How to install AlmaLinux on Linux and Windows?

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AlmaLinux installation guide (ISOs)

A step-by-step AlmaLinux installation guide (works for AlmaLinux 8, 9, and newer versions like 10).

Requirements

  • Disk space: 10GB minimum, 20GB recommended
  • Minimum 1.5 GB RAM
  • A USB flash drive of size 8GB as a minimum, 12GB or more is recommended

Download AlmaLinux ISO

AlmaLinux supports the following firmware interfaces and architectures.

  • Firmware Interfaces:
    • BIOS
    • UEFI
  • Architectures:
    • Intel/AMD (x86_64)
    • ARM64 (aarch64)
    • IBM PowerPC (ppc64le)
    • IBM Z (s390x)

AlmaLinux has 3 types of ISOs for each supported architecture:

  • boot - A single network installation CD image that downloads packages over the Internet.
  • minimal - A minimal self-containing DVD image that makes offline installation possible.
  • dvd - A full installation DVD image that contains mostly all AlmaLinux packages.


Download AlmaLinux ISO via Bittorrent, this may be faster than downloading from a mirror based on your geographic location. A .torrent file can be found on all mirrors in the ISO directory.:


Run the curl command in the command line:

$ curl -O https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/isos/x86_64/AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso

ISO verification

Linux

Download and import the AlmaLinux public key:

$ curl -O https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-9

$ gpg --import RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-9

Verify the downloaded ISO image checksum:

# download a checksums list$ curl -O https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/isos/x86_64/CHECKSUM
# verify the checksums list, we are looking for a “Good signature”$ gpg --verify CHECKSUMgpg: Signature made Tue 13 Dec 2022 14:09:50 CETgpg: using RSA key BF18AC2876178908D6E71267D36CB86CB86B3716gpg: Good signature from "AlmaLinux OS 9 <packager@almalinux.org>" [unknown]gpg: WARNING: This key is not certified with a trusted signature!gpg: There is no indication that the signature belongs to the owner.Primary key fingerprint: BF18 AC28 7617 8908 D6E7 1267 D36C B86C B86B 3716
# calculate the downloaded ISO SHA256 checksum$ sha256sum AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso

2a44e3f8a012c132da19b9aae2bf949e20b116f0a2a7ac3eca111972f4ac952f AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso

# compare it with the expected checksum, it should be the same$ cat CHECKSUM | grep -E 'SHA256.*AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso'SHA256 (AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso) = 2a44e3f8a012c132da19b9aae2bf949e20b116f0a2a7ac3eca111972f4ac952f

Windows

C:\> certUtil -hashfile C:\AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso SHA256SHA256 hash of AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso:2a44e3f8a012c132da19b9aae2bf949e20b116f0a2a7ac3eca111972f4ac952fCertUtil: -hashfile command completed successfully.
# download the CHECKSUM fileC:\> curl -O https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/isos/x86_64/CHECKSUM
# compare it with the expected checksum, it should be the sameC:\> findstr /i /r /c:"SHA256.*AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso" CHECKSUMSHA256 (AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso) = 2a44e3f8a012c132da19b9aae2bf949e20b116f0a2a7ac3eca111972f4ac952f

Create USB installation media

Linux

dd

Use the dd command on any Linux distribution.

Insert your target USB and locate it. There are several ways to do this, some examples are shown below:

  • sudo fdisk -l - this command shows the connected block storage devices, including the USB devices.
  • lsblk - this command shows all the available block storage devices, including the USB block storage devices.
  • sudo blkid - this command shows the same information as lsblk, but root privileges are required to execute.

You need to look for /dev/sda or /dev/sdb or /dev/sdc, which is your target USB.

After locating your target USB device, navigate to the location of your source ISO. Run the dd command to write files from ISO to USB:

sudo dd if=./AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso of=/dev/sdX status=progress conv=fsync bs=4M
  • dd: Start the dd command to write the DVD/CD iso image.
  • if=AlmaLinux-9.1-x86_64-dvd.iso: path to the input file.
  • of=/dev/sdX: path to destination USB disk/stick (you need to replace 'X').
  • status=progress: display a progress bar while writing the image to the USB stick.
  • conv=fsync: make sure to finish the writing before returning.
  • bs=4M: use blocks of 4 megabytes instead of the default 512 bytes.

Fedora Media Writer

Fedora Media Writer is a GUI based application for creating USB installation media from ISO images. It is available on Flathub for installation on linux. Use either your distributions software packaging application or install via the CLI with flatpak.

