Using rhel7 and ubi7 container images with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 ELS repositories

Solution Verified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and later
  • Red Hat-provided Docker or Podman container engine
  • Red Hat Container Registry rhel7 or ubi7 container images

Issue

  • As an Extended Lifecycle Support (ELS) customer, how do I consume ELS content in a rhel7 or ubi7 based container image?
  • The rhel7 and ubi7 container images have not been updated with ELS package updates. How do I get these ELS updates?

Resolution

To access/enable the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 ELS repository the following command can be run in a rhel7 or ubi7 based container:

yum-config-manager --enable rhel-7-server-els-rpms

This will permanently enable the ELS repository in the container.

To use the ELS repository while building a custom image on top of, for example, a rhel7 image, the above command should be incorporated into your Dockerfile/Containerfile. For example:

FROM registry.access.redhat.com/rhel7
RUN yum-config-manager --enable rhel-7-server-els-rpms
RUN yum update -y && rm -rf /var/cache/yum
RUN yum install -y httpd && rm -rf /var/cache/yum
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["-D", "FOREGROUND"]
ENTRYPOINT ["/usr/sbin/httpd"]

Root Cause

On June 30th, 2024, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 transitioned from Maintenance Life Cycle 2 phase to Extended Life phase. Software maintenance, new bug fixes and security errata will no longer be provided for the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 product family. This includes all RHEL7-based and UBI7-based container images, such as rhel7/rhel, ubi7, ubi7/python-38, etc. The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Extended Lifecycle Support add-on subscription provides Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 customers with access to limited software updates, and, if desired, these updates should be applied to all rhel7-based and ubi7-based container images in use. For a more complete list of affected container images please see the container component list for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and Red Hat Universal Base Image 7 on the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog.

Please also note that ELS support for RHEL 7 requires the use of the last minor release, RHEL 7.9:

Please see the following FAQ for more information about the Extended Life Phase and the Extended Lifecycle Support add-on subscription:

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