AlmaLinux8

v1: This initial template aims to help you migrate from CentOS8 templates now that it's reached its end of life. AlmaLinux is a direct, one-to-one binary replacement for CentOS8.

Migration notes for those wishing to Upgrade/Migrate their CentOS8 templates in New Zealand

This details come from the official AlmaLinux guide, which you'll find at https://github.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy. Always check that link for the most up-to-date version—what's shown below was current as of 29/3/2022.

We're providing this as a resource for our community, but we can't be held liable for any errors or problems that might arise from these notes.

almalinux-deploy

An EL to AlmaLinux migration tool.

Usage

To switch your EL8 operating system over to AlmaLinux, follow these steps:

You need to be running CentOS 8.4 or 8.5 to make the switch to AlmaLinux. While it's a good idea to update to 8.5 beforehand, it's not strictly necessary if you're already on at least CentOS 8.4. If your system applies new updates, a reboot is recommended.
```
sudo dnf update -y
sudo reboot
```

As of 31 January 2022, the CentOS 8 mirrorlists are no longer available online. To run dnf update -y successfully, you'll need to adjust your dnf config files to point to a working mirror. The sed commands below will help restore dnf to a working state, allowing you to update to 8.5 and then move on to AlmaLinux.

sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[baseos\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/BaseOS/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-BaseOS.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[appstream\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/AppStream/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-AppStream.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[cr\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/ContinuousRelease/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-ContinuousRelease.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[devel\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/Devel/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-Devel.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[extras\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/extras/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-Extras.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[fasttrack\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/fasttrack/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-FastTrack.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[ha\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/HighAvailability/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-HighAvailability.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[plus\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/centosplus/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-Plus.repo
sudo sed -i -e '/mirrorlist=http://mirrorlist.centos.org/?release=$releasever&arch=$basearch&repo=/ s/^#*/#/' -e '/baseurl=http://mirror.centos.org/$contentdir/$releasever// s/^#*/#/' -e '/^\[powertools\]/a baseurl=https://mirror.rackspace.com/centos-vault/8.5.2111/PowerTools/$basearch/os' /etc/yum.repos.d/CentOS-Linux-PowerTools.repo

Alternatively, you can use the -f flag (i.e., sudo bash almalinux-deploy.sh -f) to take care of this for you.

Make a backup of your system. We haven't tested every possible scenario, so there's a chance something could go pear-shaped. A backup will give you a restore point just in case.

Grab the almalinux-deploy.sh script:

$ curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AlmaLinux/almalinux-deploy/master/almalinux-deploy.sh

Execute the script and keep an eye out for any errors in the output:

$ sudo bash almalinux-deploy.sh
  ...
  Migration to AlmaLinux is completed

It's a good idea to reboot so you start using the AlmaLinux kernel:
```
sudo reboot
```

Double-check that the conversion went well:

# check release file
$ cat /etc/redhat-release
AlmaLinux release 8.5 (Arctic Sphynx)

# check that the system boots AlmaLinux kernel by default
$ sudo grubby --info DEFAULT | grep AlmaLinux
title="AlmaLinux (4.18.0-348.el8.x86_64) 8.5 (Arctic Sphynx)"

Thank you for choosing AlmaLinux!