RHEL 10.0: The Next Horizon in Enterprise Linux

Table of contents:-

Getting RHEL 10.0: Installation and Requirements

Comparing RHEL 10.0 with Other Commercial Distributions

A fresh breeze sweeps through enterprise IT with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0, a major milestone in the storied evolution of one of the world’s most trusted server operating systems. Born from a Fedora foundation and tempered by decades of customer-driven innovation, RHEL now ushers in smarter installation workflows, future-proof security, and performance enhancements that promise to reshape production environments. In this article I’ll first walk you through RHEL’s journey and unique DNA, then dive into the latest changes in 10.0, guide you through obtaining and installing it (along with official system requirements and support options), compare it to a few other commercial offerings and wrap up with practical advice. Suit up and let’s explore the enterprise frontier together!

Introduction

Red Hat’s flagship has always balanced rock-solid stability with leading-edge features. Since its debut in 2002, RHEL has forged a reputation for rigorous quality assurance, long-term support and direct lines to corporate-grade tooling. Key milestones include the modular software streams of RHEL 7, container-native optimisations in RHEL 8, and now, with RHEL 10.0, vast improvements in installation, security and developer toolchains. What sets RHEL apart is its certified hardware ecosystem, extensive partner network and deep integration with Red Hat’s subscription services—from Insights for proactive monitoring to layered support tiers for mission-critical workloads.

What’s New in RHEL 10.0

RHEL 10.0 marks a significant leap forward, introducing both superficial polish‐ups and deep architectural upgrades.

Smarter Installer and Image Builder
Gone are the days of manual user-privilege juggling and fiddly boot partitions. In RHEL 10.0 any new user you add during install is automatically granted administrative rights—unless you opt out—streamlining initial setup. The timezone step now features an intuitive selector to replace the legacy map, and VNC remote desktop gives way to RDP for a modern, secure desktop-sharing experience. Under the hood, the image‐builder tool sheds its “cockpit-composer” shell in favour of the streamlined “cockpit-image-builder” plugin, and boot-partition hassles vanish as images are built with unified layouts.

Enhanced Security and Encryption
Security takes centre stage with first-class post-quantum cryptography baked into OpenSSL, GnuTLS and NSS, defending data against tomorrow’s quantum threats. Administrators gain a consistent, automated way to propagate sudo policies across fleets, while the inclusion of Sequoia PGP tools (“sq” and “sqv”) complements existing encryption suites for managing keys and digital signatures. OpenSSH leaps to version 9.9 and SELinux to 3.8, reinforcing secure communications and fine-grained application confinement.

Kernel and Performance Updates
The new kernel brings improved graphics pipelines and bolsters IBM Z virtualization support, elevating workload performance on big-iron systems. Core utilities like “rteval” now deploy as self-contained containers, ensuring dependency consistency in test environments. Logs and other backend services can flip between storage backends on the fly, sidestepping restarts and reducing downtime.

Updated Programming Tools, Languages and Servers
Developers rejoice: Python 3.12, Ruby 3.3, Node.js 22, Perl 5.40 and PHP 8.3 are at your fingertips, letting you build with the latest language features. Version control is current with Git 2.45 and Subversion 1.14, while Apache 2.4.62 and nginx 1.26 bring web server performance and security to the fore. Updated MariaDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL servers ensure your data layer benefits from the latest optimisations.

Tools for Developers and System Administrators
Compilers have leapt forward to GCC 14.2 and glibc 2.39, backed by enhanced debugging and performance-profiling tools so you can tune applications down to the hardware. New system roles automate common tasks—from cluster management to change-detection for critical files—freeing admins to focus on strategy rather than scripts.

Getting RHEL 10.0: Installation and Requirements

Downloading and deploying RHEL 10.0 is straightforward for subscribers:

Obtain the ISO

Log in to the Red Hat Customer Portal and navigate to the RHEL 10.0 download section.
Select your architecture (x86_64, aarch64, ppc64le, IBM Z, ARM, etc.) and download the boot ISO or full DVD image.

