An update for the Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS distribution has been released, which includes improvements related to hardware support, updates to the Linux kernel and graphical stack, and bug fixes in the installer and bootloader. This update also includes the latest updates for several hundred packages addressing vulnerabilities and issues affecting stability. Similar updates have been released for Ubuntu Budgie 20.04.4 LTS, Kubuntu 20.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu MATE 20.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Studio 20.04.4 LTS, Lubuntu 20.04.4 LTS, Ubuntu Kylin 20.04.4 LTS, and Xubuntu 20.04.4 LTS.
The release includes some improvements backported from Ubuntu 21.10:
- Linux kernel version 5.13 is offered as a package (Ubuntu 20.04 uses kernel 5.4, while 20.04.2 offered kernel 5.8 additionally, and 20.04.3 offered 5.11).
- Graphics stack components have been updated, including Mesa 21.2.6, which have been tested in the Ubuntu 21.10 release. New versions of video drivers for Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA chips have been added. Support for the AMD Beige Goby (Navi 24) and Yellow Carp GPU has been incorporated.
- Versions of the packages snapd 2.51, open-vm-tools 11.3, cloud-init 21.3, ceph 15.2.14, OpenStack Ussuri, and dpdk 19.11.10 have been updated, along with ubuntu-advantage-tools 27.3.
In the desktop builds (Ubuntu Desktop), the new kernel and graphics stack are proposed by default. For server systems (Ubuntu Server), the new kernel is added as an option in the installer. It makes sense to use the new builds only for fresh installations — previously installed systems can obtain all changes present in Ubuntu 20.04.4 through the standard update installation system.
It is important to note that a rolling support model is used for delivering new kernel and graphics stack versions, according to which backported kernels and drivers will only be supported until the next corrective update of the Ubuntu LTS branch is released. For instance, the Linux kernel 5.13 proposed in the current release will be supported until the release of Ubuntu 20.04.5, which will provide a kernel from Ubuntu 22.04. The initially supplied base kernel 5.4 will be supported throughout the entire five-year maintenance cycle.
To revert Ubuntu Desktop to the base kernel 5.4, the command should be executed:
sudo apt install —install-recommends linux-generic
To install the new kernel on Ubuntu Server, run:
sudo apt install --install-recommends linux-generic-hwe-20.04
Source: opennet.ru
