CentOS

CentOS — one of the most popular Linux distribution kits. It was created as a free alternative to the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) distribution kit and is compatible to it.

The term of support of each version of CentOS is 10 years. Each version is updated each 6 months for support of new hardware.

2019: Memory leak of a kernel of Linux from 754.el6 is also more senior

On January 17, 2019 the company Carbon Soft reported that engineers of Carbon Soft detected problems with operating system CentOS Linux.

According to the company, in December, 2018 several users of Carbon Reductor DPI manually updated CentOS operating system kernel, in several days the monitoring system of Carbon Soft detected a problem with the shortage of RAM on servers. After connection of engineers, found out that cores a system from 754.el6 have memory leak therefore all server ceases to work - filtering according to the register of the prohibited websites ceased to work for several telecom operators.

After localization of a problem with updating of the operating system understood and corrected a malfunction. In this situation reaction of engineers helped to avoid to several Internet service providers of penalties from Roskomnadzor.

Also it was announced collected statistics why there can be problems with the server of traffic filtering and as to avoid them. The basic reason is the wrong unloading and list processing on blocking. Those telecom operators which process lists have according to the statistics more problems with filtering as unload lists in DPI not directly from servers of Roskomnadzor, and through intermediate. In this case developers advise to pass to classical unloading through the electronic digital signature or using the mode of "deltas" by the login/password recommended by Roskomnadzor.

2016: CentOS Atomic Host

On February 13, 2016 the CentOS project provided release of the CentOS Atomic Host 7.20160203 operating system. OS is focused on start of the isolated containers prepared and managed by means of the Docker tools, and^[1] delivered in the form of the updated image monolithic entirely].

CentOS Atomic Host is compilation of the product Red Hat Enterprise Linux Atomic Host 7.2 created on the basis of practices of the free Atomic project.

Assemblies of CentOS Atomic Host are available in the form of installation ISO, images of Vagrant virtual machines (Libvirt, VirtualBox), qcow2 (OpenStack, AWS, Libvirt) and AMI (Amazon Machine Image). Principal components of CentOS Atomic Host are packets with a kernel of Linux 3.10.0-327, docker-1.8.2-10, cloud-init-0.7.5-10, atomic-1.6-6.gitca1e384, kubernetes-1.0.3-0.2, etcd-2.1.1-2, ostree-2015.9-2 and flannel-0.5.3-8.

Atomic Host provides a basic environment which contains only the minimum set of components (systemd, journald, docker, rpm-OSTree, geard, etc.), necessary for start and management of the isolated containers. All packets ensuring functioning of final applications are delivered directly as a part of containers, and the host system does not contain anything superfluous. The structure a host system is indivisible and is processed as a complete image, without splitting into separate packets. At the same time the image forms on the basis of regular RPM packets of CentOS 7 by means of the rpm-ostree system.

Containers are not tied to a basic system and can move from one server to another and also be updated and replaced on a centralized basis without restart of the server. Delivery of services in the form of containers simplifies testing of a product, for example, the new version of the application or updating of structure of a container can be previously tested by the machine of the developer, and then in an invariable type are postponed for the working server, having replaced last working image of a container. In case of failure of the server, the container with the minimum delay can be lifted by other machine.

Features of Atomic Host

• Updating of an environment of Atomic Host is made atomically, through replacement of an image of all system, without breakdown on separate packets that gives the chance easily to be rolled away on last status in case of problems.
• Kubernetes framework opened by Google company is used for management of clusters of containers.
• In addition to cgroups and namespaces additional isolation of applications in containers is provided with the SELinux system that adds an additional barrier of protection.
• The environment of Atomic Host can be unrolled not only on physical servers, but also in virtual machines, private and public cloud environments, including a possibility of start under control of Amazon Web Services and Google Compute Engine.
• The images of containers executed in an environment by Atomic Host, are made out in the Docker format;
• For updating of a system environment the OSTree technology at which the system image is atomically updated from the Git-like storage allowing to apply methods of versionny control to distribution kit components is used (for example, it is possible to roll away quickly a system to last status). RPM packets are broadcast in OSTree repository by means of a special layer of rpm-ostree;
• The means for incremental use of updates saving from need of complete replacement of an image at each updating are provided;
• Installation and binding of containers to systemd and also coordination of accomplishment of containers on different hosts, is performed by means of the new GearD tool. GearD will be a part of future release of the OpenShift platform and undertakes problems of fast delivery and deployment of the code of applications in program environments based on the isolated containers using methods of continuous integration;
• Support of start of the exclusive containers allowing to distribute in a form of containers managing applications which need access to contents basic a host system or to other containers.

2015: CentOS 7.1511 for architecture of i686, ARM and PowerPC

On December 21, 2015 the CentOS project announced availability of editions of the CentOS Linux 7.1511 distribution kit to the alternative platforms supported by forces^[2].

Assemblies became available to 32-bit architecture of i386/i686, Armhfp (it can be used on payments of Raspberry Pi2, Cubie truck, Bananapi, etc.), of PowerPC64 and PowerPC8 LE. The release of CentOS 7.1511 for ARM64/Aarch64 is expected.

The RHEL 7.2 distribution kit used as a basis of CentOS 7.1511 is issued only for the 64-bit systems. Adaptation of package base for the 32-bit systems is executed as a result of activity of the CentOS Linux AltArch SIG group (Special Interest Group) which the participants interested in porting of CentOS on the platforms and architecture other than x86_64 and who are officially not supported in basic edition entered.

In community initiatives of creation of assemblies of CentOS 7 for i686, ARM64/AArch64, ARMv7, PPC little-endian and PPC big-endian (Power8) began to develop.

2014

Initially the company with the name of the same name - CentOS Project was engaged in development of CentOS, however in 2014 the project announced that it passes under the aegis Red Hat companies.

2010-2012

In 2010-2012 the CentOS distribution kit was on the first place on use amount on Web servers which was conceded then by Debian.

Notes