# ECE 4.0.3 installation fails on RHEL 9.7 with Podman 4.x / 5.x - compatibility error

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-4-0-3-installation-fails-on-rhel-9-7-with-podman-4-x-5-x-compatibility-error/384672>\
**Category:** Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE)\
**Tags:** docker\
**Created:** [January 21, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-4-0-3-installation-fails-on-rhel-9-7-with-podman-4-x-5-x-compatibility-error/384672 "2026-01-21T13:28:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Abdul\_Haseeb\_Q](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/abdul_haseeb_q/32/144730_2.png) [@Abdul\_Haseeb\_Q](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Abdul_Haseeb_Q)\
**Post date:** [January 21, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/ece-4-0-3-installation-fails-on-rhel-9-7-with-podman-4-x-5-x-compatibility-error/384672/1 "2026-01-21T13:28:12Z")

</div>

Hey Elastic folks,

I need help deploying **Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE) 4.0.3** on a local VM, but the installation consistently fails due to a compatibility error.

**Environment**

– **OS** : RHEL 9.7 (VM)  
– Container Runtime:  
– – Podman 4.x (tested)  
– – Podman 5.x (tested)  
– **Installation Type** : Single-node / localhost  
– **User** : Non-root (elastic)

**Installation Command**

```bash
bash <(curl -fsSL https://download.elastic.co/cloud/elastic-cloud-enterprise.sh) install --availability-zone MY_ZONE-1 --memory-settings '{"runner":{"xms":"1G","xmx":"1G"},"allocator":{"xms":"4G","xmx":"4G"},"zookeeper":{"xms":"4G","xmx":"4G"},"director":{"xms":"1G","xmx":"1G"},"constructor":{"xms":"4G","xmx":"4G"},"admin-console":{"xms":"4G","xmx":"4G"}}'

```

**Error Received**

```bash
[Wed Jan 21 05:58:34 PM PKT 2026] Validating ECE version 4.0 compatibility with OS and Docker/Podman.
[Wed Jan 21 05:58:34 PM PKT 2026] ECE version 4.0.3 is not compatible with RHEL-9 and Docker-podman-remote version 5.2.
Please consult https://www.elastic.co/support/matrix#elastic-cloud-enterprise

```

**Documentation Followed**

I have followed the official Elastic documentation for configuring ECE on RHEL hosts:  
**Link:** [https://www.elastic.co/docs/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/configure-host-rhel](https://www.elastic.co/docs/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-enterprise/configure-host-rhel)

According to the **Elastic Support Matrix for Elastic Cloud Enterprise** , RHEL 9 with Podman is listed as supported, which is why I expected this installation to work.  
**Link** : [Support Matrix | Elastic](https://www.elastic.co/support/matrix#elastic-cloud-enterprise)

**Issue / Question**

According to the installer, **ECE 4.0.3 is not compatible with RHEL 9 and Podman 4.x/5.x**. I would like clarification on this.

– Can you confirm whether ECE 4.0.x is officially supported on RHEL 9 with Podman?  
– Is this a known installer validation issue with newer Podman versions (4.x / 5.x)?  
– Are there any workarounds or installer flags to bypass this compatibility check?  
– Is this a known ECE 4.0.x installer bug?

Any clarification or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

#Elastic Orchestration > Elastic Cloud Enterprise (ECE) #rhel9 #podman