CentOS Linux distribution is a stable, predictable, manageable, and reproducible platform derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) sources.
Since March 2004, this Linux OS has been a community-supported distribution derived from sources freely provided to the public by Red Hat. As such, CentOS Linux aims to be functionally compatible with RHEL. They mainly change packages to remove upstream vendor branding and artwork. This Linux OS is free of cost and free to redistribute.
A small yet growing team of core developers is responsible for the ongoing development of the Linux operating system. They are supported by an active community that includes system administrators, network administrators, IT managers, core contributors, and Linux enthusiasts worldwide.
Over the coming year, this project will broaden its mission to position the Linux OS as a leading community platform for emerging open source technologies, including those from projects like OpenStack. These technologies will be at the center of multiple variations of CentOS, as individual downloads or accessed from a custom installer. Read more about the variants and Special Interest Groups that produce them.
The CentOS Project
This project is a community-driven, free software initiative dedicated to creating a robust foundational platform for open-source ecosystems. It offers a versatile development framework suitable for diverse applications, from cloud providers and hosting services to scientific data processing.
The Governing Board
The Governing Board consists of long-time contributors and new members from Red Hat who helped establish the current collaboration. Its role is to guide the project’s direction, support the progress of SIGs, and promote CentOS Linux.
The Project Structure
The CentOS Project is modeled on the structure of the Apache Foundation, with a governing board that oversees various semi-autonomous Special Interest Groups or ‘SIGs’. These groups are focused on providing many enhancements, add-ons, or replacements for core Linux functionality. A few notable examples of SIGs are:
- Core – Building and releasing the core Linux platform.
- Xen4CentOS – Providing Xen4 support for version 6
- Design – Improving the user experience with high-quality artwork
CentOS is an Enterprise-class Linux Distribution derived from sources freely provided to the public by a prominent North American Enterprise Linux vendor.
This OS is developed by a small but growing team of core developers, supported by an active user community that includes system and network administrators, enterprise users, managers, core Linux contributors, and enthusiasts worldwide.
It is a community-supported, mainly free software operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It stands for Community Enterprise Operating System.
CentOS offers several advantages over other clone projects, including an active and growing user community, rapidly rebuilt and tested errata packages, an extensive mirror network, responsive developers, and multiple free support channels such as IRC chat, mailing lists, forums, and a dynamic FAQ.
Supported installation targets
An installation target is a storage device that stores CentOS and boots the system. CentOS supports the following installation targets for AMD64, Intel 64, and 64-bit ARM systems:
- Storage connected by a standard internal interface, such as SCSI, SATA, or SAS
- BIOS/firmware RAID devices
- NVDIMM devices in sector mode are supported on Intel64 and AMD64 architectures through the nd_pmem driver.
- Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters and multipath devices. Some can require vendor-provided drivers.
- Xen blocks devices on Intel processors in Xen virtual machines.
- VirtIO blocks devices on Intel processors in KVM virtual machines.
System specifications
The CentOS installation program automatically detects and installs your system’s hardware, so you should not have to supply any specific system information. However, for certain CentOS installation scenarios, it is recommended that you record system specifications for future reference.
These scenarios include:
Installing CentOS with a customized partition layout
Record: The model numbers, sizes, types, and interfaces of the hard drives attached to the system. For example, Seagate ST3320613AS 320 GB on SATA0, Western Digital WD7500AAKS 750 GB on SATA1.
Installing CentOS as an additional operating system on an existing system
Record: Partitions used on the system. This information can include file system types, device node names, file system labels, and sizes, and allows you to identify specific partitions during the partitioning process. If one of the operating systems is a Unix operating system, CentOS may report the device names differently. Additional information can be found by executing the equivalent of the mount command and the blkid command in the /etc/fstab file.
If multiple operating systems are installed, the CentOS installation program attempts to detect them automatically and configure the boot loader accordingly. If other operating systems are not detected, you can manually configure them. For more details, refer to Configuring Boot Loader in the Configuring Software Options section.
Installing CentOS from an image on a local hard drive
Record: The hard drive and directory that holds the image.
Installing OS from a network location
If the network needs to be configured manually (i.e., when DHCP is not used), follow the necessary steps to set it up.
Record:
- IP address
- Netmask
- Gateway IP address
- Server IP addresses, if required
Contact your network administrator if you need assistance with networking requirements.
Installing OS on an iSCSI target
Record: The location of the iSCSI target. Depending on your network, you may need a CHAP username and password, a reverse CHAP username and password.
Installing OS if the system is part of a domain
Ensure the DHCP server provides the domain name; if it doesn’t, manually enter the domain name during installation.
