Hardened AlmaLinux 10 with Cockpit & Local AI System Assistant

This Azure Marketplace image delivers a professionally hardened AlmaLinux 10 system designed for secure, production-ready workloads. The operating system is configured with advanced security controls to reduce attack surface, enforce strong access policies, and improve auditability.

Unlike cloud-connected AI tools, this image includes a locally hosted AI system assistant running directly on the virtual machine. Administrators can query system state, logs, and configuration using natural language while keeping all data inside the VM.

The image also includes Cockpit for browser-based administration, providing both graphical management and AI-assisted troubleshooting out of the box.

• Professional OS hardening aligned with industry best practices and security frameworks
• Local AI system assistant powered by Ollama — no external APIs or data sharing
• Natural-language troubleshooting using real system context
• Cockpit web console for browser-based management
• Comprehensive audit logging and hardened access controls
• Automated security updates and secure defaults

The system includes a command-line AI assistant designed specifically for Linux administration. It operates locally on the VM and can analyze logs, services, and configuration files.

Example usage:

sys-ai "Why is SSH failing for azureuser?"

The assistant responds with actionable diagnostics and remediation steps based on the live system state.

The underlying model is managed using Ollama and can be interacted with directly if desired:

ollama run mistral

This design ensures full control over AI behavior and data residency.

• AlmaLinux 10 (community-supported enterprise Linux)
• Madarson Security Hardening Framework
• Local AI system assistant (sys-ai)
• Ollama runtime with preconfigured language model
• Cockpit web console
• Pre-configured firewall, SELinux, and audit subsystem

This offering is intentionally built without reliance on vendor-managed AI services. All analysis and responses occur locally on the virtual machine, making it suitable for security-sensitive and regulated environments.

Administrators gain the benefits of AI-assisted operations while maintaining full ownership of their infrastructure and data.

• Application hosting on Azure
• Internal services and tooling
• Dev, test, and staging environments
• Operational platforms requiring local AI assistance

• Security-conscious organizations
• Environments with strict data residency requirements
• Regulated industries and internal enterprise workloads
• Teams seeking AI-assisted Linux operations without external dependencies

Deploy from Azure Marketplace, connect via SSH, and begin using immediately.

Access Cockpit at https://your-vm-ip:9090 for graphical management.

Use the AI assistant directly from the shell:

sys-ai "Explain recent authentication failures"

Disclaimer: AlmaLinux is a trademark of AlmaLinux OS Foundation. Ollama and Mistral are open-source projects. Madarson IT is not affiliated with or endorsed by AlmaLinux OS Foundation.