diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index fb1f32b..d59c6c4 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0.tar.gz
+SOURCES/tuned-2.19.0-rc.1.tar.gz
diff --git a/.tuned.metadata b/.tuned.metadata
index 820f023..5dbc673 100644
--- a/.tuned.metadata
+++ b/.tuned.metadata
@@ -1 +1 @@
-9e94ee0e46bc1a3d0548eee6a33bc04b4676e825 SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0.tar.gz
+4adc57d74f87133b2d96e7c52a455f9114d650de SOURCES/tuned-2.19.0-rc.1.tar.gz
diff --git a/SOURCES/recommend.conf b/SOURCES/recommend.conf
index 9c0b046..9d32962 100644
--- a/SOURCES/recommend.conf
+++ b/SOURCES/recommend.conf
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ syspurpose_role=.*atomic.*
 virt=.+
 
 [balanced]
-syspurpose_role=.*(desktop|workstation).*
+syspurpose_role=(.*(desktop|workstation).*)|^$
 chassis_type=.*(Notebook|Laptop|Portable).*
 
 [throughput-performance]
diff --git a/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-bootloader-initrd-no-dev-hardcode.patch b/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-bootloader-initrd-no-dev-hardcode.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index b008233..0000000
--- a/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-bootloader-initrd-no-dev-hardcode.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-From f23ff066327c3212faee6bed2c6f8d2a43c9db5f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
-From: Jan Zerdik <jzerdik@redhat.com>
-Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2022 12:21:59 +0100
-Subject: [PATCH] Do not hardcode disk name in tuned initrd path.
-
-Cleaner solution by jskarvad@redhat.com
-
-Resolves: rhbz#2050246
-
-Signed-off-by: Jan Zerdik <jzerdik@redhat.com>
----
- tuned/plugins/plugin_bootloader.py | 2 +-
- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
-
-diff --git a/tuned/plugins/plugin_bootloader.py b/tuned/plugins/plugin_bootloader.py
-index 32dd35d..ad2d4d5 100644
---- a/tuned/plugins/plugin_bootloader.py
-+++ b/tuned/plugins/plugin_bootloader.py
-@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ class BootloaderPlugin(base.Plugin):
- 		initrd_grubpath = "/"
- 		lc = len(curr_cmdline)
- 		if lc:
--			path = re.sub(r"^\s*BOOT_IMAGE=\s*(\S*/).*$", "\\1", curr_cmdline)
-+			path = re.sub(r"^\s*BOOT_IMAGE=\s*(?:\([^)]*\))?(\S*/).*$", "\\1", curr_cmdline)
- 			if len(path) < lc:
- 				initrd_grubpath = path
- 		self._initrd_val = os.path.join(initrd_grubpath, img_name)
--- 
-2.35.3
-
diff --git a/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-nf-conntrack-hashsize.patch b/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-nf-conntrack-hashsize.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 827cab7..0000000
--- a/SOURCES/tuned-2.18.0-nf-conntrack-hashsize.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,53 +0,0 @@
-From e1b21f23c9ca00bf9f399165c4d46d647f3946ca Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
-From: Paolo Abeni <pabeni@redhat.com>
-Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2022 17:15:46 +0100
-Subject: [PATCH] raise the netfilter hash table size in
- openshift/atomic-{host,guest} to match the max netfilter conntrack entries,
- reducing such hash table load.
-
-Signed-off-by: Paolo Abeni <pabeni@redhat.com>
----
- profiles/atomic-guest/tuned.conf | 2 +-
- profiles/atomic-host/tuned.conf  | 2 +-
- profiles/openshift/tuned.conf    | 2 +-
- 3 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
-
-diff --git a/profiles/atomic-guest/tuned.conf b/profiles/atomic-guest/tuned.conf
-index c5a9417d..fe8d382a 100644
---- a/profiles/atomic-guest/tuned.conf
-+++ b/profiles/atomic-guest/tuned.conf
-@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ include=virtual-guest
- avc_cache_threshold=65536
- 
- [net]
--nf_conntrack_hashsize=131072
-+nf_conntrack_hashsize=1048576
- 
- [sysctl]
- kernel.pid_max=131072
-diff --git a/profiles/atomic-host/tuned.conf b/profiles/atomic-host/tuned.conf
-index 968366fa..91ea5555 100644
---- a/profiles/atomic-host/tuned.conf
-+++ b/profiles/atomic-host/tuned.conf
-@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ include=throughput-performance
- avc_cache_threshold=65536
- 
- [net]
--nf_conntrack_hashsize=131072
-+nf_conntrack_hashsize=1048576
- 
- [sysctl]
- kernel.pid_max=131072
-diff --git a/profiles/openshift/tuned.conf b/profiles/openshift/tuned.conf
-index 9019c05e..9815fb9e 100644
---- a/profiles/openshift/tuned.conf
-+++ b/profiles/openshift/tuned.conf
-@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ include=${f:virt_check:virtual-guest:throughput-performance}
- avc_cache_threshold=8192
- 
- [net]
--nf_conntrack_hashsize=131072
-+nf_conntrack_hashsize=1048576
- 
- [sysctl]
- net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
diff --git a/SPECS/tuned.spec b/SPECS/tuned.spec
index 32e128d..3b4f26d 100644
--- a/SPECS/tuned.spec
+++ b/SPECS/tuned.spec
@@ -26,16 +26,16 @@
 %endif
 %endif
 
