Alibaba Cloud Linux(Aliyun Linux) release 2.1903？

Alibaba Cloud Linux (also known as Aliyun Linux) release 2.1903 is a Linux distribution developed and maintained by Alibaba Cloud, specifically optimized for use in cloud environments, particularly on Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances.

Here are the key details about Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 (Aliyun Linux 2) release 2.1903:

🔹 Overview

• Name: Alibaba Cloud Linux 2
• Release Version: 2.1903 (released in March 2019)
• Base: Binary-compatible with CentOS/RHEL 7, but customized and optimized by Alibaba
• Target: High-performance, stability, and security in cloud infrastructure

🔹 Key Features

1. Performance Optimization

   • Kernel tuned for cloud workloads (I/O, networking, CPU scheduling)
   • Enhanced virtualization support (optimized for KVM/Xen)
   • Lower latency and higher throughput in network and storage I/O

2. Security Enhancements

   • Regular security patches from Alibaba Cloud
   • SELinux enabled by default
   • Hardened kernel and system configurations

3. Kernel Version

   • Typically ships with a customized kernel based on kernel-3.10.0, but with Alibaba-specific patches and improvements
   • Example: 3.10.0-957.ali1328.al7.x86_64 or similar (version may vary slightly)

4. YUM Repositories

   • Uses Alibaba Cloud’s internal mirrors for fast updates and package installation
   • Preconfigured to use Alibaba Cloud’s yum repositories (faster download speeds in China)

5. LTS (Long-Term Support)

   • Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 receives long-term support (up to 5 years)
   • Regular updates and patches provided by Alibaba

6. Free to Use

   • No additional licensing cost when used on Alibaba Cloud ECS instances

🔹 Use Cases

• Ideal for running enterprise applications, web servers, databases, and containerized workloads on Alibaba Cloud
• Best performance when used within Alibaba Cloud’s infrastructure due to kernel and driver optimizations

🔹 Compatibility

• Application Compatibility: Fully compatible with software running on RHEL 7/CentOS 7
• Docker & Kubernetes: Well-suited for container environments
• Certified for many ISV applications on Alibaba Cloud Marketplace

🔹 How to Check Your System

If you’re running this OS, you can verify it with:

cat /etc/os-release

Expected output includes:

NAME="Alibaba Cloud Linux"
VERSION="2.1903 LTS (Paladin)"
ID="alinux"
VERSION_ID="2.1903"
PRETTY_NAME="Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903 LTS (Paladin)"

And check kernel:

uname -r

Example output:

3.10.0-957.ali1328.al7.x86_64

🔹 Note on Naming

• "1903" means the release was finalized in March 2019
• Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 has since received newer point releases (e.g., 2.1903, 2.1911, 2.2104, etc.)

🔹 Alibaba Cloud Linux 3

As of recent years, Alibaba has released Alibaba Cloud Linux 3, which is based on RHEL/CentOS 8 compatibility, offering better performance, newer kernel (e.g., 5.10), and support for modern workloads.

✅ Summary

Alibaba Cloud Linux 2.1903 is a stable, secure, and high-performance OS tailored for Alibaba Cloud environments. It provides CentOS 7-level compatibility with added optimizations and is ideal for users seeking reliability and performance in the cloud.

🔗 Official Resources

• Alibaba Cloud Linux Official Page
• Documentation: Alibaba Cloud Linux 2 User Guide

Let me know if you want to upgrade from 2.1903 to a newer version or compare it with other OS images on Alibaba Cloud.