February 2022

Run Oracle Linux on your Windows desktop

Users of Microsoft Windows can now download Oracle Linux 7.9 and 8.5 directly from the Microsoft Store and run them on their desktop or laptop computers for free. This is very convenient for users who run Oracle Linux for their development or production environment, so they have access to the same Linux distribution everywhere, including their personal workstation.

Because Oracle Linux is free to download, install, run, and distribute, and is now easily available through the Microsoft Store, it is an ideal choice for users who need a free or low-cost distribution for local use.

Read more in the blog

Oracle Linux 8.5 now available

Get the latest updates to Oracle Linux with this release, including the updated Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK R6), improvements to software management, development toolsets and languages, infrastructure services, and security. Existing applications in user space will continue to run unmodified on this release, and applications certified on previous releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 or Oracle Linux 8 do not require a certification with this new release. Read the release announcement

Protection against ransomware with R&S Browser in the Box built on VirtualBox

Protection against ransomware with Rohde & Schwarz’s Browser in the Box built on VirtualBox

Rohde & Schwarz is one of Europe’s largest IT security providers, and has created an innovative protection from ransomware and other malware solution based on VirtualBox. The R&S Browser in the Box lets even the most security sensitive users have access to the public web through a hardened browser running in VirtualBox on their local machine. The user has full access to the public internet, but any malware can't get access to the user’s machine. See the full case study

Register for the State of the Penguin webinar (March 9)

As part of the Linux community, Oracle invites you to our semi-annual State of the Penguin address. Two of our most senior development leaders and members of Wim Coekaert's team, Sergio Leunissen and Greg Marsden, will update you with all the latest updates on Linux development, and provide a deep dive into our kernel development process to help you understand how we are able to increase performance, security, reliability, and deliver the most modern kernel. Register for your timezone

Analyst identifies six success factors for MSPs

John Webster, senior analyst at Evaluator Group, recently conducted in-depth interviews with MSPs experienced in delivering global managed services for enterprise IT customers based on Oracle Linux. He found six common factors for successful managed services delivery. Get the full report

Constellation Research explores Oracle Linux Automation Manager

This blog post explains what the recently released Oracle Linux Automation Manager can do for custors, explores what sets it apart from its competitors in the market, presents key differentiators, and concludes with actionable recommendations for CxOs. Read the research report

Latest update to Oracle Linux Automation Manager

It may feel like Oracle Linux Automation Manager was just released, but here is an update available that provides REST APIs, command line interfaces, and a new credential type that allows integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Read the release announcement

Oracle Cloud Native Environment 1.4 with GlusterFS support

Oracle Cloud Native Environment is an integrated suite of software components for the development and management of cloud native applications. Release 1.4 includes support for YAML configuration, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) storage, Gluster storage, and new command-line reporting options. Read the release announcement

SAP Applications with Oracle Database in the cloud

Oracle and SAP have certified SAP NetWeaver®-based applications using Oracle Database to run on Oracle Cloud, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure. Oracle Linux is the only supported Linux OS for these environments. Details can be found in the SAP notes. Read the full details

Register for the Security and Desktop Virtualization Customer Virtual Summit (March 23)

Do you want to accelerate your DevOps processes? How do you enable remote workers to access applications securely? How do you protect your workspace against ransomware? Join us for a virtual roundtable to interact with Oracle development, product management leaders and other customers. Register here

Podman and Oracle Database XE on Oracle Linux 8

Easily create your development environment for Oracle Database XE on top of Oracle Linux 8; the entire solution relies on Podman, the standalone container runtime available with Oracle Linux 8. Read the technical blog

Update to VirtualBox

Several updates to Oracle VM VirtualBox have been released since our last newsletter. Although they are so-called “point releases”, each of them (including this one) include important operational and security fixes so be sure to get this latest release! Read the release announcement

Tracking Linux Stable kernel in UEK brings advantages

The team responsible for the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Oracle Linux works hard to not only develop new kernel improvements, but to bring in the most valuable ones from the Long Term stable branches. This gives users improvements in advance of other kernels, but also keeps them aligned with future versions of Linux. Read more in this technical blog

Accelerate development with click-to-deploy images

The OCI platform images catalog provides prebuilt, tested, and validated operating system (OS) images for a range of Intel, AMD, and Ampere Arm-based shapes. Application developers can jump-start development and save time by launching click-to-deploy Oracle Linux-based images in OCI. Read the blog

Keep VMs secure by updating Secure Boot database

New utilities from Oracle provide a straightforward way to update the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) Secure Boot database for VMs running Oracle Linux. Read the technical blog

Keep Arm instances secure with Oracle Linux STIG images

For enhanced security, the Oracle Linux 7 Arm STIG image enables you to easily deploy hardened OS instances in OCI. This Arm image is an Oracle Linux 7 implementation of the Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for OCI. Read the blog

G2 recognizes VirtualBox as the leader

VirtualBox scores highest of many potential alternatives on G2's Winter 2022 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Report. See why customers love VirtualBox

VirtualBox for Dummies translations available

The popular VirtualBox for Dummies ebook (originally published in English) is now available in several additional languages.

Fighting PWNKIT attacks with Ksplice

Kernel and key libraries are not the only attack surfaces that receive exploits and vulnerabilities. The pkexec vulnerability is an example, and Ksplice was able to transparently fix this, and log exploit attempts. Read the technical blog

Freezing tasks in the kernel

Learn how Ksplice is able to patch a running operating system with no downtime. Read the technical blog