RedHat / CentOS

Install the LinuxGuard agent on RedHat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, and CentOS Stream via the DNF/YUM repository at packages.linuxguard.io.

This guide covers repository-based installation on RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS.

Note: CentOS Stream is an upstream preview of RHEL, not a downstream stable rebuild like traditional CentOS. Installation steps are the same, but update cadence differs.

Note: Supported architectures — RedHat/CentOS packages ship for amd64 and arm64. ARMv7 packages are not published on the DNF/YUM repository. See Multi-Architecture Support for the per-architecture capability matrix.

Prerequisites

• Linux kernel 4.18+ (for eBPF support)

• Root or sudo access

• Outbound HTTPS access to packages.linuxguard.io

Note: See Prerequisites for full system requirements.

Repository Setup

The recommended installation method uses the official LinuxGuard DNF/YUM repository. This ensures you receive automatic updates and can easily manage the agent through your package manager.

Step 1: Add Repository

Create the repository configuration file:

sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/linuxguard.repo <<EOF
[linuxguard]
name=LinuxGuard Repository
baseurl=https://packages.linuxguard.io/dnf/\$releasever/\$basearch
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://packages.linuxguard.io/gpg/linuxguard.asc
EOF

Step 2: Install Agent

Update the package cache and install the agent:

sudo dnf makecache
sudo dnf install linuxguard-agent

Note: On CentOS 7 or RHEL 7, use yum instead of dnf:

sudo yum makecache
sudo yum install linuxguard-agent

Step 3: Enable and Start Service

Enable the agent service to start at boot:

sudo systemctl enable --now linuxguard-agent

Important: Unlike Debian/Ubuntu, RedHat-based distributions do not automatically start services after installation. You must explicitly enable and start the agent.

Direct Download

If repository setup is not possible, you can download and install the RPM package directly:

curl -fsSL -o linuxguard-agent.rpm \
  https://packages.linuxguard.io/dnf/pool/linuxguard-agent-latest.$(uname -m).rpm
sudo rpm -ivh linuxguard-agent.rpm

After manual installation, remember to enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now linuxguard-agent

ARM64 installation

The DNF/YUM repository at packages.linuxguard.io/dnf publishes both x86_64 and aarch64 (arm64) packages under the same repo configuration. The $basearch variable in the baseurl (see Step 1) resolves automatically to the host's architecture, so an arm64 host pulls the arm64 RPM without further configuration.

To confirm your host is arm64 before installing:

uname -m
# aarch64
rpm --eval '%_arch'
# aarch64

The arm64 RPM ships the same agent binary + compiled eBPF probe object as the amd64 RPM — arm64 is a full-eBPF architecture per the capability matrix. No degradation, no missing telemetry.

Note: ARMv7 packages are NOT published on the DNF/YUM repository. Hosts running RHEL or CentOS variants on ARMv7 are not supported via the standard package path; consult support for alternative deployment options.

Note: For containerized arm64 deployments (Kubernetes DaemonSet on an arm64 node pool, Podman on an arm64 host), the OCI multi-arch manifest selects the arm64 image automatically when pulling packages.linuxguard.io/linuxguard-agent:vX.Y.Z. See OCI multi-arch manifest for the manifest inspection and --platform pull syntax.

Verification

After installation, verify the agent is correctly installed:

Check Agent Binary

Confirm the agent binary is in your PATH:

which linuxguard-agent

Expected output:

/usr/bin/linuxguard-agent

Verify Agent User

Confirm the agent user and group were created:

id linuxguard

Expected output:

uid=999(linuxguard) gid=999(linuxguard) groups=999(linuxguard)

Note: The UID/GID numbers may vary depending on your system.

Check Service Status

Verify the agent service is installed and running:

sudo systemctl status linuxguard-agent

Expected output:

○ linuxguard-agent.service - LinuxGuard Security Agent
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/linuxguard-agent.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
     Active: inactive (dead)

The service is inactive until you complete enrollment.

Troubleshooting

Service Not Running After Install

If the service is not enabled after installation, DNF/YUM does not automatically start services. Enable and start it explicitly:

sudo systemctl enable --now linuxguard-agent

Repository Metadata Errors

If dnf install fails with repository metadata errors, refresh the cache:

sudo dnf makecache

Or verify the repository configuration:

cat /etc/yum.repos.d/linuxguard.repo

SELinux Denials

If the agent fails to start due to SELinux policy violations, check for denials:

sudo ausearch -m avc | grep linuxguard

If SELinux denials are found, you may need to create a custom policy or temporarily set SELinux to permissive mode while investigating.

Note: See the Troubleshooting Guide for additional help.

---

Next Step: Configuration →

Related: Installation Overview | Prerequisites | Troubleshooting