For government, finance, and healthcare sectors, Oracle Linux 8.5 is a strong candidate because:
Oracle splits software into different channels. To enable EPEL-like packages:
sudo dnf install oraclelinux-developer-release-el8
sudo dnf install oraclelinux-addons-release-el8
Once you have the ISO file, you need to make it bootable. oracle linux 8.5 iso
Unlike RHEL, Oracle Linux can get updates without a paid subscription.
cd /etc/yum.repos.d
curl -O https://yum.oracle.com/public-yum-ol8.repo
Oracle Linux 8.5 comes with firewalld running and SELinux in enforcing mode. Once you have the ISO file, you need to make it bootable
While 8.5 is a fantastic release, note the lifecycle:
To upgrade from your 8.5 ISO installation to the latest 8.10: cd /etc/yum
sudo dnf upgrade --releasever=8.10
sudo reboot
Oracle Linux 8.5 boots the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) by default. To verify:
uname -r
If you see 5.4.17-...el8uek..., you are on UEK. To switch to the Red Hat Compatible Kernel:
sudo dnf install kernel-uek-container # or kernel for RHCK
sudo reboot