Leapp Upgrade vs Clean Reinstall for AlmaLinux Host Data Preservation

Goal

Determine the safest path to move a single AlmaLinux host from one major release to the next while preserving local data and tuned configuration.

Constraints

• In‑place upgrades rely on the leapp tool, which requires a pre‑upgrade inhibitor report that is host‑specific.
• A clean reinstall guarantees a supported baseline but requires re‑applying configuration and migrating data.
• Supported source and target releases for leapp shift with each AlmaLinux point release.

Unresolved Decision

The host‑specific inhibitor report determines whether the in‑place path is viable; documentation alone cannot resolve this. The trade‑off between minimal downtime and guaranteed support remains unclear.

Questions

1. Is it possible to resolve all inhibitors in the leapp pre‑upgrade report so that the in‑place upgrade can proceed safely?
2. Assuming inhibitors cannot be fully resolved, does a clean reinstall provide a more reliable path to a supported AlmaLinux major release?
3. What are the practical steps to confirm that a clean reinstall will preserve all critical data and configuration without manual re‑application?