AlmaLinux 10 Server (Alma Linux 10) | Support by ProComputers

My main use case for AlmaLinux  involves helping customers migrate from CentOS  to AlmaLinux  8 and now AlmaLinux 9 as well. Most of the customers are from CentOS , and I assist them with the traditional migration and using the in-place OS upgrade workflow as well.

Regarding my main use case for AlmaLinux, we did not face any issues during the migration. Most of the customers used traditional migration, which means setting up a new server with AlmaLinux 8, and then our migration team helped them migrate from CentOS 7 to AlmaLinux. It was an easy process because the in-place OS upgrade was taking longer to get upgraded to AlmaLinux, nearly thirty to forty-five days. That was not workable for a couple of customers. That is why we introduced traditional migration, where we set up a new server with AlmaLinux. It was easy, and for about a month, customers had to pay for both servers, but all their domains, files, databases, and everything would be migrated from CentOS to AlmaLinux. We did not face any issues, especially in AlmaLinux. It was great, and most customers were asking for an upgrade since CentOS was end of life.

During the switching to AlmaLinux, the traditional migration with IP swap had very little downtime, and even in-place OS upgrades had a downtime of about three to four hours because customers do not need to buy a new server; we upgrade the OS on the existing server from CentOS to AlmaLinux. We clone their server to a temporary server for testing the upgrade and their website files before applying the same on the production server. We inform our customers that there will be a three to four hour downtime. Traditional migration with the IP swap had very little downtime, and to minimize downtime, we introduced that IP swap along with the traditional migration. However, most customers were not willing to pay for the second server during migration. After we introduced in-place OS upgrades, most customers chose that option instead, even though the downtime was three to four hours. We scheduled downtime during off-peak hours, and everything went well.

AlmaLinux offers several valuable features that I appreciate. The best features include the updated PHP versions available from AlmaLinux. Most of our customers use WordPress websites, which always show a kind of security vulnerability notification saying that their PHP version is out of date. Most customers were asking to upgrade their PHP version, which was not available in CentOS 7. They prefer the latest PHP versions, and we guide them with AlmaLinux. Overall, AlmaLinux 8 is really great, and version 9 is even better. The next better version always has better performance and options. Since CentOS reached end of life, ninety percent of customers have chosen AlmaLinux rather than Ubuntu .

Regarding the features of AlmaLinux, we normally work on fully managed servers. Most of the customers choose cPanel  and WHM. I do not see much compatibility issue working on cPanel  and WHM in AlmaLinux 8 compared to CentOS. Overall, the performance was really great, the options were excellent, and all services were up to date in AlmaLinux, which was not the case in CentOS. Regarding security, AlmaLinux is more secure than CentOS.

AlmaLinux has positively impacted my organization significantly. Most of our customers were on CentOS 7, and when CentOS announced it would reach end of life, they began to panic, asking what their next options were.

I wish host access control in AlmaLinux could be made easier the way it was in CentOS because host access control was not working as expected in AlmaLinux during the initial stages. Later, we implemented some other methods that began to work, but initially, it was not operational. Host access control in WHM with AlmaLinux is my concern. Apart from that, AlmaLinux is really good, easier as well, and I do not see much difference between CentOS and AlmaLinux.

Regarding improvements needed for AlmaLinux, the documentation available is great. A simple Google search yields related documents which help in our work. About the documentation, I would say eighty percent of it is available, so if there is a plan to improve, focusing on that remaining twenty percent would be beneficial. Additionally, I would prefer documentation available for AlmaLinux when cPanel WHM is installed on the server, including how to use the tools. If documentation for Plesk  or NodeWorx and SiteWorx is available, it would be very helpful for customers using AlmaLinux to navigate their servers.

I have been using AlmaLinux for the past two years.

Overall, AlmaLinux is really good. After CentOS, most customers panicked about what to do when their OS reached end of life. We introduced AlmaLinux, which is truly great regarding performance and efficiency. Everything looks very good in AlmaLinux. I believe people always look for more features and easier ways to handle servers, so any tools or improvements in the future would be beneficial. Overall, AlmaLinux is an excellent option.

My advice for others considering using AlmaLinux is to keep everything up to date, especially the OS, which is very important. I believe AlmaLinux is good until at least twenty twenty-seven or twenty twenty-nine. I give this product an overall rating of eight out of ten.

My main use cases for AlmaLinux  include running Apache and sub-applications for our web application. I also use it for long-term support capabilities. I use it for testing, production servers, VMs, and other infrastructure needs. I use AlmaLinux  for production, UAT, and test environments, as well as for cloud containerization.

AlmaLinux helps with these use cases by allowing me to use the virtual environment for hosting our web application using Apache services. I use it for both testing and production environments. It is compatible because it is robust and has efficient storage for application deployment.

Different types of developers in my organization use AlmaLinux for building applications. We use AlmaLinux rather than Windows subsystem for our projects, testing, UAT, and production work.

