AlmaLinux has officially declared its support for Raspberry Pi 5, catering to the needs of enthusiasts and professionals who value the reliable AlmaLinux OS in conjunction with the adaptability of Raspberry Pi devices.

“The AlmaLinux community has been eagerly anticipating Raspberry Pi 5 support, and today we are thrilled to share this exciting news. AlmaLinux now fully supports Raspberry Pi 5!”

The collaboration was initiated when Koichiro Iwao, a Cybertrust Japan engineer with a strong interest in Raspberry Pi, joined forces with the AlmaLinux community. Hailing from Japan’s vibrant Raspberry Pi ecosystem, his aim was to enrich the utility of AlmaLinux for these popular microcomputers.

While AlmaLinux previously provided Raspberry Pi images, the launch of Raspberry Pi 5 in October 2023, renowned for its significant hardware enhancements, led to a surge in demand for compatible AlmaLinux versions.

The process of adapting AlmaLinux for Raspberry Pi 5 was a substantial undertaking. Initially, the project involved comprehending the unique boot mechanism of Raspberry Pi, which relies on a specialized iteration of the Linux kernel.

“I dived into the intricacies of the Raspberry Pi boot process to create a kernel package tailored for AlmaLinux. It was a challenging yet enlightening journey that entailed aligning our kernel with the Raspberry Pi OS sources.”

Koichiro Iwao

The breakthrough occurred when the team successfully restructured the AlmaLinux kernel to align with the updated Raspberry Pi OS sources, resulting in a functional and dependable kernel for Pi 5.

AlmaLinux is now accessible for Raspberry Pi 5, offering choices for both standard and GNOME desktop environment images. Those interested can directly download these from the AlmaLinux website, which presents a comprehensive installation guide.

For further details, please refer to the official announcement.

Source: AlmaLinux Raspberry Pi 5 Support