Clear Linux OS

Last updated
Clear Linux OS
Clear Linux logo.svg
Clear Linux GNOME switcher 10-24-37.png
Clear Linux OS's default GNOME desktop (2021)
Developer Intel
OS family Linux (Unix-like)
Working stateDiscontinued
Source model Open source
Initial release6 February 2015;10 years ago (2015-02-06) [1] [2] [3]
Repository
Marketing targetDevOps, AI, Cloud, Container [4]
Available inEnglish, Spanish, Chinese
Update methodRolling release, [1]
auto-updating [5]
[6] [4] [7]
Package manager swupd
Supported platforms x86-64
Kernel type Monolithic kernel (Linux)
Default
user interface
License Multiple [12]
Official website clearlinux.org

Clear Linux OS [a] is a discontinued Linux distribution, once developed and maintained on Intel's 01.org open-source platform, and optimized for Intel's microprocessors with an emphasis on performance and security. [14] [15] Its optimizations were also effective on AMD systems. [16] Clear Linux OS followed a rolling release model. Clear Linux OS was not intended to be a general-purpose Linux distribution; it was designed to be used by IT professionals for DevOps, AI application development, cloud computing, and containers. [17]

Contents

History

In 2015, Intel introduced Clear Linux OS at OpenStack Summit 2015, Vancouver [18] initially, it was limited to cloud usage. [19] [20] Intel began the Clear Containers project to address container security. [21] [22] [23] In 2015, originally, Clear Linux OS was deployed as a single monolithic unit. [24] In May 2019, Clear Linux OS released a new Desktop Installer and started a Help Forum. [25] [26]

On July 18, 2025, Intel announced the end of support Clear Linux OS, effective immediately. [27] [28] [29]

Clear Linux OS is available via Microsoft Azure marketplace, [30] [31] and Amazon Web Services marketplace. [32]

Requirements

Clear Linux OS supports 2nd generation Intel Core (Sandy Bridge) CPUs and later, Xeon E3 and later, and Silvermont-based Intel Atom C2000 and E3800 processors. [33] [34] [30] An installed system is booted via the EFI boot loader or via systemd-boot. [26] Minimum system requirements are SSE4 and CLMUL (carry-less multiplication), as well as UEFI. [26]

Features

Clear Linux OS uses reference stacks to install images that are optimized and tested together for specific use-cases. [35] It also utilizes a strict separation between User data and System config files, called stateless, so that even a misconfigured system will still boot correctly and then perform a factory reset so it can be reconfigured.

Desktop

By default, Clear Linux OS ships with the GNOME desktop environment [4] and most graphical effects are disabled. KDE Plasma and Xfce are also available for installation.

Package management

Packages are usually installed and updated through bundles with the help of swupd, [36] which is described as an OS-level software update program, using delta updates to minimize update size. Flatpak is also preinstalled and can be used to install and use packages.

Mixer is the tool for creating 3rd-party-bundles, which can then be installed using swupd. [37]

Notes

  1. ↑ Clear Linux was referred to in early documentation as Clear Linux™ OS, later as Clear Linux* OS with a corresponding footnote acknowledging that the rights to "Linux" may be possessed by others. [2] [3] Clear Linux OS has been referred to, in the literature, as Clear Linux™ OS, Clear Linux* OS, Clear Linux OS, Clear Linux* and Clear Linux. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Index of /releases/". Clear Linux Project. Archived from the original on 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  2. 1 2 "Clear Linux* Project for Intel Architecture". 01.org. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Home". Clear Linux Project. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "What is Clear Linux OS?". Clear Linux* Project Docs. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28.
  5. ↑ more frequently than weekly
  6. ↑ "Clear Linux Highlights #5". Clear Linux* Project: Blogs & News. 2016-11-28. Archived from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  7. ↑ Hruska, Joel (May 15, 2019). "Intel Unveils Clear Linux OS Update at Open Source Summit". ExtremeTech . Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Clear Linux: the Linux distribution developed by Intel". Linux Adictos. 2018-09-08. Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Clarity in the Desktop". Clear Linux* Project. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "xfce4-desktop-bundle". clearlinux.org. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "KDE Plasma 5 bundle". clearlinux.org. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ↑ "List of licenses used in Clear Linux OS". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  13. ↑ "Clear Linux* OS image types". Clear Linux* Project Docs. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  14. ↑ Nestor, Marius (May 15, 2019). "Intel's Clear Linux OS Now Offers Workflows Tailored for Linux Developers". softpedia . Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  15. ↑ Perkins, John (2021-01-07). "Clear Linux Review: The McLaren of Linux Distros". Make Tech Easier. Archived from the original on 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
  16. ↑ Williams, Rob (October 24, 2019). "A Linux For Speed Hounds: A Look At Clear Linux Performance". Techgage. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Clear Linux* OS announces support for Kata Containers". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  18. ↑ "OpenStack Vancouver 2015". OpenStack . Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "Clear Linux OS: the performant Linux distribution for the cloud". IONOS. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16.
  20. ↑ Clear Linux at DistroWatch
  21. ↑ Ven, Arjan van de Ven (May 18, 2015). "An introduction to Clear Containers". LWN.net . Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Home". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ↑ "Intel® Clear Containers: Now part of Kata Containers". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  24. ↑ Yegulalp, Serdar (2015-05-21). "Intel takes on CoreOS with its own container-based Linux". InfoWorld . Archived from the original on 2021-06-13. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  25. ↑ "Clear Linux Installer v2.0". Clear Linux* Project: Blogs & News. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  26. 1 2 3 Wolski, David (2020-04-30). "Ausprobiert: Clear Linux, Intels leistungsfähige Linux-Distribution" [Tried: Clear Linux, Intel's powerful Linux distribution]. heise online (in German). Archived from the original on 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  27. ↑ "All good things come to an end: Shutting down Clear Linux OS". Clear Linux OS Forum. 2025-07-18. Archived from the original on 2025-07-19. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  28. ↑ "Intel Announces It's Shutting Down Clear Linux". www.phoronix.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-20. Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  29. ↑ "Intel dreht eigene Linux-Distribution von einem Tag auf den anderen ab". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 2025-07-21.
  30. 1 2 Kumar, Ambarish (7 October 2017). "An Overview of Clear Linux, its Features and Installation Procedure". it's foss. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  31. ↑ "Announcing the availability of Clear Linux* OS in Azure Marketplace". Microsoft Azure. 18 January 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  32. ↑ "AWS Marketplace: Clear Linux OS". aws.amazon.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  33. ↑ "Recommended minimum system requirements - Documentation for Clear Linux* project". clearlinux.github.io. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  34. ↑ Thommes, Ferdinand (2016). "Clear Sighted: Clear Linux: A cloud distro for Intel processors Page 1". Ubuntu User. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  35. ↑ "Stacks". Clear Linux* Project. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  36. ↑ "clearlinux/swupd-client". github.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  37. ↑ "swupd 3rd-party". Documentation for Clear Linux* project. docs.01.org. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.

Further reading

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