AlmaLinux gives you the RHEL platform (same ABI, same ten-year lifecycle, same ecosystem) for free. Red Hat charges four figures a year per server for the real thing. The interesting question isn't which is cheaper; it's what, precisely, the subscription buys and who actually needs those things. This guide itemises the answer: support SLAs, ISV certifications, live patching and lifecycle add-ons on one side; Alma's genuine independence perks (including drivers Red Hat dropped) on the other, plus the free 16-system Red Hat option most people forget exists.

NetworkManager is the daemon that configures the network on every RHEL-family server, and since RHEL dropped the old network-scripts it is the only supported way to do it. This crash course runs it the way a dedicated server uses it: headless, static, over SSH, with nmcli and keyfiles instead of a desktop applet. You will learn the device-and-profile model that clears up most nmcli confusion, a full static IPv4 and IPv6 setup you can paste and adapt, where profiles live on disk across RHEL 8, 9, and 10, and how to change the network on a remote box without locking yourself out.