diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a4361a998..0da437282 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Added
 
+* **role:alternatives**: Support managing `subcommands` (slaves/followers) and the Red Hat-only `family` grouping. The role now also ensures the alternatives tooling is installed (`chkconfig` on RHEL 8, `alternatives` on RHEL 9/10; bundled with `dpkg` on Debian/Ubuntu), and can be included without variables as a no-op.
 * **role:mariadb_server**: Add `mariadb_server__cnf_innodb_snapshot_isolation` variable (MariaDB 10.6+), defaulting to `'ON'`.
 
 ### Security
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/README.md b/roles/alternatives/README.md
index 2a7e132b3..f4015defd 100644
--- a/roles/alternatives/README.md
+++ b/roles/alternatives/README.md
@@ -12,31 +12,43 @@ Hints:
 *Available since LFOps `3.0.0`.*
 
 
+## How the Role Behaves
+
+* The role ensures the alternatives tooling is installed: the `chkconfig` package on RHEL 8, the `alternatives` package on RHEL 9 and 10. On Debian and Ubuntu, `update-alternatives` ships with `dpkg`, so nothing is installed there.
+* On Red Hat-family hosts `link` is mandatory for each entry. On Debian-based hosts it is only required when the alternative `name` is unknown to the system.
+* `family` is only available on Red Hat-family hosts (community.general 10.1.0+); `subcommands` requires community.general 5.1.0+. Both are passed through only when set, so they do not affect entries or platforms that do not use them.
+
+
 ## Tags
 
 `alternatives`
 
-* Manages alternative programs for common commands.
+* Installs the alternatives tooling and manages alternative programs for common commands.
 * Triggers: none.
 
 
-## Mandatory Role Variables
+## Optional Role Variables
 
 `alternatives__alternatives`
 
-* List of alternatives to remove or to deploy.
+* List of alternatives to remove or to deploy. With the default empty list, the role is a no-op.
 * Type: List of dictionaries.
 * Default: `[]`
 * Subkeys:
 
-    * `link`:
+    * `name`:
 
-        * The path to the symbolic link that should point to the real executable. This option is always required on RHEL-based distributions. On Debian-based distributions this option is required when the alternative `name` is unknown to the system.
+        * Mandatory. The generic name of the link.
         * Type: String.
 
-    * `name`:
+    * `family`:
 
-        * Mandatory. The generic name of the link.
+        * Optional. Groups similar alternatives. Red Hat-family only.
+        * Type: String.
+
+    * `link`:
+
+        * The path to the symbolic link that should point to the real executable. This option is always required on RHEL-based distributions. On Debian-based distributions this option is required when the alternative `name` is unknown to the system.
         * Type: String.
 
     * `path`:
@@ -46,7 +58,7 @@ Hints:
 
     * `priority`:
 
-        * Optional. The priority of the alternative. If no priority is given for creation `50` is used as a fallback.
+        * Optional. The priority of the alternative. If no priority is given, the `alternatives` tool uses `50` as a fallback on creation.
         * Type: Number.
 
     * `state`:
@@ -55,20 +67,31 @@ Hints:
         * Type: String.
         * Default: `'selected'`
 
+    * `subcommands`:
+
+        * Optional. Subcommands (also called slaves or followers) that are switched together with this alternative. Each entry needs `name`, `link`, and `path`.
+        * Type: List of dictionaries.
+
 Example:
 ```yaml
 alternatives__alternatives:
-  - link: '/usr/bin/python3'
-    name: 'python3'
-    path: '/usr/bin/python3.9'
-    priority: '100'  # install python3.9 with higher priority
-    state: 'auto'
-  - link: '/usr/bin/python3'
-    name: 'python3'
+  # set the default python3, also switching its subcommands (slaves)
+  - name: 'python3'
+    link: '/usr/bin/python3'
     path: '/usr/bin/python3.12'
-    priority: '10'
+    priority: 100
     state: 'auto'
-# => results in python3.9
+    subcommands:
+      - name: 'python3-config'
+        link: '/usr/bin/python3-config'
+        path: '/usr/bin/python3.12-config'
+  # Red Hat-family only: select an alternative by family
+  - name: 'java'
+    family: 'java-11-openjdk.x86_64'
+  # remove an alternative
+  - name: 'editor'
+    path: '/usr/bin/vim'
+    state: 'absent'
 ```
 
