General Notices

First Release of Oracle Linux 9.2 Platform Images

The June 2023 Oracle Linux 9 platform images are now based on Oracle Linux 9.2. For more information, see Oracle Linux 9 Image Release Notes and Release Notes for Oracle Linux 9.2.

First Release of Oracle Linux 8.8 Platform Images

The June 2023 Oracle Linux 8 platform images are now based on Oracle Linux 8.8. For more information, see Oracle Linux 8 Image Release Notes and Release Notes for Oracle Linux 8.8.

Performance Co-Pilot (PCP) replaces OSWatcher as the default

Beginning June 2023, the Oracle Linux platform images include Performance Co-Pilot (PCP). PCP collects OS and network metrics that you can use to diagnose performance issues. PCP is now enabled by default. OSwatcher is still included on the image but is no longer the default. For more information about PCP, see the Oracle Linux documentation:

• Oracle Linux 8: Working With Performance Co-Pilot
• Oracle Linux 9: Working With Performance Co-Pilot

Tuned profile packages for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure have been moved

Packages intended for use only on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure instances, such as the tuned-profile-oci-* packages, are available in the ol9_appstream repository. Some of these packages were previously available in the dedicated ol9_oci_included repository but have been moved to avoid cross-channel dependencies.

The tuned-profile packages include profiles intended to run in specific corresponding environments and must be intentionally installed for the correct environment.

Sources for all profiles are included in the tuned source RPM package that's available in the ol9_baseos repository.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 Update 1 (UEK R7U1) in Oracle Linux 8 and Oracle Linux 9 Platform Images

Beginning with the Oracle Linux 8 and Oracle Linux 9 platform images released in April 2023, the default kernel is Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 Update 1 (UEK R7U1. For more information, see Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 Update 1 - Release Notes (5.15.0-100).

First Release of Oracle Autonomous Linux 8 Platform Image

The first Oracle Autonomous Linux 8 platform image has been released. For more information, see Oracle Autonomous Linux 8 Image Release Notes.

First Release of Oracle Linux 9.1 Platform Images

The January 2023 Oracle Linux 9 platform images are now based on Oracle Linux 9.1. For more information, see Oracle Linux 9 Documentation and Release Notes and Release Notes for Oracle Linux 9.1.

First Release of Oracle Linux 8.7 Platform Images

The January 2023 Oracle Linux 8 platform images are now based on Oracle Linux 8.7. For more information, see Oracle Linux 8 Image Release Notes and Release Notes for Oracle Linux 8.7.

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 (UEK R7) in Oracle Linux 8 Platform Images

Beginning with the Oracle Linux 8 platform images released in January 2023, the default kernel in Oracle Linux 8 platform images is Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 (UEK R7). For more information, see Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 7 - Release Notes (5.15.0-0.30).

Updates in OCI Utilities Version 0.14.0.2

The OCI Utilities (oci-utils) package version 0.14.0.2 includes the following updates:

• Updates the utilities to support IPv6.
• Enhances the oci-network-config utility with IPv6 configuration options and additional show-vnics-all and show-subnets subcommand options.

For more information, see OCI Utilities.

First Release of Oracle Linux 9 Platform Image

The first Oracle Linux 9 platform image has been released. For more information, see Oracle Linux 9 Image Release Notes and Release Notes for Oracle Linux 9.0.

SHA1 Deprecated in Oracle Linux 9

The SHA1 algorithm is deprecated in Oracle Linux 9. Digital signatures using the SHA1 hash algorithm are no longer considered secure and are not allowed on Oracle Linux 9 systems by default. Users with SHA1 keypairs need to generate new pairs using SHA2 algorithms. To generate new pairs using SHA2 algorithms, see Managing Key Pairs on Linux Instances.

For more information, see deprecated security features in the Oracle Linux 9 Release Notes.

New Script Available for Migrating Standalone Autonomous Linux Instances to the OS Management Service

The alx-migrate package (alx-migrate.noarch 0:1.0-18.el7) is now available for Oracle Autonomous Linux. This package contains the alx-migrate script that is used to migrate standalone Autonomous Linux instances to the OS Management service. For information, see Migrating a Standalone Autonomous Linux Instance to the OS Management Service.

Updates in OCI Utilities Version 0.12.7.1

The OCI Utilities (oci-utils) package version 0.12.7.1 includes the following updates:

• Enhances oci-growfs to support ext4 file systems.
• Includes bug fixes.

New Utilities Available for Migrating On-Premise Oracle Linux Images to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

The oci-image-migrate utilities are now available to migrate on-premise Oracle Linux images to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. You can use these utilities to migrate both virtual machines and physical hosts to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

For more information, see Migrating to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

OS Management Adds Oracle Linux 6 ELS Software Source By Default to Newly Created Oracle Linux 6 Instances

OS Management provides the Oracle Linux 6 ELS (x86_64) software source for Oracle Linux 6 instances that are in Oracle Linux Extended Support. Beginning December 2021, OS Management adds the Oracle Linux 6 ELS software source by default to newly created Oracle Linux 6 instances.