AlmaLinux's open-source nature stands out the most for my team. We do not directly use CentOS  or Windows servers. AlmaLinux is compatible with our application for testing purposes. We perform stage-to-stage checking, updating, and patching of applications for security reasons and assessment testing. It is suitable for our environment.

AlmaLinux is supported on high-performance computing, which I find valuable for my main use cases.

The GUI features are excellent, and I find both the GUI features and console access valuable about AlmaLinux.

AlmaLinux has positively impacted our organization.

We are using the web application in our on-premises environment. It is faster for deployment and comfortable for our on-premises environment, allowing us to handle and manage it smoothly.

I do not wish to add anything regarding needed improvements.

I have been using AlmaLinux for five years.

AlmaLinux is better than other Linux flavors, and I recommend it for maintaining systems. To make it better, utilize the GUI so that you can use it more effectively for your computers. I have given this product a rating of eight out of ten.

Currently, I can see the installation date on my server. I mainly use AlmaLinux  both at home and for testing purposes. I started using it because I wanted a stable Enterprise Linux  distribution with long-term support, and AlmaLinux perfectly fits that use case for me.

For my home server, this is my main service. It is a small server for file sharing and to store my personal data, videos, photos, and other important files. If I have time, I upload my data to the server and use it as a central solid solution. I also use it as a Plex media server, which allows my family and me to easily watch downloaded videos and movies.

As a desktop system, I use AlmaLinux. Today, I reinstalled AlmaLinux 8 because sometimes, when I have spare time, I create minimal scripts for Wi-Fi checking or service testing. I appreciate the opportunity to experiment, try configurations, and understand how the operating system behaves in real-life scenarios.

Before I started using AlmaLinux, I was a distro-hopper, jumping from one system to another. One day I would use Ubuntu , the next time Oracle Linux , and after that Gentoo. Currently, I am focusing on Enterprise Linux , especially AlmaLinux.

What I especially appreciate about AlmaLinux is the long-term support, which I consider a top priority because many companies and other users need to focus on support, and I believe AlmaLinux is the best for it. AlmaLinux is also very stable and robust, which I find very useful.

I think AlmaLinux could improve by activating third-party repositories. Perhaps this was a policy decision, but I see the lack of these repositories as risky. If I suggest AlmaLinux to someone who wants to learn a Linux distribution but has no experience, it could become complicated. For example, on my laptop, the Wi-Fi is not working because AlmaLinux does not ship with acceptable drivers for it. This is fine for me because I understand that sometimes drivers are not available, but I believe it would be beneficial to have them.

I have been using AlmaLinux  for more than two years.

Regarding stability, I think it is fine. Since I started using AlmaLinux, I have not encountered any issue with kernel crashes or upgrading. Whenever I receive an upgrade, I simply use 'sudo dnf upgrade', and everything works fine.

I have never contacted any sort of technical support regarding AlmaLinux because I do not need it. As I mentioned, if I encounter any problem or find a bug or issue, I use AI or Google to resolve it.

I have used Rocky Linux , Oracle Linux , Ubuntu , Manjaro, Linux Mint, Fedora, and Red Hat. Red Hat can be used for community purposes, but there are some requirements.

From my point of view, the deployment of AlmaLinux is absolutely easy. I download any ISO, create it on Ventoy or another tool, and possibly use Rufus for Windows. After plugging it into the laptop, I choose the boot system, and everything is fine. I receive a welcome message, then I need to choose the keyboard and language. Following that, I see the system requirements, the root user, and system settings such as date and time. After that, I choose whatever I want to install, click to install, and everything is fine. I find it very easy, at least for me.

Regarding pricing for AlmaLinux, I think it is good. As far as I know, when Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel, he mentioned that everyone could use it and modify it under a GPL public license. Since AlmaLinux uses the Linux kernel and open-source applications alongside third-party applications, I am fine with this. In the open-source environment, I believe a Linux distribution is always free of cost.

When I compare AlmaLinux to alternatives, I think it is somewhat different because I try to separate them. I believe Enterprise Linux distributions, including Red Hat, Oracle, AlmaLinux, and Rocky, are very fine systems. Others, such as Ubuntu, Arch Linux, and Manjaro, have fewer vendors in my opinion.

Regarding my experience today, I installed AlmaLinux 8, and everything is okay, but the significant problem is that AlmaLinux does not ship with Wi-Fi drivers. For me, this is not a problem because I grew up with Linux and open source, so I know that I need to research and troubleshoot this issue. I found many third-party repositories, and with these, I could use my Wi-Fi and install any other third-party applications. So in comparison with the others, this is a slight disadvantage.

I do not think AlmaLinux requires any maintenance on my end to keep working. If I encounter any problem, I could use AI or Google. The open-source and Linux world is very interesting. If you have any problem, you cannot simply ask a neighbor to check your Linux system because they may not be familiar with it. For me, this is fine, and I do not think it needs maintenance. My overall rating for AlmaLinux is eight out of ten.