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Chapter 1. Introduction of image mode for RHEL

Use image mode for RHEL to build, test, and deploy operating systems by using the same tools and techniques a application containers. Image mode for RHEL is available by using the registry.redhat.io/rhel10/rhel-bootc bootc image.

The RHEL bootc images include additional necessary components, such as, the kernel, initrd, boot loader, and firmware to boot that you can traditionally excluded from the existing application Universal Base Images (UBI).

Note

The rhel-bootc and user-created containers based on rhel-bootc container image are subject to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux user license agreement (EULA). You are not allowed to publicly redistribute these images.

1.1. Overview of image mode for RHEL
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RHEL Image mode is a deployment method that uses container technology to manage the operating system as an Open Container Initiative (OCI) container image.

Red Hat provides bootc image for the following computer architectures:

  • AMD and Intel 64-bit architectures (x86-64-v2)
  • The 64-bit ARM architecture (ARMv8.0-A)
  • IBM Power Systems 64-bit Little Endian architecture (ppc64le)
  • IBM Z 64-bit architecture (s390x)
Warning

Anaconda cannot work correctly on s390x and ppc64le architectures. For more information, see the Release Notes.

The benefits of image mode for RHEL occur across the lifecycle of a system. The following list contains some of the most important advantages:

Container images are easier to understand and use than other image formats and are fast to build
The Containerfile provide a straightforward approach to defining the content and build instructions for an image. Container images are often significantly faster to build and iterate on compared to other image creation tools.
Consolidate process, infrastructure, and release artifacts
As you distribute applications as containers, you can use the same infrastructure and processes to manage the underlying operating system.
Immutable updates
Just as containerized applications are updated in an immutable way, with image mode for RHEL, the operating system is also. You can boot into updates and roll back when needed in the same way that you use rpm-ostree systems.
Portability across hybrid cloud environments

You can use bootc images across physical, virtual, cloud, and edge environments. Although the containers build, transport, and run images, the system does not run as a container after you deploy or convert these bootc images to a disk image.

  • Bootc supports the following container image formats and disk image formats:
Expand
Table 1.1. bootc supported image types
Image typeTarget environment

OCI container format

Physical, virtual, cloud, and edge environments.

ami

Amazon Machine Image.

qcow2 (default)

QEMU (targeted for environments such as Red Hat OpenStack, Red Hat OpenStack services for OpenShift, and OpenShift Virtualization), Libvirt (RHEL).

vmdk

VMDK for vSphere.

anaconda-iso

An unattended Anaconda installer that installs to the first disk found.

raw

Unformatted raw disk. Also supported in QEMU and Libvirt

vhd

VHD for Virtual PC, among others.

gce

Google Compute Engine (GCE) environment.

Containers help streamline the lifecycle of a RHEL system by offering the following possibilities:

Building container images
You can configure your operating system at a build time by modifying the Containerfile. Image mode for RHEL is available by using the registry.redhat.io/rhel10/rhel-bootc container image.

You can use Podman, OpenShift Container Platform, or other standard container build tools to manage your containers and container images. You can automate the build process by using CI/CD pipelines.

Versioning, mirroring, and testing container images
You can version, mirror, introspect, and sign your derived bootc image by using any container tools such as Podman or OpenShift Container Platform.
Deploying container images to the target environment

You have several options on how to deploy your image:

  • Anaconda: is the installation program used by RHEL. You can deploy all image types to the target environment by using Anaconda and Kickstart to automate the installation process.
  • bootc-image-builder: is a containerized tool that converts the container image to different types of disk images, and optionally uploads them to an image registry or object storage.
  • bootc: is a tool responsible for fetching container images from a container registry and installing them to a system, updating the operating system, or switching from an existing ostree-based system. The RHEL bootc image contains the bootc utility by default and works with all image types. It is intended to supersede rpm-ostree.
Updating your operating system
The system supports in-place transactional updates with rollback after deployment. Automatic updates are on by default. A systemd service unit and systemd timer unit files check the container registry for updates and apply them to the system. As the updates are transactional, a reboot is required. For environments that require more sophisticated or scheduled rollouts, disable auto updates and use the bootc utility to update your operating system.

1.2. Deployment modes for image mode in RHEL
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Image mode for RHEL enables container-native management of the operating system by using OCI-compliant container images (bootc) for deployment, building, and updates.

RHEL has two deployment modes. Both provide the same stability, reliability, and performance during deployment. See their differences:

  1. Package Mode: the operating system uses RPM packages and is updated by using the dnf package manager. The root filesystem is mutable. However, the operating system cannot be managed as a containerized application.
  2. Image Mode: A container-native approach to build, deploy, and manage RHEL. The same RPM packages are delivered as a base image, and updates are deployed as a container image. The root filesystem is immutable by default, except for /etc and /var, with most content coming from the container image.

You can choose to use either the Image Mode or the Package Mode deployment to build, test, and share your operating system. Image Mode additionally supports managing your operating system in the same way as any other containerized application.

Additional resources

For a local environment using image mode for RHEL, both Red Hat Quay and Red Hat Satellite serve as local container registries to store, mirror, and distribute bootable container images (bootc).

You can create a local container registry by using one of the following methods:

  • Standalone Red Hat Quay: This method installs Red Hat Quay in a standalone environment or within a Red Hat OpenShift environment. For advanced features such as vulnerability scanning and geo-replication, Red Hat Quay can be deployed on-premise as a dedicated registry for bootable containers.

  • Red Hat Satellite: Satellite provides a native path for managing image-based clients. It can mirror the base rhel10/rhel-bootc image from the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog and publish derived images through Content Views.

    • You can build a local container registry for Image mode by using Red Hat Satellite 6.17 and later. For more details, see Managing container images.
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