Installing Rocky Linux 9

by Tuto Maker - Published 22/07/2022 - Updated 06/09/2024

What's in the box?

This tutorial explains how to install Rocky Linux 9, and the procedure applies to installation on a virtual or physical machine, although in the latter case you'll need to create a bootable USB key in addition.

Rocky Linux is a community system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), designed for production use in the enterprise. Launched in 2020, this distribution is the successor to CentOS.

Rocky Linux 9 is available since July 14, 2022so it's his " release date "This is the successor to Rocky Linux This version succeeds Rocky Linux 8.6. It should be noted that Rocky Linux 9 will be supported until May 31, 2032Version 8 will continue to be supported until May 31, 2029.

Before you begin, download the installation ISO image from the official :

Rocky Linux

You can take the "Minimal" image, which contains the bare minimum in terms of packages, or the "DVD" image, which is heavier, but allows you to install additional packages directly from the image, as well as the GNOME GUI. As far as I'm concerned, this will be the basic (minimal) image, and I'll install what I need afterwards.

1. Install Rocky Linux in a VM

When the image ofinstalling Rocky Linux 9 is launched, select " Install Rocky Linux 9.0 "Press Enter to confirm.

Start by choosing your language, in this case French.

From now on, you'll need to complete each of the installation steps and review the various parameters. It is mandatory to choose the disk where you wish to install the system and set a password for the "root" account. The rest is optional, but I'm going to talk about a few sections anyway.

Click on " Software selection" As you can see, the choice is limited, as I'm using a "minimal" image. If you take a more complete image, you'll be able to choose additional package categories. I encourage you to install the minimum and then install your packages as required. Each time, click on " Fact Click on "OK" in the top left-hand corner to confirm and return to the main menu.

Click on " Installation destination" Select the disk on which to install the system. The default, the system installs automatically on the entire diskBut for more comfortable users, it's possible to customize the partitioning. Here, I select my disk " ATA VBOX HARDDISK "20 GB corresponding to sda" .

Ideal for installing this system on the virtual machine! By the way, I didn't use too many resources: 2 GB of RAM, in addition to this disk.

Click on " Network and host name" to set an IP address for the machine's network card. Important if you don't have a DHCP server. This is also where you declare the system name, such as " rocky-tutobox "in my example. The host name, like the IP address, can be changed later once the system has been installed.

Click on " Security Profile" You can choose a more or less restrictive security profile. Some of these profiles are based on ANSSI recommendations. Before choosing a profile, it is advisable to consult the corresponding documentation to find out the consequences for the system.

In production, it's a good idea to use a security profile, but for testing purposes, it's not essential, unless it's for pre-production testing, as the profile's restrictions could get in the way later on.

Click on " Administrator password" You're nearing the end of the Rocky Linux 9 installation. This is where you need to set the password for the "root" account: the account with the highest level of privileges on the machine. Choose a complex password.

Before starting the installation, click on " User creation "This is the account you'll use on a daily basis. This is the account you'll use on a daily basis.

Name this user and assign him a login and password. If you check the Make this user an administrator" he will have the necessary authorizations to use the " sudo "This allows you to run commands with admin rights without going directly through the root account.

This is recommended, as it's better to avoid using the "root" account directly and use the "sudo" command as a prefix for the commands to be executed.

Click on " Start installation "and wait for the process to complete.... Coffee time! This will take varying amounts of time, depending on your machine's resources and performance.

When finished, click on ". Restart the system" . Normally, your machine should boot on the freshly installed system.

The Rocky Linux 9 system is now up and running: congratulations!

2. What next?

The machine is now ready for use, but before anything else, I recommend that you update the packages with the command below. The system will be completely up to date. Then it's up to you to install the packages you need!