Oracle Announces Oracle Autonomous Linux

At its Code One 2019 conference, Oracle announced Oracle Autonomous Linux, an operating system that deploys patches, updates, and configurations without human intervention and without any downtime.

Oracle Autonomous Linux is based on preconfigured Oracle Linux images and the goal is to make manual OS management a thing of the past. Among other things, the software automatically receives security updates for the Linux kernel and user space libraries without rebooting. For the kernel updates without downtime, Oracle uses its KSplice technique.

Diagnostics and the configuration and optimization of the OS should also be automatic. Oracle claims to rigorously test patches based on received diagnostic data prior to distribution to prevent an update from de-compatibility of applications.

Among other things, Red Hat applications must be able to run unchanged on Oracle Autonomous Linux. The OS, in conjunction with Oracle Premier Support, is free for customers purchasing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services.