 brings enhanced security and new development tools

November 23, 2022 | 3 minute read
Simon Coter
Director, Oracle Linux and Virtualization Product Management
Text Size 100%:

Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 for the 64-bit Intel and AMD (x86_64) and 64-bit Arm (aarch64) platforms is generally available today. This release is 100% application binary compatible with corresponding Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Update 1 release. This Oracle Linux 9 release includes the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 (UEK R7). UEK R7 is based on the upstream Linux Kernel 5.15 and is supported on both Oracle Linux 9 and Oracle Linux 8.

The x86_64 ISO is packaged with the following kernel options:

  • UEK R7, kernel-uek-5.15.0-3.60.5.1.el9uek.x86_64
  • Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK), kernel-5.14.0-162.6.1.el9_1.x86_64

The aarch64 ISO is packaged with the following kernel:

  • UEK R7, kernel-uek-5.15.0-3.60.5.1.el9uek.aarch64

Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 is the first of a series of updated releases for Oracle Linux 9, announced on June 30, 2022.

Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 reintroduces Application Stream modules and includes bug and security fixes, and feature updates. The most important changes are in the areas of security and development tools. 

Security

  • OpenSSH supports setting the minimum RSA key length; this update enables you to set minimum RSA key lengths for OpenSSH servers and clients.
  • crypto-policies enforce the OpenSSH 2048-bit RSA key length minimum by default; the system-wide cryptographic policies enforce the 2048-bit minimum key length for RSA by default. OpenSSH failing connections with an Invalid key length error message indicates that you need to use longer RSA keys.
  • OpenSSL option supports SHA-1 for signatures; by default, OpenSSL 3.0 does not support SHA-1 for signature creation and verification. Backwards compatibility with Oracle Linux 8 systems that still use SHA-1 for signatures can be achieved through the rh-allow-sha1-signatures configuration option.

  • keylime package is available; keylime is a tool for attestation of remote systems by using trusted platform module (TPM) technology.

Development Tools

  • New module streams are available for the following:
    • php: 8.1
    • ruby: 3.1
    • maven: 3.8
    • nodejs: 18
  • httpd has been rebased to version 2.4.53 and includes httpd-core package. This new package contains the httpd binary file with all essential files.

Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 with UEK R7 continues to maintain and grant support for the btrfs file system with Oracle Linux and gives you access to one of the most modern copy on write (COW) file systems for Linux. For details of the new features, enhancements, and changes, refer to the Oracle Linux 9 Update 1 Release Notes.

Upgrading to Oracle Linux 9 Update 1

You can upgrade an Oracle Linux 8 system to the latest Oracle Linux 9 release by using the leapp utility. For step-by-step instructions and information about any known issues that you might encounter when upgrading your system, see Oracle Linux 9: Performing System Upgrades With Leapp.

Download and try it now!

Resources

oracle.com/linux

Training

www.oracle.com/goto/oltrain

GitHub

Social Media

Simon Coter

Director, Oracle Linux and Virtualization Product Management

A 19-year Oracle veteran, Simon Coter is an experienced product manager and open source community member. He leads a team responsible for several Oracle Linux and Virtualization offerings, including Oracle Linux, the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Oracle Linux, Oracle Cloud Native Environment, Oracle Linux KVM, Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, Oracle Linux Automation Manager, Gluster, Oracle VM, and VirtualBox. Prior to this, Simon was a technical consultant focused on project management, architectures definition, sizing and implementation, best practices, and technical references for customers.


Previous Post

Automating STIG remediation using Oracle Linux Automation Manager

Monica S | 5 min read

Next Post


Linux SLUB Allocator Internals and Debugging, Part 1 of 4

Imran Khan | 19 min read