Managing Image Mode For RHEL With Red Hat Insights
Red Hat News, Tuesday, September 17th, 2024
Image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) uses the same tools, skills, and patterns as containerized applications to deliver an operating system (OS) that is easier to build, ship, and run.
Image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux: A quick start guide covers the concepts behind image mode and helps introduce users to foundational concepts required to package operating systems in Open Container Initiative (OCI) container images.
Many of the same concepts users know from using package mode will apply, but one of the main differences is that package operations, e.g. DNF install, update, etc., are performed during the image build process. This means remediating common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) is not done directly on a live system by running dnf update. Instead, the container build process will build a new image containing the updates and push that to a container registry. Then the image mode system will pull that image down using bootc update, and the update will apply after the next reboot. In this case, the behavior of the OS intentionally mimics how containerized applications work.