APPX Software Library

Chapter 2: Install on Rocky Linux

Choose the Linux Route

Rocky Linux 10 uses an x86-64-v3 baseline and no longer supplies the i686 compatibility packages used by 32-bit applications. Use an x86_64 machine with a compatible CPU. An ARM instance does not run the Intel APPX engine natively.

Apply the current Rocky updates before installing. If an update installs a new kernel, reboot during the server's maintenance window. A container uses its host's kernel.

The 64-bit APPX 6.2.1 engine runs natively on Rocky Linux 10. Its 32-bit engine requires the following compatibility route. On Rocky Linux 9, either engine can use a native installation.

Rocky Linux 10 cannot run this 32-bit APPX engine with its standard packages. Use a complete 32-bit-capable Rocky Linux 9 userspace in a container on the Rocky 10 host, or put the APPX engine in a supported separate virtual machine. Install current Rocky AppStream x64 PHP 8.3 and ChartDirector x64 inside that same userspace. A host PHP installation is not automatically available inside a container.

For a compatibility evaluation on the Rocky 10 host, install Podman, then create a dedicated container. The host paths below must be dedicated to this test; the :Z option gives them a private container label.

sudo dnf install -y podman
sudo mkdir -p /srv/appx32-chartlab /srv/appx32-chartlab-charts
sudo podman run --name appx32-chartlab -it \
  --hostname appx32-chartlab \
  -v /srv/appx32-chartlab:/usr/local/appx:Z \
  -v /srv/appx32-chartlab-charts:/var/lib/appx-charts:Z \
  docker.io/library/rockylinux:9 /bin/bash

Inside that container, install its current Rocky 9 updates, its Rocky repositories, CRB and EPEL, the required i686 runtime libraries, x64 PHP 8.3 and ChartDirector x64. Run the APPX installer inside the container too. All PHP, ChartDirector and output paths in this guide must refer to locations visible inside the container. Select the Rocky 9 AppStream php:8.3 stream inside the userspace.

Keep the container and its APPX data separate from other installations. An interactive evaluation container does not automatically provide persistent APPX services or desktop-client networking. Establish those deployment requirements independently before using this route for a server. For an installation requiring ordinary service management, use a separate supported guest operating system. This compatibility userspace is an explicit exception to an all-Rocky-10 runtime stack.

Do not copy a collection of Rocky 9 shared libraries into Rocky 10's /usr/lib or /usr/lib64. Keep a compatibility userspace together in its own container or virtual machine. The PHP process and ChartDirector library must be accessible inside the same execution environment that launches the chart.