 
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/defaults/main.yml b/roles/alternatives/defaults/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..199ab387f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/alternatives/defaults/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+alternatives__alternatives: []
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/meta/argument_specs.yml b/roles/alternatives/meta/argument_specs.yml
index 4a2d84806..8700dd97b 100644
--- a/roles/alternatives/meta/argument_specs.yml
+++ b/roles/alternatives/meta/argument_specs.yml
@@ -5,11 +5,19 @@ argument_specs:
       alternatives__alternatives:
         type: 'list'
         elements: 'dict'
-        required: true
+        required: false
+        default: []
         description: >-
           List of `update-alternatives` entries to manage.
         options:
 
+          family:
+            type: 'str'
+            required: false
+            description: >-
+              Groups similar alternatives. Red Hat-family only
+              (community.general 10.1.0+).
+
           link:
             type: 'str'
             required: false
@@ -33,8 +41,8 @@ argument_specs:
             type: 'int'
             required: false
             description: >-
-              Priority weight for `auto` mode (default fallback for
-              creation: 50).
+              Priority weight for `auto` mode. If unset, the module
+              falls back to 50 on creation.
 
           state:
             type: 'str'
@@ -47,3 +55,27 @@ argument_specs:
               - 'selected'
             description: >-
               `selected` (default), `present`, `auto`, or `absent`.
+
+          subcommands:
+            type: 'list'
+            elements: 'dict'
+            required: false
+            description: >-
+              Subcommands (also called slaves or followers) switched
+              together with this alternative (community.general 5.1.0+).
+            options:
+
+              link:
+                type: 'str'
+                required: true
+                description: 'Path to the subcommand symlink.'
+
+              name:
+                type: 'str'
+                required: true
+                description: 'The generic name of the subcommand.'
+
+              path:
+                type: 'str'
+                required: true
+                description: 'Path to the real subcommand executable.'
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/tasks/main.yml b/roles/alternatives/tasks/main.yml
index 09331ace7..e5cd6c786 100644
--- a/roles/alternatives/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/alternatives/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,25 @@
 - block:
 
+  - name: 'Set platform/version specific variables'
+    ansible.builtin.import_role:
+      name: 'shared'
+      tasks_from: 'platform-variables.yml'
+
+  tags:
+    - 'always'
+
+
+- block:
+
+  # Debian/Ubuntu ship update-alternatives with dpkg, so __alternatives__packages
+  # is empty there and this task is skipped.
+  - name: 'Install the alternatives tooling'
+    ansible.builtin.package:
+      name: '{{ __alternatives__packages }}'
+      state: 'present'
+    when:
+      - '__alternatives__packages | length > 0'
+
   - name: 'Debug'
     ansible.builtin.debug:
       msg:
@@ -9,11 +29,13 @@
   # alternatives --install <link> <name> <path> <priority>
   - name: 'Manages alternative programs for common commands'
     community.general.alternatives:
-      link: '{{ item["link"] }}'
       name: '{{ item["name"] }}'
-      path: '{{ item["path"] }}'
-      priority: '{{ item["priority"] | d(50) }}'
+      link: '{{ item["link"] | default(omit) }}'
+      path: '{{ item["path"] | default(omit) }}'
+      priority: '{{ item["priority"] | default(omit) }}'
       state: '{{ item["state"] | d("selected") }}'
+      subcommands: '{{ item["subcommands"] | default(omit) }}'
+      family: '{{ item["family"] | default(omit) }}'
     loop: '{{ alternatives__alternatives }}'
 
   tags:
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat10.yml b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat10.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a9bd27d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat10.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Since RHEL 9 the `alternatives` command has its own package.
+__alternatives__packages:
+  - 'alternatives'
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat8.yml b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat8.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..02373be25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat8.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# On RHEL 8 the `alternatives` command is provided by the chkconfig package.
+__alternatives__packages:
+  - 'chkconfig'
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat9.yml b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat9.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a9bd27d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/alternatives/vars/RedHat9.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Since RHEL 9 the `alternatives` command has its own package.
+__alternatives__packages:
+  - 'alternatives'
diff --git a/roles/alternatives/vars/main.yml b/roles/alternatives/vars/main.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b36c84c80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roles/alternatives/vars/main.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Base default. The alternatives tooling ships with dpkg on Debian/Ubuntu, so
+# nothing needs to be installed there. Red Hat-family overrides this per version.
+__alternatives__packages: []