Deployment guide

Oracle Linux 9

Overview

Oracle Linux 9 is the latest major release of Oracle's enterprise Linux distribution. It offers modern kernel features, enhanced security and improved performance for cloud workloads. This guide covers deploying and configuring Oracle Enterprise Linux 9 on AWS from the SecureAnyCloud AMI on AWS Marketplace.

What you get:

Available versions: Oracle Linux 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6 and 9.7, each as a separate AMI on AWS Marketplace
Oracle Enterprise Linux 9 with the latest security patches
AWS CLI 2.7.7 for AWS service management
AWS CloudWatch Agent 1.247352.0b251908 for monitoring and log collection
AWS Systems Manager Agent 3.1.1476.0 for remote management
Cloud Init 22.1 for instance initialization
An OS package update script that keeps the system current
24/7 SecureAnyCloud support with guaranteed 24 hour response SLA

Prerequisites

Before you launch the AMI, make sure you have:

An active AWS account
An active subscription to your chosen Oracle Linux 9 version on AWS Marketplace
An EC2 key pair for SSH access
Familiarity with EC2 instance management and SSH

Recommended instance type: t3.small (2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM) or larger. The minimum requirements are 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 20 GB of disk space.

Launch the AMI

Go to AWS Marketplace and search for "Oracle Linux 9 SecureAnyCloud".
Select the minor version you need (9.0 through 9.7).
Click Continue to Subscribe, accept the terms, then click Continue to Configuration.
Select your preferred Region and Software Version.
Click Continue to Launch.
Choose Launch through EC2 for full control over the instance configuration.
Select your instance type (t3.small recommended).
Configure storage: 20 GB gp3 minimum.
Configure your Security Group with this inbound rule:
- 22 (TCP), source your IP: SSH access
Select your EC2 key pair and launch the instance.

Connect via SSH

When your instance is running and has passed both status checks (2/2), connect over SSH:

ssh -i your-key.pem ec2-user@<public-ip-address>

To switch to the root user, run:

sudo su -

Verify the System

Check the OS version:

cat /etc/oracle-release

Check the kernel version:

uname -r

Using AWS CLI

The AWS CLI comes preinstalled. Check the version:

aws --version

Configure credentials with aws configure or attach an IAM role to the instance.

Configuring CloudWatch Agent

Run the configuration wizard as root:

/opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/bin/amazon-cloudwatch-agent-config-wizard

Start the agent:

/opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/bin/amazon-cloudwatch-agent-ctl -a fetch-config -m ec2 -s -c file:/opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/bin/config.json

Check the status:

/opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/bin/amazon-cloudwatch-agent-ctl -m ec2 -a status

Using Systems Manager

Check SSM Agent status:

systemctl status amazon-ssm-agent

Make sure the instance has an IAM role with the AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy.

Configuring Cloud Init

To change the Cloud Init configuration, edit this file:

vi /etc/cloud/cloud.cfg

Server Components

The image includes these components:

AWS CLI 2.7.7: /usr/local/aws-cli
AWS CloudWatch Agent 1.247352.0b251908: /opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent
AWS Systems Manager Agent 3.1.1476.0: /usr/bin/amazon-ssm-agent
Cloud Init 22.1: /etc/cloud

Filesystem Layout

The image uses these mount points:

/ (38 GB): root filesystem (NVMe)
/boot (2 GB): operating system kernel files

Note: Oracle Linux 9 uses NVMe storage devices on supported instance types.

Scripts and Log Files

Scripts and logs, with their locations:

initial_boot_update.sh (/stage/scripts): updates the OS with the latest packages on first boot
initial_boot_update.log (/stage/scripts): output log for the boot update script

On Startup

An OS package update script runs on first boot. To disable it, run:

rm -f /stage/scripts/initial_boot_update.sh crontab -e
# Delete the @reboot line, save and exit

Common Administration Tasks

Update all packages:

dnf update -y

Install a package:

dnf install -y package-name

Search for packages:

dnf search keyword

Manage services:

systemctl start service-name
systemctl stop service-name
systemctl enable service-name
systemctl status service-name

View system logs:

journalctl -f

Check listening ports:

ss -tlnp

Oracle Linux Specific Features

Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)

Oracle Linux includes the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK), Oracle's own optimized kernel for enterprise workloads. UEK 7 is the default kernel on Oracle Linux 9. Compared with the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK), it provides enhanced performance, advanced diagnostics and improved hardware support.

Verify which kernel is running:

uname -r

If the output contains uek, you are running the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel. If it contains el9, you are running the RHCK.

To switch between kernels:

# List installed kernels grubby --info=ALL | grep title
# Set the default kernel (example for RHCK)
sudo grubby --set-default /boot/vmlinuz-<rhck-version>
# Reboot to apply
sudo reboot

UEK 7 highlights:

Based on Linux 5.15 LTS with Oracle enhancements
Optimized for Oracle Database and middleware workloads
DTrace tracing framework for advanced diagnostics
Enhanced Btrfs filesystem support
Improved NVMe, RDMA and network driver performance
Virtio and cloud platform optimizations

Ksplice zero-downtime patching

Oracle Linux includes Ksplice, a technology that applies critical kernel security patches without a reboot. This suits production database servers, where uptime is critical.

Check the Ksplice status:

sudo ksplice kernel show

Apply available patches without a reboot:

sudo ksplice kernel upgrade

Note: Ksplice requires an Oracle Linux Premier Support subscription for full functionality. The AMI includes the Ksplice tools preinstalled.

