Installation Guide

Applies to AlmaLinux 9 & 10 / Rocky Linux 9 & 10 / CentOS Stream 9 & 10

This guide walks you through installing EL 9 / EL 10 on a physical machine or virtual machine. The installer (Anaconda) flow is essentially the same; the difference is the media and install tree: EL10 uses /almalinux/10/..., /pub/rocky/10/... and 10-stream paths, so confirm the version before installing.

What You Will Accomplish

• Download the installation image
• Create installation media
• Complete the system installation
• First login

Prerequisites

• An x86_64 computer (physical or virtual machine)
• At least 2 GB RAM, 20 GB disk space
• A USB flash drive (8 GB or larger, for physical installation) or virtualization software
• A stable network connection

Step 1: Download the Installation Image

AlmaLinux

Go to the AlmaLinux download page and download the Minimal ISO (recommended for servers) or DVD ISO.

Download via command line (optional)

$ curl -LO https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9/isos/x86_64/AlmaLinux-9-latest-x86_64-minimal.iso

Rocky Linux

Go to the Rocky Linux download page and download the Minimal or DVD ISO.

Download via command line (optional)

$ curl -LO https://download.rockylinux.org/pub/rocky/9/isos/x86_64/Rocky-9-latest-x86_64-minimal.iso

CentOS Stream

Go to the CentOS Stream download page and download the ISO.

Download via command line (optional)

$ curl -LO https://mirrors.centos.org/mirrorlist?path=/9-stream/BaseOS/x86_64/iso/CentOS-Stream-9-latest-x86_64-dvd1.iso

Tip

It is recommended to use the Minimal image for server deployment. It is smaller in size (approximately 1.5 GB) and includes only core components. You can install additional software as needed later.

Step 2: Create Installation Media

Physical Machine: Create a Bootable USB Drive

Linux

Write to USB using dd (replace device path accordingly)

$ sudo dd if=AlmaLinux-9-latest-x86_64-minimal.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

Danger

The sdX in of=/dev/sdX must be your USB device, not your system disk. Use lsblk to confirm the device name. Writing to the wrong device will cause data loss.

macOS

Write to USB using dd

$ sudo dd if=AlmaLinux-9-latest-x86_64-minimal.iso of=/dev/rdiskN bs=4m

Use diskutil list to confirm the USB device number.

Windows

Use Rufus or balenaEtcher to write the ISO to USB.

Virtual Machine

When creating a virtual machine in VirtualBox, VMware, or KVM/virt-manager, simply mount the ISO file as the optical drive.

Step 3: Install the System

1. Boot into the Installer

   After booting from USB or ISO, select Install to enter the Anaconda installer.

2. Select Language

   Choose your preferred language.

3. Configure Installation Summary

   Focus on the following items:

   • Installation Destination: Select the disk and use “Automatic” partitioning
   • Software Selection: Choose “Minimal Install” for servers
   • Network & Host Name: Enable the network connection and set a hostname
   • Root Password: Set a root password (or disable root login and use a regular user + sudo only)
   • User Creation: Create a regular user with administrator privileges

4. Begin Installation

   After confirming all settings, click “Begin Installation” and wait for the process to complete.

5. Reboot

   Once installation is complete, remove the installation media and reboot the system.

Step 4: First Login

After rebooting, you will see a login prompt. Log in with the username and password you created during installation.

Verify system version after login

$ cat /etc/redhat-release
AlmaLinux release 9.5 (Teal Serval)

Confirm network connectivity

$ ping -c 3 1.1.1.1

Congratulations! The system installation is complete. Next, read Initial Setup to complete the basic configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

The installer cannot detect the disk

Make sure RAID mode is not enabled in BIOS/UEFI (unless you actually need it). For virtual machines, confirm that a disk has been allocated.

No network access after installation

Check if NetworkManager is running:

$ sudo systemctl status NetworkManager
$ sudo nmcli device status

Next Steps

• Initial Setup — Timezone, updates, essential tools
• SSH Remote Access — Configure remote access