SOLVED RedHat announcing to limit source code availability (affecting RHEL-based distros - AlmaLinux, RockyLinux and CloudLinux)

[MegaBytu]

RedHat has just announced that

CentOS Stream will now be the sole repository for public RHEL-related source code releases. For Red Hat customers and partners, source code will remain available via the Red Hat Customer Portal.

basically affecting all RHEL forks, such as AlmaLinux, RockyLinux and CloudLinux, because the source code of RHEL will no longer be availabile to a transparent channel (but only via customer portal, generating premises for further more limitations/restrictions - such as redistributing the code will terminate the customer portal access).

Source: https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/furthering-evolution-centos-stream

Probably this will generate a migration wave from RHEL based distros (AlmaLinux, RockyLinux and CloudLinux) to Debian based distros (Ubuntu).

The problem is that cPanel supports only Ubuntu 20.04, which has EOL in 2025, so too soon, compared to CloudLinux 8 EOL in 2029 (Ubuntu 22.04 is not yet supported).

The following questions arise for the moment:

1. What is the position of cPanel regarding this announcement? Obviously this decision of RedHat has the potential to impact cPanel's business, by impacting/undermining the main distros that are compatible with cPanel (AlmaLinux, RockyLinux and CloudLinux), and the only enterprise Linux distros compatible with cPanel (AlmaLinux, RockyLinux and CloudLinux), because Ubuntu is not quite enterprise level (yet). The result may lead cPanel's customers to move away from cPanel to other control panels, with less ties to RHEL based distros, and more ties to alternative enterprise level Linux distros.

2. In this context, will cPanel start to support RHEL? (the distro from RedHat, that requires subscription, for customers that want an enterprise grade Linux distro with cPanel)

3. What is the distro recommendation for new cPanel installs in this context?

 

[cPRex]

Hey there! I know this is generating a lot of talk online, but we don't have any official details yet. We're waiting to see what AlmaLinux is able to do and what their plans are, as we're hearing this at the same time as everyone else (as in, we got no super secret inside advanced warning).

AlmaLinux OS - Forever-Free Enterprise-Grade Operating System

An Open Source, community owned and governed, forever-free enterprise Linux distribution.

almalinux.org

 

[MHFraser]

I have concerns too.
I’m well down the path of a cloud linux 7 -> 8 migration. I need to hear cPanel will continue to support cloud linux regardless of its binary compatibility with redhat.

 

[MegaBytu]

Maybe another alternative approach for a segment of customers, that require long term stability, would be for cPanel to bundle cPanel with a RHEL license at a decent price and support RHEL again, which is currently unsupported, newest RHEL supported is 7 which will soon be at EOL (https://support.cpanel.net/hc/en-us...at-operating-systems-are-supported-by-cPanel-).

As long as RHEL will try to kill 1:1 distros, I see only a few options for a long term stable solution:

1. cPanel + RHEL 8 or 9
2. cPanel + Ubuntu when 22.04 will be supported (20.04 has an EOL which is too soon)
3. maybe cPanel + CloudLinux 8 or 9, if RedHat targets only RockyLinux and AlmaLinux with this decision, but not CloudLinux and maybe CloudLinux will find a commercial workaround with RedHat to maintain a 1:1 distro, CloudLinux being a paid alternative
4. fast forward compatibility of cPanel with some other non-RHEL/non-Debian enterprise level distro, as an alternative to RHEL/Ubuntu

Maybe this will be a cold shower for cPanel to start concentrate on real world issues instead of updating things that worked perfectly - like old WHM interface, or adding features that few people need - like the WP Toolkit.

 

[shohan]

I am very worried about this update.

 

[Facundo]

Full support for Ubuntu LTS would solve this.

 

[porplemontage]

Check out this. Perhaps one day you'll convert your AlmaLinux server to CloudLinux Free and they will be the main cPanel OS.

 

[vacancy]

I think we will have another monthly license cost.

Capitalism go to hell. !!!!

 

[ciao70]

Hi,


Keeping Open Source Open | Rocky Linux

AlmaLinux OS - Forever-Free Enterprise-Grade Operating System

An Open Source, community owned and governed, forever-free enterprise Linux distribution.

almalinux.org

"In case you missed it, Red Hat announced they will no longer be providing the means for downstream clones to continue to be 1:1 binary copies of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Very quickly, both Jack and I shared some initial thoughts, but we intentionally took our time deciding the next right step for AlmaLinux OS. After much discussion, the AlmaLinux OS Foundation board today has decided to drop the aim to be 1:1 with RHEL. AlmaLinux OS will instead aim to be Application Binary Interface (ABI) compatible*.

We will continue to aim to produce an enterprise-grade, long-term distribution of Linux that is aligned and ABI compatible with RHEL in response to our community’s needs, to the extent it is possible to do, and such that software that runs on RHEL will run the same on AlmaLinux."

* ABI compatibility in our case means working to ensure that applications built to run on RHEL (or RHEL clones) can run without issue on AlmaLinux. Adjusting to this expectation removes our need to ensure that everything we release is an exact copy of the source code that you would get with RHEL.