GreenGeeks July 2022 VPS Platform Update

The GreenGeeks team is pleased to announce that we’ve begun deploying AlmaLinux 8 on our Managed VPS platform.

How does this affect my existing VPS?

Existing VPS plans will not be affected by this change. Only newly deployed containers will utilize AlmaLinux 8.

All existing CentOS 7 containers will reach End of Life on June 30, 2024, after which they will receive no further security updates.

What’s the difference between AlmaLinux and CentOS?

AlmaLinux is a variant of Red Hat Linux maintained by the CloudLinux team as a replacement for CentOS 8.

The CloudLinux team created AlmaLinux when the release model for CentOS 8 unexpectedly changed to a rolling release, and the CentOS team announced they would no longer be maintaining CentOS 8.

The released AlmaLinux distribution has minimal differences from CentOS and fully supports cPanel.

What improvements can I expect with AlmaLinux?

• Newer Linux Kernel version
• Updated application package versions
• Improved networking stack
• Overhaul of the package management system (yum vs dnf)

What PHP Versions are available with AlmaLinux?

AlmaLinux provides the following PHP versions:

• PHP 7.2
• PHP 7.3
• PHP 7.4
• PHP 8.0
• PHP 8.1

Versions below PHP 7.2 are NOT available on AlmaLinux 8-based VPS; these PHP versions are still available on CentOS 7.

How do I upgrade to AlmaLinux on my existing CentOS VPS?

Unfortunately, an in-place upgrade is not possible on your CentOS 7 VPS. Existing CentOS 7 containers will continue to receive security updates until June 30, 2024.

If you wish to upgrade to AlmaLinux, purchase a new VPS and submit a Migration Request within your GreenGeeks Dashboard. The GreenGeeks Support Team will copy over your existing cPanel accounts and any related settings free of charge.