Rocky Linux 9.4

Rocky Linux—often referred to as Rocky OS—is a free and open-source Linux distribution that maintains binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It was created by the open-source community as a long-term replacement for CentOS after Red Hat announced its transition to CentOS Stream in 2020.

The ESN904 SmartNIC supports Rocky Linux 9.4 installation, providing a stable and enterprise-ready platform that mirrors RHEL functionality without requiring subscription-based licensing.

Installation Steps

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

  • A bootable USB drive (minimum 16 GB capacity).

  • Access to the ESN904 SmartNIC via either serial console or BMC iKVM.

  • The Rocky Linux 9.4 DVD ISO downloaded from the official repository.

1

Download Rocky 9.4 Default Images DVD ISO version from Rocky Website.

2

Use an application like “Rufus” write that ISO image to an 16GB or larger USB Flash.

3

Insert USB into ESN904 and power on.

4

Login to BMC OS and input command to switch to CPU OS. obmc-console-client -e “~.”

5

When go to grub menu press “E” to change some grub setting temporary like below.

8250.nr_uarts=4 console=tty0 console=ttyS0,115200n8

6

Start installation and set some user configuration.

7

When user configuration setting complete, press “b” then press “Enter” to start installation.

8

After installation complete, press “Enter” to boot.

9

We will see grub menu again, then press “E” to edit grub setting temporary like below.

8250.nr_uarts=4 console=tty0

10

When boot in to kernel successfully, login and use grubby to change grub settings permanently.

grubby --args 8250.nr_uarts=4

11

Reboot OS we can see settings with command below.

cat /proc/cmdline

Last updated