Migrating from RHEL to Rocky Linux (RLC Pro) from CIQ
Eric "the IT Guy" Hendricks walks through converting a running Red Hat Enterprise Linux server to Rocky Linux from CIQ Pro (RLC Pro) with a single script, without touching the application stack. He begins in the CIQ Portal at portal.ciq.com, where choosing Rocky Linux from CIQ, Deploy, a version such as RLC Pro 9 and manual netboot reveals the username and token the migration needs.
Before running anything, he assesses a vanilla RHEL 9.7 server: checking the release file, subscription status, yum repositories, FIPS status and running services, and flagging Red Hat specific tooling like Satellite or Insights that will not carry over. The migration itself is four commands: obtain the script from CIQ support (available as a bash script or an Ansible playbook), make it executable, run it with the -r, -u, -p and -t flags, and reboot.
Post-migration validation confirms the Rocky release file shows RLC Pro 9.7, the RLC 9 core and supplemental repositories are enabled, dnf check reports no broken dependencies, the kernel version is as expected and services are running. Administrators planning a RHEL exit get a concrete, repeatable process, with the advice to start on a dev or test system and roll out on their own timeline.
Key takeaways
- Migration credentials come from the CIQ Portal: My Products, Rocky Linux from CIQ, Deploy, then your version and manual netboot.
- Before migrating, check the release file, subscription status, yum repos, FIPS status, running services, and any Red Hat tooling like Satellite or Insights.
- The migration is four commands: get the script from CIQ support, add execute permissions, run it with your portal credentials, and reboot.
- The -r flag reinstalls all packages, -u and -p pass the portal username and token, and -t RLC Pro targets the RLC Pro repositories directly.
- Validate afterward by checking the Rocky release file, the enabled RLC 9 core and supplemental repos, dnf check, the kernel version and running services.
Questions this video answers
How do I migrate from RHEL to RLC Pro?
Get your username and token from portal.ciq.com, request the migration script (bash or Ansible playbook) from CIQ support, make it executable, and run it with the -r, -u, -p and -t RLC Pro flags. The script removes RHEL packages and branding, swaps repositories to RLC Pro, reinstalls packages from CIQ repos and updates the OS release identifiers, then you reboot.
Do I need to rebuild my servers to move from RHEL to RLC Pro?
No. Because RLC Pro is fully binary compatible with Enterprise Linux, the script converts a running RHEL system in place and your applications, deployment scripts and automation carry over unmodified. The only things that do not carry over are Red Hat specific tools such as Satellite or Insights.
About this video
Migrating from RHEL to Rocky Linux from CIQ Pro (RLC Pro) is straightforward. In this video, Eric "The IT Guy" Hendricks will show you the complete migration process using a single script: from assessing your current RHEL environment to validating your RLC Pro deployment.
What you'll learn: Pre-migration assessment checklist Running the migration script with portal authentication Post-migration validation steps
RLC Pro delivers full Enterprise Linux binary compatibility, which means your applications, deployment scripts, and automation workflows carry over without modification. No re-architecture required.
This video is part of the RLC Pro playlist. Browse every CIQ video by product and topic.
Transcript
>> Migrating from Red Hat Enterprise Linux to Rocky Linux from CIQ Pro is straightforward and convenient. Hi there, I'm Eric the IT guy Hendricks for CIQ. In the next few minutes, I'm going to show you how exactly to migrate to RLC Pro using a single script without touching your application stack. Now, before we run anything, you need credentials from the CIQ portal. >> >> Head over to portal.ciq.com and log in. If you don't have an account yet, create one now. Navigate to my products, then Rocky Linux from CIQ, then deploy. Select your version. I'm using RLC Pro 9, then choosing manual netboot. The portal shows you the installation steps with your specific username and token.
Copy those somewhere safe, you'll need those in a minute. Now, let's assess our current environment. This is a vanilla RHEL 9.7 server, two cores, 4 gigs of RAM, and nothing fancy's running. First, cat the Red Hat release file. Check subscription status. List the yum repos. Check FIPS status if that's relevant. Print a list of running services. And also check your environment for any Red Hat specific tooling like Satellite or Insights. Those won't carry over post-migration. All right, here's the migration, four commands in total. First, acquire the migration script from our support team. This comes in two flavors, a bash script or Ansible Playbook. We'll use the script for today.
Add execute permissions. Now, run the script with your portal credentials. The dash R flag reinstalls all the packages. The dash U and dash P flags are your username and the token from portal. The dash T RLC Pro flag tells it to go straight to RLC Pro repositories. The script removes rail specific packages and branding. Swaps repository configs to point at RLC Pro. Reinstalls all packaging from CIQ repos and updates the OS release identifiers all in one shot. When it finishes, go ahead and reboot. That's it. You're now on RLC Pro with CIQ's enterprise support LTS FIPS validated packages when you need them. And commercial backing from the team that actually helps build Rocky Linux.
Before we call it done, let's validate a few things. Cat the Rocky release file should show RLC Pro 9.7 or your target version. Check that CIQ repositories are enabled. You should see RLC 9 core and RLC 9 supplemental listed. Run DNF check to verify no broken dependencies. Check the kernel version. And finally confirm all of your services are running. And that's it. A running rail system converted to RLC Pro without rebuilding a single server. Start with a dev or test system to get comfortable with the process, then roll it out on your own timeline. Links to portal.ciq.com and the RLC Pro product page are in the description below.
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