Operating System and Software Management

The following features, enhancements, and changes related to the OS and software management are introduced in this Oracle Linux 9 release.

dnf4 Can Run DNF Commands

Oracle Linux 9.7 provides the dnf4 alias for dnf. Previous releases included a dnf3 alias. In Oracle Linux 9.7, you can use either dnf or dnf4 to run DNF commands, offering users the option to specify the tool explicitly for compatibility or preference.

createrepo_c Handles Zstandard Compression

createrepo_c now handles Zstandard (zstd) compression for metadata. This enhancement optimizes repository creation and distribution, offering better compression ratios and faster decompression for Oracle Linux package management.

DNF Verification of RPMv6 Signatures

Quantum-safe cryptography ensures software integrity against future threats. In Oracle Linux 9.7, DNF uses the multisig plugin to verify RPMv6 signatures alongside standard RPMv4, supporting algorithms such as ML-DSA.

Install the plugin with dnf install python3-dnf-plugin-multisig. Verification is required for installing, upgrading, or downgrading packages in repositories with gpgcheck enabled.