FAQ: Releases

When is the next release?

Scientific Linux is committed to a public pre-release process on the Scientific Linux Devel list. If we’ve not provided an update there, odds are we have no idea when the next release is coming out.

Remember, our release cycle is dependent on upstream. We can’t release anything before they do.

See our announcement about EL8 and Scientific Linux

Help me understand the version names/What is ‘x’ or ‘rolling’?

The numbered releases correspond to their upstream numbers and should be somewhat self explanatory.

The ‘x‘ release is a link to the latest release within that major version. The ‘7x‘ release will always be the most recent release of Scientific Linux 7. We encourage the use of the ‘x‘ trees on all systems.  For the sake of clarity, we also provide a  ‘7‘ link. These are simply links to the ‘x‘ versions we provide for users who have not read this FAQ entry.

The ‘rolling‘ release is the Scientific Linux equivalent of the upstream ‘rawhide‘. It is our public test bed. It may not work at times. When we are in a release cycle, the rolling release may be in a very heavy state of flux. Unless you are helping to test Scientific Linux, do not use this release.

How do I update to the latest release?

To upgrade from SL7.1 (or any older SL7 release) to the latest SL7, simply install yum-conf-sl7x
Starting with Scientific Linux 5.9, Scientific Linux 6.4, and Scientific Linux 7.0, the ‘x‘ repo is installed by default.

How do I update to a particular release?

Upgrades between major versions (from SL5 to SL6, or SL6 to SL7) are not supported.

On SL7 the following commands should work upgrading to any given release:
echo 7.10 > /etc/yum/vars/slreleasever
yum clean all
yum update sl-release
yum update

You can replace the 7.10 with the release you are interested in.

How do I customize Scientific Linux for my site?

See our instructions.

How do I make a local mirror of Scientific Linux?

See our instructions.