For existing Oracle Linux 6 instances created before December 2021, you need to manually add the Oracle Linux 6 ELS software source to the instance. For more information about adding software sources, see Adding Software Sources in the Autonomous Linux documentation.

OS Management Service Agent Plugin Enabled by Default in October Oracle Linux 8 Platform Images

Beginning with the Oracle Linux 8 platform images released in October 2021, the OS Management Service Agent plugin is enabled by default in Oracle Cloud Agent 1.16.0 for Oracle Linux 8 instances.

For Oracle Linux 8 instances that were launched before October 2021 (running Oracle Cloud Agent 1.15.0 or earlier), the OS Management Service Agent plugin is disabled by default. The OS Management Service Agent plugin for disabled Oracle Linux 8 instances remain disabled after being updated to Oracle Cloud Agent 1.16.0.

For more information, see Getting Started with OS Management.

OS Management Service Agent Plugin Enabled by Default in September Oracle Linux 7 (aarch64) Platform Image

The OS Management service supports Arm-based shapes beginning with Oracle Cloud Agent 1.15.0 and the OS Management Service Agent plugin is enabled by default in the September Oracle Linux 7 (aarch64) platform image.

For more information about supported images, see Supported Images in the OS Management documentation. For more information about Oracle Cloud Agent releases, see Oracle Cloud Agent Versions.

OS Management Software Source Available for Oracle Linux 6 Extended Support

OS Management provides the Oracle Linux 6 ELS (x86_64) software source for Oracle Linux 6 instances that are in Oracle Linux Extended Support. To ensure that existing Oracle Linux 6 instances receive updates during the extended lifecycle period, you need to manually add the Oracle Linux 6 ELS software source to the instance. For more information about adding software sources, see Adding Software Sources in the OS Management documentation.

Updates in OCI Utilities Version 12.6.1

The ocid service behavior change that enabled the service by default in version 0.12.6 has been reverted in version 0.12.6.1; that is, the ocid service is disabled by default. The ocid service can be started using the following command.

sudo systemctl enable --now ocid.service

For more information, see the OCI Utilities documentation.

To upgrade from version 0.12.6 to 0.12.6.1:

1. Stop the ocid daemon service.

   sudo systemctl stop ocid.service

2. Disable the ocid daemon service.

   sudo systemctl disable ocid.service

3. Install version 0.12.6-1.

   sudo yum update oci-utils

4. Reboot the instance.

   sudo reboot

Updates in OCI Utilities Version 12.6

The OCI Utilities (oci-utils) package version 0.12.6.1 includes the following updates:

• The oci-iscsi-config attach and oci-iscsi-config create utility commands include a new chap option.
• The options for oci-notify utility have been updated. These updates are backward compatible with other updates.
• OCI utilities no longer require the installation of the python36-oci-cli package.
• The ocid service is enabled by default.

Oracle Autonomous Linux Platform Image Integration with OS Management

Beginning August 31, 2021, Oracle Autonomous Linux is integrated with OS Management in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Before creating Oracle Autonomous Linux instances, see the getting started documentation for information about supported images and required IAM policies. Existing instances that were launched before August 31, 2021 remain standalone instances until a migration plan is available. For more information, see Oracle Autonomous Linux.

Refactored Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Utilities

A new version of the oci-utils package is available with usability enhancements. Beginning with the 0.12.5 release, the oci-iscsi-config and oci-network-config utilities have been refactored for improved usability.

To update to the latest version of oci-utils:

sudo yum update oci-utils

For more information, see the OCI Utilities documentation. In addition, the following training videos are available with information about these utilities:

• For a training video that demonstrates how to use the oci-network-config utility, see Network Interface Management Using OCI Utilities on Oracle Linux Instances in the Oracle Learning Library.
• For a training video that demonstrates how to use the oci-iscsi-config utility, see Using OCI Utilities for Managing iSCSI Storage for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Instances in the Oracle Learning Library.

Oracle Linux Extended Support for Oracle Linux 6 Instances

Beginning in April 2021, Oracle Linux 6 moves from Oracle Linux Premier Support to Oracle Linux Extended Support. Oracle Cloud customers receive access to Oracle Linux Extended Support as part of their Oracle Linux Premier support, when running Oracle Linux 6 instances in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. For more information, see Oracle Linux Extended Support.

During the extended lifecycle period, Oracle Linux 6 images are published quarterly.

Follow these steps to ensure that your Oracle Linux 6 instances receive updates during the extended lifecycle period.

