Red Hat has released Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10.3, the third minor release of RHEL 10, together with RHEL 9.9. The headline features are sealed images for image mode, a production-ready MCP server for AI-assisted troubleshooting, post-quantum cryptography in the Go toolchain, and a fresh set of developer tools including GCC 16. Like the rest of RHEL 10, it runs on Linux kernel 6.12.
This guide covers what’s new in RHEL 10.3, how to update an existing RHEL 10 system, how image mode systems pick it up, and how to upgrade in place from RHEL 9.
RHEL 10.3 at a Glance
| Release | November 2026, alongside RHEL 9.9 |
|---|---|
| Linux kernel | 6.12 |
| Developer tools | GCC 16, Go 1.27, .NET 11, Node.js 26 |
| Security | Sealed images for image mode, ML-KEM and ML-DSA in Go |
| In-place upgrade | Leapp: RHEL 9.9 to 10.3 |
What’s New in RHEL 10.3
Sealed Images for Image Mode
Sealed images are now generally available for image mode for RHEL. They extend integrity checking beyond the firmware and bootloader to the kernel and the root filesystem, using your own Secure Boot keys. The result is a chain of trust that covers the whole operating system image, which makes tampering much harder to hide.
MCP Server for RHEL
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for RHEL moves from Developer Preview to general availability. It lets an AI assistant you control query system information and logs, so you can troubleshoot a RHEL host conversationally while keeping the data under your own management.
Post-Quantum Cryptography in Go
The ML-KEM and ML-DSA post-quantum algorithms are now part of the Go toolchain shipped with RHEL, which helps teams working towards CNSA 2.0 compliance build quantum-resistant applications.
New Developer Tools
RHEL 10.3 brings newer language runtimes and compilers, including GCC 16, Go 1.27, .NET 11 and Node.js 26.
Other Improvements
- The AMD amdxdna driver for Neural Processing Units (NPUs) is available as a Technology Preview.
- Valkey gains RDMA support for faster, lower-latency networking.
- GNOME Kiosk adds accessibility features, including a screen magnifier.
- Validated Leapp in-place upgrade paths from RHEL 9.9 to RHEL 10.3, and from RHEL 8.10 to RHEL 9.9.
Step 1 of 4Check Your Current Version
Minor releases such as 10.3 arrive as regular package updates on RHEL 10. Start by checking which release you are on:
cat /etc/redhat-release
Step 2 of 4Make Sure No Release Lock Is Set
If your system was pinned to a specific minor release with Subscription Manager, it won’t move to 10.3 until the lock is removed. Check the current setting:
sudo subscription-manager release --show
If it shows a release such as 10.2, remove the lock so the system follows the latest RHEL 10 minor release:
sudo subscription-manager release --unset
Step 3 of 4Update the System
Install all available updates, which moves the system to RHEL 10.3:
sudo dnf update
Review the transaction summary and confirm with y.
Step 4 of 4Reboot and Verify
Reboot to load the updated kernel and libraries:
sudo reboot
After the system is back, confirm the release and kernel:
cat /etc/redhat-releaseuname -r
The first command should report release 10.3, and the second a 6.12 kernel.
Updating Image Mode Systems
Systems deployed in image mode are updated as a whole image with bootc rather than package by package. Once a 10.3-based image is available in your registry, pull and stage it:
sudo bootc upgrade
Then reboot into the new image:
sudo reboot
Check which image is booted and which is staged with:
sudo bootc status
Upgrade In Place from RHEL 9 with Leapp
RHEL 10.3 supports in-place upgrades from RHEL 9.9 using Leapp. Take a full backup or a VM snapshot first, and make sure the system is registered and fully updated on RHEL 9.9.
- Update RHEL 9 to the latest packages and reboot:
sudo dnf updatesudo reboot - Install the Leapp upgrade tooling:
sudo dnf install leapp-upgrade - Run the pre-upgrade assessment:
sudo leapp preupgrade --target 10.3 - Read the report in
/var/log/leapp/leapp-report.txt. Fix every issue marked as an inhibitor, then run the pre-upgrade check again until it passes. - Start the upgrade and reboot when it finishes:
sudo leapp upgrade --target 10.3sudo reboot
The system boots into an upgrade environment, completes the upgrade, and restarts into RHEL 10.3. Verify the result with cat /etc/redhat-release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is RHEL 10.3 a new installation or an update?
It’s an update. Existing RHEL 10 systems move to 10.3 through the normal dnf update process, as long as they aren’t locked to an earlier minor release.
Can I upgrade directly from RHEL 8 to RHEL 10.3?
No. Upgrade RHEL 8.10 to RHEL 9.9 first, then from RHEL 9.9 to RHEL 10.3, both with Leapp.
Can I try RHEL 10.3 for free?
Yes. The no-cost Red Hat Developer Subscription for Individuals lets you run RHEL on up to 16 systems for development and personal use.
Conclusion
RHEL 10.3 strengthens system integrity with sealed images, adds a supported MCP server for AI-assisted troubleshooting, brings post-quantum algorithms to Go, and refreshes the developer toolchain with GCC 16, Go 1.27, .NET 11 and Node.js 26. Existing RHEL 10 systems get it with a regular update and a reboot, image mode systems with bootc upgrade, and RHEL 9.9 systems can move to it in place with Leapp.
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