Official System Requirements

Disk Space: Minimum 10 GiB free space for installation.
RAM: At least 1.5 GiB for x86_64 and aarch64; 3 GiB for ppc64le.
CPU: 64-bit processor from Intel or AMD (x86_64), ARMv8 or IBM Z architectures.
Network: Ethernet adapter for network installations; optional for local media.
Firmware: UEFI or BIOS-compatible, depending on platform.

Installation Steps

Boot from your chosen media and follow the installer prompts.
Create or import subscription via the Subscription Manager to enable repositories.
Configure networking, storage and user accounts (new users default to admin).
Complete the install and reboot into your fresh RHEL 10.0 system.

Getting Support

Knowledge Base: Access Red Hat’s extensive knowledge base on the Customer Portal.
Red Hat Insights: Activate proactive monitoring to detect and resolve potential issues before they impact production.
Subscription Support: Open support cases directly for 24×7 emergency assistance, or use standard ticketing for general enquiries.
Community: Engage with RHEL user forums, mailing lists and Stack Overflow for peer-to-peer advice.

Upgrading from RHEL 9.6 to 10.0

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.0 offers a direct, supported upgrade path from RHEL 9.6 using the Leapp utility—a trusted, automation-friendly tool that makes in-place upgrades both practical and predictable.

To begin, ensure your RHEL 9.6 system is fully updated and properly registered with the Red Hat Customer Portal. This grants you access to the latest repositories and packages required for a smooth transition. Once ready, install the Leapp tool and its RHEL 9-to-10 plugin using the system package manager. With everything in place, run a pre-upgrade check with leapp preupgrade, which scans your environment and flags any upgrade blockers—like outdated packages or conflicting third-party software. Address any issues raised in the report, especially inhibitors that would prevent a successful upgrade.

When the coast is clear, initiate the actual upgrade with leapp upgrade --reboot. This kicks off the process and reboots the system directly into RHEL 10.0, preserving your data and configuration where compatible. After booting into the new release, a quick check of the system version will confirm you’ve arrived: RHEL 10.0 should now be running on your machine.

As a final step, review any post-upgrade tasks—like reapplying kernel modules or re-enabling custom services—and run a few standard validations to ensure system integrity and performance are up to par. With minimal disruption and careful preparation, RHEL 9.6 systems can make the leap to RHEL 10.0 with confidence and control.

Comparing RHEL 10.0 with Other Commercial Distributions

When deciding on an enterprise Linux subscription, it’s wise to weigh features, ecosystem and total cost of ownership:

SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) invests heavily in cross-platform management (via Salt and YaST), and boasts a strong presence in HPC and SAP environments. SUSE’s licensing can be simpler for mixed-vendor shops, but its geographic reach in SI ecosystems is slimmer than Red Hat’s global partner network.
Oracle Linux offers a drop-in RHEL clone with Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel as an option and allows free downloads with paid support. Oracle’s value proposition is compelling for Oracle Database-centric shops, yet its third-party certification landscape is narrower than RHEL’s massive ISV catalogue.
Ubuntu Pro from Canonical extends long-term support on Ubuntu LTS releases with hardened kernel security and livepatch for many years. While Ubuntu’s user-friendliness and broad cloud support shine, its corporate SLA structure and ecosystem still trail Red Hat’s established enterprise service and hardware certification programme.

In short, RHEL stands out for its expansive ISV/hardware certification matrix, mature subscription-based support tiers, and deep integration with container and hybrid-cloud tooling. Other vendors may undercut on licence fees or niche optimisations, but few match RHEL’s ecosystem breadth.

Conclusion

RHEL 10.0 is a testament to Red Hat’s relentless focus on stability, security and usability. From post-quantum cryptography to container-friendly tools, this release equips enterprises for the challenges of modern IT and beyond. Whether you’re deploying on bare-metal, virtual machines or public cloud, RHEL 10.0 offers the confidence of rock-solid engineering backed by a world-class support network.

Disclaimer

Red Hat® and the Red Hat® logo are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc. Other trade names and trademarks referenced herein are the properties of their respective owners. This article is provided “as is,” and readers should evaluate and deploy this open‐source software at their own risk after careful planning and ensure full backups of existing data.

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