-#%%global prerelease rc
-#%%global prereleasenum 1
+%global prerelease rc
+%global prereleasenum 1
 
 %global prerel1 %{?prerelease:.%{prerelease}%{prereleasenum}}
 %global prerel2 %{?prerelease:-%{prerelease}.%{prereleasenum}}
 
 Summary: A dynamic adaptive system tuning daemon
 Name: tuned
-Version: 2.18.0
-Release: 3%{?prerel1}%{?dist}
+Version: 2.19.0
+Release: 0.1%{?prerel1}%{?dist}
 License: GPLv2+
 Source0: https://github.com/redhat-performance/%{name}/archive/v%{version}%{?prerel2}/%{name}-%{version}%{?prerel2}.tar.gz
 # RHEL-8 specific recommend.conf:
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ Requires(postun): systemd
 BuildRequires: make
 BuildRequires: %{_py}, %{_py}-devel
 # BuildRequires for 'make test'
-# python-mock is needed for python-2.7, but it's not available on RHEL-7
-%if %{without python3} && ( ! 0%{?rhel} || 0%{?rhel} >= 8 )
+# python-mock is needed for python-2.7, but it's not available on RHEL-7, only in the EPEL
+%if %{without python3} && ( ! 0%{?rhel} || 0%{?rhel} >= 8 || 0%{?epel})
 BuildRequires: %{_py}-mock
 %endif
 BuildRequires: %{_py}-pyudev
@@ -76,10 +76,11 @@ Requires: virt-what, ethtool, gawk
 Requires: util-linux, dbus, polkit
 %if 0%{?fedora} > 22 || 0%{?rhel} > 7
 Recommends: dmidecode
-Recommends: hdparm
+# i686 excluded
 Recommends: kernel-tools
-Recommends: kmod
-Recommends: iproute
+Requires: hdparm
+Requires: kmod
+Requires: iproute
 %endif
 # syspurpose
 %if 0%{?rhel} > 8
@@ -96,10 +97,6 @@ Requires: python3-syspurpose
 Patch0: tuned-2.18.0-rhel-8-profiles.patch
 # Revert no balancing cores to use SD_LOAD_BALANCE (see rhbz#1874596 for details)
 Patch1: tuned-2.18.0-sd-load-balance.patch
-# rhbz#2052886
-Patch2: tuned-2.18.0-nf-conntrack-hashsize.patch
-# rhbz#2050246
-Patch3: tuned-2.18.0-bootloader-initrd-no-dev-hardcode.patch
 
 %description
 The tuned package contains a daemon that tunes system settings dynamically.
@@ -300,10 +297,9 @@ touch %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/modprobe.d/kvm.rt.tuned.conf
 # validate desktop file
 desktop-file-validate %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/applications/tuned-gui.desktop
 
-# Run tests on RHEL > 7 or non RHEL
-# We cannot run tests on RHEL-7 because there is no python-mock package and
+# On RHEL-7 EPEL is needed, because there is no python-mock package and
 # python-2.7 doesn't have mock built-in
-%if 0%{?rhel} > 7 || ! 0%{?rhel}
+%if 0%{?rhel} >= 8 || 0%{?epel} || ! 0%{?rhel}
 %check
 make test %{make_python_arg}
 %endif
@@ -551,6 +547,18 @@ fi
 %{_mandir}/man7/tuned-profiles-openshift.7*
 
 %changelog
+* Tue Aug  9 2022 Jaroslav Škarvada <jskarvad@redhat.com> - 2.19.0-0.1.rc1
+- new release
+  - rebased tuned to latest upstream
+    resolves: rhbz#2057602
+  - fixed parsing of inline comments
+    resolves: rhbz#2060138
+  - added support for quotes in isolated_cores specification
+    resolves: rhbz#1891036
+  - recommend: preset balanced profile for notebook, laptop or portable if
+    syspurpose is not defined
+    resolves: rhbz#1896717
+
 * Wed Jun  8 2022 Jaroslav Škarvada <jskarvad@redhat.com> - 2.18.0-3
 - bootloader: do not hardcode device to initrd
   resolves: rhbz#2050246