  • Install:
flatpak install flathub org.fedoraproject.MediaWriter
  • Run:
flatpak run org.fedoraproject.MediaWriter

Windows

Fedora Media Writer

Fedora Media Writer is a GUI based application for creating USB installation media from ISO images. It is available for installation on Windows from the Github repository , download the latest installer from the Releasesand install.

Rufus

Rufus is a helpful free and open-source application - Rufus. Open the application, choose your target USB, and ISO you need to burn, and press start.

INSTALLATION

Insert and boot the USB installation meda and you will be presented with the AlmaLinux welcome menu:

Al1.png

When the installer boots, the first step is to choose the language that will be used during the installation process.

Al2.png

Choose the language you'd like and press the Continue button.


Next, the Installation Summary window will appear. It contains all of the sections that you can configure for the installation:

Al3.png

LOCALIZATION

  • Keyboard - you may specify the system's keyboard layouts here.
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.
  • Language Support - the default supported language is the language selected for the installation process. You can add support for additional languages as required.
Al5.png

Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.

  • Time & Date - this option allows you to select the timezone to be configured. You can select the location from the Region/City lists or select from the map. Enable the Network Time option to configure the system to automatically set the time on boot via NTP.
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.

SOFTWARE

  • Installation Source - the installation source is to be specified here. When installing using the full DVD image the installation source will be automatically specified as Local media, if the Boot ISO is used as the installation media the installation source will be set to the closest mirror.

Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.

  • Software Selection - this section contains two fields:
    • Base Environment - this field allows you to select the base packages for the installation based six pre-built definitions.
      • Server with GUI
      • Server
      • Minimal Install
      • Workstation
      • Custom Operating System
      • Virtualizaton Host
    • Additional Software for the Selected Environment - here you can select additional software to be installed. The list of available additional software changes based on the chosen Base Environment.
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.

SYSTEM

This section allows you to customize the installation to the requirements of your hardware, such as creating drive partitions, enabling storage encryption, KDUMP, specifying the Network and choosing a security profile:

  • Installation destination - available disks for the system installation will be shown as Local Standard Disks. If your system has only one disk, it will be automatically chosen. By default, Storage Configuration will be marked as Automatic.
Al8.png
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.
  • KDUMP - by default, kdump will be marked as enabled with automatic memory reservation.
Al9.png
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.
  • Network & Host Name - all detected networks will be listed in the left field. If able they will be automatically connected. You can add a network device and configure the chosen network in this section.
Al10.png

Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.

Security Profile - no profile is chosen by default, as applying a security policy is not necessary. The applied security policy will be installed in the system using the compliance policies defined by SCAP. You can choose one of the available security profiles:

  • ANSSI-BP-028 (enhanced)
  • ANSSI-BP-028 (high)
  • ANSSI-BP-028 (intermediary)
  • ANSSI-BP-028 (minimal)
  • [DRAFT] CIS AlmaLinux 9 Benchmark for Level 2 - Server
  • [DRAFT] CIS AlmaLinux 9 Benchmark for Level 1 - Server
  • [DRAFT] CIS AlmaLinux 9 Benchmark for Level 1 - Workstation
  • [DRAFT] CIS AlmaLinux 9 Benchmark for Level 2 - Workstation
  • [DRAFT] Unclassified Information in Non-federal Information Systems and Organizations (NIST 800-171)
  • Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Essential Eight
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
  • Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) ISM Official
  • [DRAFT] Protection Profile for General Purpose Operating Systems
  • PCI-DSS v3.2.1 Control Baseline for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • [DRAFT] DISA STIG for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • [DRAFT] DISA STIG with GUI for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

USER SETTINGS

  • Root Password - the root user is the most privileged account, a strong password is highly recommended to protect this account. Type the password in the Root Password text field and type it once more in the Confirm text field to confirm the password.
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.
  • User Creation - this window allows you to create administrative and non-administrative users. To create a user fill in the Full Name and User Name fields, set and confirm the password, and enable the Make this user administrator field if required. The Require the password to use this account option is enabled by default. You can leave it enabled or click on the checkbox to remove the check to disable this option.
  • Select Done to complete the configuration of this section.
  • When you are finished with the customization, click on the Begin Installation button to start the installation process.
  • The installation will begin and the progress shown on the Installation Progress screen.
  • Wait for the installation process to complete successfully and click on the Reboot button to restart the system.
Al11.png
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