1. Install the oraclelinux-els-release-el6 package to add the ELS repositories for your Oracle Linux 6 instance:

   sudo yum install oraclelinux-els-release-el6

2. Verify that the ELS repositories are enabled:

   yum repolist

   For example:

   $ yum repolist
   Loaded plugins: security, ulninfo
   repo id                                               repo name                                                                                           status
   ol6_ELS                                               Oracle Linux 6Server ELS (x86_64)                                                                   21
   ol6_UEKR4                                             Latest Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 4 for Oracle Linux 6Server (x86_64)                    191
   ol6_UEKR4_ELS                                         Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Release 4 for Oracle Linux 6Server ELS (x86_64)                       14
   ol6_addons                                            Oracle Linux 6Server Add ons (x86_64)                                                               445
   ol6_developer                                         Oracle Linux 6Server Packages for Development and test (x86_64)                                     99
   ol6_ksplice                                           Ksplice for Oracle Linux 6Server (x86_64)                                                           13132
   ol6_ksplice_ELS                                       Ksplice for Oracle Linux 6Server ELS (x86_64)                                                       184
   ol6_latest                                            Oracle Linux 6Server Latest (x86_64)                                                                12932
   ol6_oci_included                                      Oracle Software for OCI users on Oracle Linux 6Server (x86_64)                                      62
   ol6_software_collections                              Software Collection Library release 3.0 packages for Oracle Linux 6 (x86_64)                        11207
   repolist: 38287

3. Update the yum repositories to install the latest ELS package updates:

   sudo yum install

Note

The ol6_x86_64_userspace_ksplice_ELS repository is optionally available to obtain Ksplice userspace updates.

To enable the optional ol6_x86_64_userspace_ksplice_ELS repository, edit the oraclelinux-els-ol6.repo file and change the enabled= value from 0 to 1.

For example:

[ol6_x86_64_userspace_ksplice_ELS]
name=Ksplice aware userspace packages for Oracle Linux $releasever ELS ($basearch)
baseurl=https://yum$ociregion.oracle.com/repo/OracleLinux/OL6/userspace/ksplice/ELS/x86_64/
gpgkey=file:///etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-oracle
gpgcheck=1
enabled=1

IPv6 Enabled by Default in Oracle Linux 7 Images

Beginning with the Oracle Linux 7 platform images released in April 2021, IPv6 is enabled by default. This change has been implemented in support of the General Availability (GA) launch of IPv6 in Oracle Cloud Networking. IPv6 addressing is now supported for all commercial and government regions. Previously, IPv6 addressing support was available only in government regions.

For more information about IPv6 support in Oracle Cloud Networking, see the following technical resources:

• IPv6 on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Blog)
• Release Note Announcement
• IPv6 Addresses(Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Networking Service Documentation)

Oracle Linux 8 ol8_oci Yum Repository Archived

The ol8_oci repository has been archived and no new packages are released to this repository. All packages from this repository have been migrated to the ol8_oci_included repository.

Yum Update for Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8 Instances

The yum configuration has changed in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure for yum mirror endpoints.

Follow these steps to configure your Oracle Linux 7 and Oracle Linux 8 instances to use the updated configuration.

1. Determine the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure realm where the image is running:

   curl -H "Authorization:Bearer Oracle" -sfm 25 \
    http://169.254.169.254/opc/v2/instance/ 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.regionInfo.realmKey'

   Notice the realm key displayed in the output. If the output displays a realm key from OC1 to OC4, proceed to the next step.

   For example:

   $ curl -H "Authorization:Bearer Oracle" -sfm 25 \
   http://169.254.169.254/opc/v2/instance/ 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.regionInfo.realmKey'
   oc1

2. Install the oci-linux-config package:

   sudo yum -y install oci-linux-config

   During the installation of this package, the following message is displayed:

   IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE!! Oracle Linux yum repository configurations have been
             updated. New repository configuration files have been installed but are       
             disabled. To complete the transition, run this script as root
             user:/usr/lib/oci-linux-config/oci_yum_configure.sh

3. Invoke the script to complete the transition to the new mirror endpoints:

   /usr/lib/oci-linux-config/oci_yum_configure.sh

4. Verify that the yum configuration has been updated:

   ls /etc/yum.repos.d

   After running the script, you will see repositories with the .bkp and rpmnew.bkp extensions.

   Oracle Linux 7:

   $ ls /etc/yum.repos.d
   ksplice-ol7.repo          oracle-epel-ol7.repo.rpmnew.bkp     oraclelinux-developer-ol7.repo.bkp
   ksplice-uptrack.repo      oracle-linux-ol7.repo               oraclelinux-developer-ol7.repo.rpmnew.bkp
   mysql-ol7.repo            oracle-linux-ol7.repo.bkp           uek-ol7.repo
   oci-included-ol7.repo     oracle-linux-ol7.repo.rpmnew.bkp    virt-ol7.repo
   oracle-epel-ol7.repo      oracle-softwarecollection-ol7.repo

   Oracle Linux 8

   $ ls /etc/yum.repos.d
   ksplice-ol8.repo       oracle-epel-ol8.repo                oraclelinux-developer-ol8.repo.rpmnew.bkp
   ksplice-uptrack.repo   oracle-epel-ol8.repo.bkp            oracle-linux-ol8.repo
   mysql-ol8.repo         oracle-epel-ol8.repo.rpmnew.bkp     oracle-linux-ol8.repo.bkp
   oci-included-ol8.repo  oraclelinux-developer-ol8.repo      oracle-linux-ol8.repo.rpmnew.bkp
   oci-ol8.repo           oraclelinux-developer-ol8.repo.bkp  uek-ol8.repo