openSUSE Leap 16.1 Adds Immutable Mode With Read-Only Root
The option is selected during installation, letting users pick between a standard and an immutable openSUSE Leap system.
openSUSE Leap 16.1 will introduce an immutable mode, the first release of the distribution to offer it, according to ZDNet. The mode provides a transactionally updated system built on a read-only root filesystem.
Users select the mode during installation, choosing between a standard openSUSE Leap system and an immutable one. The setting is a toggle at that stage rather than a change applied to an existing installation.
An immutable Leap release puts the distribution in the same category as Leap Micro, a specialized, lightweight, fixed-release operating system that is also immutable and aimed at containerized workloads, edge computing and virtualized environments.
The change follows earlier work on mandatory access control in the distribution. openSUSE used AppArmor for that purpose up to version 15.6, then switched to SELinux starting with version 16.0.
Quick answers
What is new in openSUSE Leap 16.1?
It adds an Immutable Mode, a transactionally updated system with a read-only root filesystem. It is the first Leap release to offer the option.
How do I enable immutable mode in openSUSE Leap 16.1?
It can be toggled during installation, where users choose between a standard and an immutable openSUSE Leap system.
Does openSUSE use SELinux or AppArmor?
openSUSE switched to SELinux for mandatory access control starting with version 16.0; it had used AppArmor up to version 15.6.