CentOS 7.5

Azure Operating Systems

CentOS Linux 7.5.1804, pinned to that exact point release, for version locked legacy workloads

Base
Hardened build
minimal ports, security patches applied at build time
Access
Unique credentials
generated on first boot, readable only by root
Verified
Boots working
services pass a health gate before release
Support
24/7, 365 days
by email and live chat, 24 hour response SLA

Overview

CentOS Linux is a free, open source community rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, binary compatible with RHEL. This image is CentOS Linux 7.5.1804, the point release published in May 2018, and it stays on that point release: the package repositories are pinned to the frozen 7.5.1804 vault, so a routine update applies the errata issued for 7.5 and does not roll the machine forward to 7.6 or later.

That matters when an application, a driver, a kernel module or a vendor support statement is certified against one specific CentOS 7 point release rather than the series as a whole. The root filesystem is a standard single partition xfs volume, the same layout as the CentOS 7 image.

CentOS Linux 7 reached end of life on 30 June 2024 and receives no further upstream security updates, and 7.5.1804 was itself superseded upstream by 7.6, 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9. This image is patched to the last packages that exist for 7.5.1804 and is provided for legacy migration and version pinned workloads. Plan a migration to a supported distribution for anything that must stay secure.

Why the cloudimg image

The cloudimg image is a hardened CentOS Linux 7.5.1804 base with every package that exists for that point release applied at build time, and no baked in credentials: access is by the SSH key you choose at launch, and the machine identity and SSH host keys are regenerated uniquely on every instance, so no two machines share a secret. Its repositories are already repointed to the 7.5.1804 vault, so package management keeps working after the original mirrors were retired and the point release pin holds. SELinux stays in enforcing mode, root password login is disabled and the only port the image opens is SSH. A paired deployment guide tested against the exact image is included, and every instance is backed by 24/7 cloudimg support while you migrate.

Common uses

  • Running software certified against CentOS 7.5 specifically, rather than the CentOS 7 series
  • Reproducing a legacy environment at the exact point release it was built and signed off on
  • Lift and shift of a version pinned CentOS 7.5 estate into Azure as a migration step