An update for the Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS distribution has been released, incorporating changes aimed at improving hardware support, updating the Linux kernel and graphics stack, as well as fixing bugs in the installer and bootloader. It also includes up-to-date updates for several hundred packages addressing vulnerabilities and stability issues. Similar updates for Ubuntu Budgie 20.04.3 LTS, Kubuntu 20.04.3 LTS, Ubuntu MATE 20.04.3 LTS, Ubuntu Studio 20.04.3 LTS, Lubuntu 20.04.3 LTS, Ubuntu Kylin 20.04.3 LTS, and Xubuntu 20.04.3 LTS are also presented.
The release includes some enhancements backported from the Ubuntu 21.04 release:
- An upgrade to kernel version 5.11 is proposed (Ubuntu 20.04 and 20.04.1 used kernel 5.4, and 20.04.2 used kernel 5.8).
- Components of the graphics stack have been updated, including X.Org Server 1.20.11 and Mesa 21.0, which were tested in the Ubuntu 21.04 release. New versions of graphics drivers for Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA chips have been added.
- Versions of packages such as GNOME 3.36.9, GCC 10.3.0, Python 3.8.10, LibreOffice 6.4.7, containerd 1.5.2, ceph 15.2.13, snapd 2.49, and cloud-init 20.4 have been updated.
In desktop builds, the new kernel and graphics stack are offered by default. For server systems, the new kernel is added as an option in the installer. Using the new builds makes sense only for fresh installations — previously installed systems can receive all changes present in Ubuntu 20.04.3 through the standard update installation system.
It is worth noting that a rolling model for kernel and graphics stack support updates applies, whereby backported kernels and drivers will only be supported until the next point release of the Ubuntu LTS branch is made. For example, the proposed Linux kernel 5.11 in this release will be supported until the release of Ubuntu 20.04.4, which will offer the kernel from Ubuntu 21.10. The originally supplied base kernel 5.4 will be supported throughout the entire five-year maintenance cycle.
Unlike previous LTS releases, new versions of the kernel and graphics stack will be utilized in existing installations of Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 by default, rather than offered as options. To revert to the base kernel 5.4, execute the following command:
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
