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RLC Installation Guide

This guide provides detailed instructions for installing Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) using various methods.

Prerequisites

Before installing RLC:

  • Hardware Requirements:
  • Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB recommended)
  • 10GB available disk space (20GB recommended)
  • UEFI or BIOS-compatible system

  • Network connectivity

  • Access Requirements:

  • Valid CIQ subscription
  • CIQ Depot credentials

Installation Methods

Method 1: Fresh Installation from ISO

  1. Download RLC ISO:
  2. Access CIQ Depot at https://depot.ciq.com/
  3. Navigate to "Rocky Linux from CIQ"

  4. Download the appropriate ISO file

  5. Create Bootable Media: 

    # Linux/macOS
sudo dd if=rlc-installer.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

# Windows - use Rufus or similar tool

  6. Boot and Install:

  7. Boot from installation media
  8. Follow the standard Rocky Linux installation process
  9. Configure network and repositories during installation

Method 2: Migration from Community Rocky Linux

  1. Backup Your System: 

    # Create system backup
sudo rsync -aAXv / --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} /backup/

  2. Add RLC Repositories: 

    # Add CIQ repository configuration
sudo cat > /etc/yum.repos.d/rlc.repo << EOF
[rlc-baseos]
name=Rocky Linux from CIQ - BaseOS
baseurl=https://depot.ciq.com/rlc/baseos/\$releasever/\$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://depot.ciq.com/keys/RPM-GPG-KEY-CIQ

[rlc-appstream]
name=Rocky Linux from CIQ - AppStream
baseurl=https://depot.ciq.com/rlc/appstream/\$releasever/\$basearch/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://depot.ciq.com/keys/RPM-GPG-KEY-CIQ
EOF

  3. Configure Authentication: 

    # Set up depot authentication
echo "machine depot.ciq.com login YOUR_USERNAME password YOUR_TOKEN" > ~/.netrc
chmod 600 ~/.netrc

  4. Update System: 

    # Update package metadata
sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf makecache

# Perform system update
sudo dnf distro-sync

Method 3: Cloud Marketplace Installation

AWS Marketplace

  1. Navigate to AWS Marketplace
  2. Search for "Rocky Linux from CIQ"
  3. Launch instance with desired configuration
  4. Connect and configure as needed

Azure Marketplace

  1. Access Azure Marketplace
  2. Find "Rocky Linux from CIQ"
  3. Deploy to your resource group
  4. Configure networking and access

Google Cloud Platform

  1. Visit GCP Marketplace
  2. Locate "Rocky Linux from CIQ"
  3. Deploy to your project
  4. Set up firewall rules and access

Post-Installation Configuration

Verify Installation

# Check OS version
cat /etc/os-release

# Verify repositories
dnf repolist enabled

# Check for RLC-specific packages
rpm -qa | grep -i ciq

Configure Updates

# Enable automatic security updates
sudo dnf install dnf-automatic
sudo systemctl enable --now dnf-automatic.timer

# Configure update policy
sudo vim /etc/dnf/automatic.conf

Set Up Monitoring

# Install monitoring tools
sudo dnf install htop iotop nethogs

# Configure log monitoring
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=30d

Network Configuration

Static IP Configuration

# Configure static IP using NetworkManager
sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0" ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24
sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0" ipv4.gateway 192.168.1.1
sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0" ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4
sudo nmcli con mod "System eth0" ipv4.method manual
sudo nmcli con up "System eth0"

Firewall Configuration

# Configure firewall
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Storage Configuration

LVM Setup

# Create physical volume
sudo pvcreate /dev/sdb

# Create volume group
sudo vgcreate rlc-vg /dev/sdb

# Create logical volumes
sudo lvcreate -L 10G -n var-lv rlc-vg
sudo lvcreate -L 20G -n home-lv rlc-vg

# Format and mount
sudo mkfs.xfs /dev/rlc-vg/var-lv
sudo mkfs.xfs /dev/rlc-vg/home-lv

Security Configuration

SSH Hardening

# Edit SSH configuration
sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

# Recommended settings:
# Port 2222
# PermitRootLogin no
# PasswordAuthentication no
# PubkeyAuthentication yes

sudo systemctl restart sshd

User Management

# Create admin user
sudo useradd -m -G wheel admin-user
sudo passwd admin-user

# Configure sudo access
echo "admin-user ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/admin-user

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Repository Access Problems: 

# Check network connectivity
ping depot.ciq.com

# Verify credentials
curl -u USERNAME:TOKEN https://depot.ciq.com/test

# Clear repository cache
sudo dnf clean all

Package Conflicts: 

# Check for conflicts
sudo dnf check

# Resolve conflicts
sudo dnf distro-sync --allowerasing

Boot Issues: 

# Boot in emergency mode
# Add to kernel parameters: systemd.unit=emergency.target

# Check filesystem
sudo fsck /dev/sdX

Validation

System Health Check

# Run comprehensive system check
sudo dnf check
sudo rpm -Va
sudo systemctl --failed
sudo journalctl -p err --since "24 hours ago"

Performance Baseline

# CPU information
lscpu

# Memory information
free -h

# Disk performance
sudo hdparm -tT /dev/sda

# Network test
speedtest-cli

Next Steps

After successful installation:

For support and additional resources, see: