Oracle Linux Package Management

Update Types Available for Linux Instances

Autonomous Linux applies updates based on the following types:


Autonomous Linux Update Type	Description
All	An update that includes all available updates.
Security	An update that addresses security vulnerabilities found during development, testing, or reported by users. Security fixes usually have one or more associated CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure) names to identify the vulnerabilities.
Ksplice	An update used by Ksplice for installing zero-downtime security patches. The update job can include only Ksplice kernel updates, only Ksplice userspace updates, or both. See Using Ksplice for how to configure an instance to receive Ksplice updates.
Bug Fix	An update that fixes issues reported by users or discovered during development or testing.
Enhancement	An update that introduces new features, improved functionality, or enhanced performance in the package's software.
Other	An update that's not associated with any errata.

Using Ksplice

For Autonomous Linux instances, Ksplice is preconfigured. The Ksplice software sources are automatically attached and the Ksplice client is automatically installed by default. No additional configuration is required.

For general information about Ksplice in Oracle Linux, see Oracle Linux Ksplice User's Guide.

Verifying Ksplice Updates

Use the following methods to verify Ksplice updates are being applied.

Check the effective kernel

View the instance details and verify the effective kernel value has been updated. A blank value (-) indicates that no Ksplice kernel updates have been applied.

Check change history

View the change history report for the instance. Look for entries with a summary of "Update ksplice kernel" or "Update ksplice userspace". Click the entry's date to view job details.

Note

If you don't see Ksplice entries in the change history, the update job might have failed. See Listing Jobs Associated with an Instance and examine the error messages in any failed jobs.

Understanding Modules

Oracle Linux 8 and later releases provide modules, module streams, and profiles to enable the management of different versions of software within a single OS release.

Modules: Modules are a set of RPM packages that are grouped together and must be installed together. They can contain several streams that consist of multiple versions of applications that you can install. You enable a module stream to provide system access to the RPM packages that are contained in that module stream.
Module Streams: Module streams hold different versions of content contained within a module. Modules can have multiple streams, where each stream contains a different version of packages and their dependencies. Each stream receives updates independently.
Profiles: Profiles provide a list of certain packages that are installed at the same time for a particular use case. Profiles are also a recommendation by the application packagers and experts. Each module stream can have one or more profiles.

For more information about DNF modules, streams, and profiles, see Use DNF Modules and Application Streams in the Oracle Linux documentation.

For important guidelines, caveats, and warnings when performing package operations on modules and streams, see About Modular Dependencies and Stream Changes in the Oracle Linux documentation.

Module Status

The module stream can be in one of the following states:

Enabled: Stream can provide packages to the instance.
- (hyphen) : Stream isn't enabled but can provide packages to the instance to satisfy package dependencies.
Disabled: Stream can't provide packages to the instance until enabled.

Instance Package Management Tasks

After registering instances with a software source profile in Autonomous Linux, perform the following tasks to manage packages and modules on the instance.

Note

These tasks only apply to instances that aren't members of a group.

Package Management

Module Management

Software Source Management

Group Package Management Tasks

After registering instances with a group profile in Autonomous Linux, perform the following tasks to manage packages and modules for the instances that are members of the group:

Group Content Management

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Documentation