23 April Ubuntu release version 20.04, codenamed Focal Fossa, is the next long-term support (LTS) release of Ubuntu and is a continuation of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS released in 2018.
A little about the codename. The word "Focal" means "central point" or "the most important part", that is, it is associated with the concept of focus, the center of any properties, phenomena, events, and "Fossa" has the root "FOSS" (Free and Open-Source Software - free and open source) and in the tradition of naming versions of Ubuntu after animal names means - the largest predatory mammal from the viverrid family from the island of Madagascar.
The developers are positioning Ubuntu 20.04 as an important and successful update with support for the next 5 years for desktops and servers.
Ubuntu 20.04 was a logical continuation of Ubuntu 19.04 "Disco Dingo" and Ubuntu 19.10 "Eoan Ermine". In desktop versions, following the latest trends, a dark theme has appeared. Thus, in Ubuntu 20.04 there are three options for the default Yaru theme:
- Light,
- Dark,
- Standard.
The Amazon app has also been removed. Ubuntu 20.04 uses latest version as default desktop .
Key changes
Ubuntu 20.04 is based on the 5.4 kernel, which was released on November 24, 2019. Several important innovations were implemented in this version, which we will discuss below.
lz4
Canonical engineers have tested different compression algorithms for the kernel and the initramfs boot image, trying to find a trade-off between best compression (smaller file size) and decompression time. The lz4 lossless compression algorithm showed the most noticeable results and was added to Ubuntu 19.10, which allowed it to reduce boot times compared to previous releases (Ubuntu 18.04 and 19.04). The same algorithm will continue in Ubuntu 20.04.
Linux Lockdown Kernel
The Lockdown feature increases the security of the Linux kernel by restricting access to functions that can allow arbitrary code execution through code provided by user processes. Simply put, even the root superuser account cannot change the kernel code. This allows you to reduce the damage from a potential attack, even when the root account is compromised. Thus, the overall security of the operating system is also increased.
exFAT
The Microsoft FAT file system does not allow you to transfer files larger than 4 GB. To overcome this limitation, Microsoft created the exFAT file system (from the English Extended FAT - “extended FAT”). Now you can format, for example, a USB drive to exFAT using exFAT file system.
wire guard
While Ubuntu 20.04 won't use the 5.6 kernel, at least not right away, it already uses the WireGuard backport in the 5.4 kernel. WireGuard is , so the inclusion in the core is already giving Ubuntu 20.04 an advantage in the cloud direction.
Fixed and now multi-threaded applications can run faster. A driver has been added that allows you to work with temperature and voltage sensors for Ryzen processors.
All this is not all the innovations that appeared in the 5.4 kernel. Detailed reviews can be found on the resource (in English) and on the forum (in Russian).
Using Kubernetes
Canonical has implemented full support in Ubuntu 20.04 with the support , и .
Installing Kubectl on Ubuntu 20.04:
# snap install kubectl --classic
kubectl 1.18.0 from Canonical ✓ installedUsing SNAP
Canonical continues to promote the universal package format - snap. This is even more evident in the Ubuntu 20.04 release. If you try to run a program that is not installed, then first of all you will be prompted to install it using:
# snap install <package>
Improved ZFS support
Although , it is still a popular file system and experimental support has been added since Ubuntu 19.10.
It is quite convenient and stable for data storage, the same home archive or server storage at work (“out of the box” it can do more than the same LVM). ZFS supports partition sizes up to 256 quadrillion Zettabytes (hence the "Z" in the name) and can handle files up to 16 Exabytes in size.
ZFS performs data integrity checks based on how they are placed on disk. The copy-on-write feature ensures that the data in use is not overwritten. Instead, the new information is written to the new block, and the file system metadata is updated to point to it. ZFS allows you to create snapshots (snapshots of the file system) that track changes made to the file system and exchange data with it to save disk space.
ZFS assigns a checksum to every file on disk and constantly checks its status against it. If it detects that the file is corrupted, it will attempt to repair it automatically. The Ubuntu installer has a separate option that allows you to use ZFS. You can read more about the history of ZFS and its features in the blog .
Goodbye Python 2.X
The third version of Python was introduced back in 2008, but even 12 years was not enough for Python 2 projects to adapt to it.
Back in Ubuntu 15.10, an attempt was made to deprecate Python 2, but its support has continued. And now April 20, 2020 is out , which is the latest release of the Python 2 branch. There will be no more updates for it.
Ubuntu 20.04 no longer supports Python 2 and uses Python 3.8 as the default version of Python. Unfortunately, there are still many Python 2 projects left in the world, and for them the transition to Ubuntu 20.04 can be painful.
You can install the latest version of Python 2 with one command:
# apt install python2.7In addition to Python 3.8, developers can check out the updated toolset, which includes:
- MySQL 8
- glibc 2.31,
- OpenJDK 11
- PHP 7.4
- Perl 5.30
- golang 1.14.
Goodbye 32 bits
Ubuntu has not provided ISOs for 32-bit computers for several years now. Currently, existing users of 32-bit versions of Ubuntu can upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04, but it will no longer be possible to upgrade to Ubuntu 20.04. That is, if you are currently using 32-bit Ubuntu 18.04, you can stay with it until April 2023.
How to upgrade
Upgrading to Ubuntu 20.04 from previous versions is as easy as shelling pears - just run the following commands:
# sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
# sudo do-release-upgradeWe are pleased to announce that Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) is now available as a virtual machine image in our . Create your own virtual IT infrastructure using the latest software!
UPD: Ubuntu 19.10 users will be able to upgrade to 20.04 now, and Ubuntu 18.04 users will be able to upgrade after 20.04.1, which is scheduled for release on July 23, 2020.
Source: habr.com