Oracle Database compatibility

Oracle Linux 9 is Oracle's recommended operating system for the latest Oracle Database deployments, including 19c, 21c, 23ai and 26ai. Key advantages:

Prevalidated and certified for all current Oracle Database versions
Required Oracle prerequisite packages available through oracle-database-preinstall RPMs
Automatic Storage Management (ASM) kernel driver support through UEK
Optimized huge pages and shared memory configuration for database workloads

Install the Oracle Database prerequisites:

sudo dnf install -y oracle-database-preinstall-23ai

This command configures the kernel parameters, user accounts and resource limits that Oracle Database installation requires.

Troubleshooting

You cannot connect over SSH

Verify that the instance has passed 2/2 status checks.
Check that your security group allows port 22 from your IP.
Make sure you are using the correct key pair and username (ec2-user).

dnf update fails

Verify internet access (public subnet or NAT gateway).
Check DNS resolution: nslookup yum.oracle.com
Check disk space: df -h

The CloudWatch Agent is not working

Verify the agent status with the amazon-cloudwatch-agent-ctl command.
Check that the IAM role has CloudWatchAgentServerPolicy.
Review the logs: tail -f /opt/aws/amazon-cloudwatch-agent/logs/amazon-cloudwatch-agent.log

Security Recommendations

Restrict SSH access. Allow port 22 only from trusted IP addresses.
Use IAM roles for AWS API access instead of access keys.
Keep the system updated. Run dnf update regularly.
Enable SELinux. Verify it with getenforce.
Configure firewalld for host-level security.
Monitor with CloudWatch for CPU, memory and disk alerts.
Use SSM Session Manager for secure, auditable remote access.
Harden the SSH configuration. Disable password authentication and use key-based authentication only.

Support

If you have any issues with this product, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
Website: secureanycloud.com
Support hours: 24/7 with guaranteed 24 hour response SLA

Deploy on AWS

Launch Oracle Linux 9 with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

View on Marketplace

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com

Deploy on AWS

Launch Oracle Linux 9 with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

View on Marketplace

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com

Videos

Overview: Oracle Linux 9 on Azure: overview (watch on YouTube)

Launch and log in: Oracle Linux 9 on Azure: launch and log in (watch on YouTube)

Overview

Oracle Linux 9 on Azure is a preconfigured virtual machine image from the Azure Marketplace. This guide covers deploying and configuring Oracle Enterprise Linux 9 on Microsoft Azure from the SecureAnyCloud image.

What you get:

Oracle Enterprise Linux 9.7 with Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) 6.12
LVM partitioning for flexible disk management
Azure Linux Agent (waagent) for cloud integration
Chronyd for NTP time synchronization
SELinux in enforcing mode
Gen2 Hyper-V virtual machine support
24/7 SecureAnyCloud support
Platform: Microsoft Azure (Gen2 Hyper-V)
Default user: azureuser

Prerequisites

Before you deploy the image, make sure you have:

An active Microsoft Azure subscription
Access to the Azure Portal or Azure CLI
An SSH key pair for Linux VM access
Familiarity with Azure VM management

Recommended VM size: Standard_B2s (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger.

Deploy the Virtual Machine

Option A: Azure Portal

Go to Azure Marketplace and search for "Oracle Linux 9 on Azure SecureAnyCloud".
Select the image and click Create.
Configure the basics:
- Subscription: select your Azure subscription.
- Resource Group: create a new one or select an existing one.
- Virtual Machine Name: enter a name for your VM.
- Region: select your preferred Azure region.
- Size: Standard_B2s recommended.
Under Administrator Account, select SSH public key and enter your key.
Under Inbound Port Rules, allow SSH (port 22).
Click Review + Create, then click Create.

Option B: Azure CLI

az vm image terms accept --urn sac1647283583153:oracle-linux-9:default:latest
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name my-oracle-linux-9-azure-vm \
  --image sac1647283583153:oracle-linux-9:default:latest \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-sku Standard

Connect via SSH

When your VM is running, connect over SSH:

ssh azureuser@<public-ip-address>

To find your VM's public IP, run:

az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroup --name my-oracle-linux-9-azure-vm --show-details --query publicIps -o tsv

Verify the Installation

After you connect, verify the operating system:

cat /etc/os-release uname -r

Check disk space and memory:

df -h free -h

Verify the Azure Linux Agent is running:

systemctl status waagent

Update the System

Apply the latest security patches to keep your system up to date:

sudo dnf update -y

Configure the firewall (optional)

The Azure Network Security Group (NSG) controls inbound and outbound traffic. You can also configure the local firewall. List the current rules:

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

To allow more ports, run:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=80/tcp sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=443/tcp sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Common Use Cases

Oracle Database hosting (19c, 21c, 23ai, 26ai)
Oracle WebLogic application server
Enterprise Java application deployments
Cloud-native and containerized workloads

Troubleshooting

You cannot connect over SSH

Verify that the VM is in the Running state in the Azure Portal.
Check that the Network Security Group allows port 22.
Make sure you are using the correct username: azureuser
Verify that your SSH key matches the one you configured during deployment.

The Azure agent is not running

Start and enable the agent:

sudo systemctl start waagent
sudo systemctl enable waagent

Package manager issues

Run the update again:

sudo dnf update -y

If the repositories are unreachable, check DNS resolution:

nslookup google.com

Support

For help with this image, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

Website: secureanycloud.com
Product catalog: secureanycloud.com/products
User guides: secureanycloud.com/guides
SLA: 24 hour response guaranteed

Deploy on Azure

Launch Oracle Linux 9 on Azure with 24/7 support from SecureAnyCloud.

View this image

Need Help?

Our support team is available 24/7.

sales@secureanycloud.com

Deploy on Azure