25th of June, 2024
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Lubos Kocman
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CC-BY-SA-3.0
A fresh major version of Leap Mini has just been launched! You can find Leap Mini 6.0 images on get.opensuse.org.
Leap Mini 6.0 features a new codebase, introduces numerous new appliances, and includes images for public cloud services for the first time.
About Leap Mini
Leap Mini 6.0 is a rebranded iteration of SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro 6.0, designed by SUSE to serve as an extremely reliable host for containers and virtual machines. Leap Mini is released biannually and is supported across two releases.
Leap Mini 5.4 Reaches End of Life
With the launch of Leap Mini 6.0, Leap Mini 5.4 has reached its End of Life. Users will no longer receive maintenance updates for version 5.4 and are urged to upgrade promptly.
Users preferring a more conservative approach can opt to remain on Leap Mini 5.5, which will continue to receive updates until the arrival of Leap Mini 6.1.
Understanding Image Variants
All Leap and SLE Mini versions typically come in two variants: Base and Default.
While both Base and Default variants contain a container stack, only the Default variant features the Virtual Machine stack.
If you do not plan to utilize VMs and are concerned about space usage, the Base variant might be suitable for your needs.
All the images available at get.opensuse.org are Default variants (VMs + containers) as they are deemed suitable for the majority of users.
All appliances, including Base variants (without virtualization stack), can be directly downloaded from https://download.opensuse.org/distribution/leap-mini/6.0/appliances/
Explaining Individual Appliances
A recommended option for all users is the self-install image, which is a bootable image featuring a quick wizard that writes the preconfigured image to your drive and expands the root partition. The entire process takes approximately 5 minutes from boot to completion.
The preconfigured image is a raw bootable image that can be manually written or imaged using a tool like dd to the disk or SD card. These images can be configured using Ignition/Combustion or will default to the jeos-firstboot wizard.
We offer a Real-time image with kernel-rt, a qcow image for KVM, a VMWare image, and a new raw image with Full Disk Encryption.
Users interested in trying the FDE image in a VM should ensure they are using an emulated TPM-2 chip and UEFI, which can be easily configured with virt-manager.
SLE Mini 6.0 has replaced the traditional installer with self-install media, so Leap Mini 6.0 follows suit.
The new Packages image is not bootable media; it is solely an image with an offline repository should the need arise.
Leap Mini 6.0 now offers Public Cloud Images for the first time.
Images will soon be accessible with all major public cloud service providers.
Upgrading from Version 5.X
It is recommended to perform a clean installation since this is a new major release.
For users interested in migration, please refer to the upgrade guide.
Release Notes
Users can consult the SLE Mini 6.0 Release notes for detailed information.
Leap Mini 6.0 utilizes openSUSE-repos for repository management. It is crucial to pay close attention to this aspect, especially during migration. An article explaining how openSUSE repos function can be found here.
Leap Mini 6.0 no longer has a dedicated SLE update repository. This functionality has been integrated into the main repository.
