Red Hat, Inc. introduced image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, a new deployment method for Red Hat Enterprise Linux that delivers the platform as a container image. Image mode takes a container-native approach to building, deploying and managing the operating system, providing a single workflow to manage the entirety of an IT landscape, from the applications to the underlying operating system, with the same tools and techniques. For many organizations, a standard operating environment (SOE) or ?gold image?

based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux forms the foundation of their respective technology strategies. These images power the hybrid cloud from the datacenter to public clouds to the edge but often need to be customized to meet unique business and environmental needs. Being able to effectively address the rigors of hybrid cloud computing remains critical, as "Gartner noted that through 2027, 50% of enterprise workloads will reside outside of centralized public cloud locations?.

Combined with the rise of AI workloads that require greater speed and flexibility, the operating system needs to respond by becoming more adaptable, more scalable and more responsive. To answer this, Red Hat is bringing the innovations powering modern application development practices, and containers, to the heart of the operating system. Image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux builds on the success of open source projects such as bootc to create a deployment model that fits seamlessly into container-native workflows.

Image mode enables the operating system to use the same tools, skills and patterns as containerized applications, letting operations and infrastructure teams speak the same dialect as developers. Linux already sits at the core of containers, but image mode takes Linux?s role a step further by making it possible to manage the entire operating system through container-based tooling and concepts, including GitOps and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD). This streamlined approach helps address challenges in managing Linux at scale, from pushing patches to disparate locations to disconnects between operations teams and the application development cycle.

With image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux: All Red Hat Enterprise Linux users can benefit from greater simplification and portability across all of their environments that span the hybrid cloud. DevOps teams can more easily plug Red Hat Enterprise Linux into their CI/CD and GitOps workflows, easing the friction that exists between the platform and the application. Security teams can apply container security tools, from scanning and validation to cryptography and attestation to the base elements of the operating system, making their jobs far less complex.

Solution providers can more easily build, test, and distribute Red Hat Enterprise Linux-based applications. Nearly every organization is planning for a future structured around AI workloads or, at the very least, applications infused with some level of AI capabilities. Image mode for Red Hat Enterprise Linux supports the need to move more quickly when it comes to building, testing, and deploying AI applications, both through its flexible nature and its tight integration with Podman AI Lab.

Developers can readily build intelligent applications using Podman AI Lab on their laptop through a process that?s greatly simplified by AI Lab?s recipe catalog and straightforward AI playground environment. They can then use the bootc extension for Podman Desktop to readily convert to containers, bootable images or even bare-metal installers, all running on the proven, trusted and consistent backbone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Additionally, Red Hat Insights now offers additional management features in support of image mode?s immutability.

Operations teams can now view the deployment of operating system images across their infrastructure, while administrators are now able to update image mode systems directly from Red Hat Insights. In the future, image maintainers will also be able to better harden their images.