Ubuntu Pro is now available: here is what you need to know

Martin Brinkmann
Jan 31, 2023
Linux
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Ubuntu Pro, a subscription-based version of Ubuntu that offers ten years of security updates and optional support, is now available publicly.

Originally launched in October 2022, Ubuntu Pro entered general availability on January 26, 2023.  Ubuntu Pro is available for the Long Term Support releases Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Ubuntu 22.04 LTS at the time of writing.

Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use on up to 5 machines. The limit is raised to 50 for official Ubuntu community members.

The main advantages over regular Ubuntu LTS versions is that Ubuntu Pro is supported with security updates for 10 years. The security support period includes the 5 years of support for Ubuntu Main, and an additional 5 years of extended support.

It is a subscription model that includes security updates and technical support, based on the plan, for Ubuntu Main and an an additional 23000 packages. Extra packages include Python, WordPress, Node.js, Docker, Apache Tomcat, Rust, or phpMyAdmin.

Ubuntu Pro advantages

Ubuntu Pro offers several advantages over Ubuntu LTS releases:

  • 10 years of security support for Ubuntu Main and 23000 additional packages.
  • Optional phone / ticket support.
  • NIST-certified FIPS crypto-modules
  • USG hardening with CIS and DISA-STIG profiles
  • Common Criteria EAL2
  • Kernel Livepatch service.
  • Landscape

Kernel Livepatch Service may deploy critical and high security kernel vulnerability patches while the Ubuntu system is running. This reduces downtime and the "need for unplanned maintenance windows".

Canonical releases a livepatch and a security notice whenever a critical or high Linux kernel vulnerability is discovered. Systems with the livepatch client will download and install the patch automatically once it is released. The patch replaces the vulnerable kernel code with the improved code and update the rest of the kernel to use the new code.

Landscape is a management and administration tool for Ubuntu that enables Enterprise customers to manage up to 40000 machines from a single interface. The Landscape service monitors systems using an agent that is installed on Ubuntu machines. System administrators receive reports and tools are provided to manage users, upgrade machines and permissions on all connected Ubuntu devices.

Getting started with Ubuntu Pro

Ubuntu Pro is available on the official Ubuntu site. Home users may register for a free account, commercial customers may buy Ubuntu Pro based on their requirements.

Free personal tokens are listed on the account management page after sign-up. These need to be entered on individual machines to link them to the account and enable Ubuntu Pro on the device.

All it takes for that on desktop machines is to open Software & Updates, switch to the Ubuntu Pro tab in the window that opens, and activate the "Enable Ubuntu Pro" box on the page. The token, which is listed on the Ubuntu website in the user dashboard, needs to by typed or pasted into the "or add token manually" box. Select confirm to complete the linking.

A second option may be used. The page described above displays a code, which may be entered on https://ubuntu.com/pro/attach to attach the device to Ubuntu Pro.

Now You: what is your take on Ubuntu Pro?

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Ubuntu Pro is now available: here is what you need to know
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Ubuntu Pro is now available: here is what you need to know
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Ubuntu Pro, a subscription-based version of Ubuntu that offers ten years of security updates and optional support, is now available publicly.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. joe said on January 20, 2024 at 9:52 pm
    Reply

    i did a upgrade from my Konsole and i got this message :Get more security updates through Ubuntu Pro with ‘esm-apps’ enabled:

    Learn more about Ubuntu Pro at https://ubuntu.com/pro

  2. NopeUbuntuPro said on February 13, 2023 at 5:09 pm
    Reply

    I see lots of issues with Ubuntu Pro and I”m looking elsewhere as a result. Canonical is only really supporting the large cloud providers leaving the rest of us that work with the smaller ones without an option. The pricing of $500/server/yr is absurd for someone running a few small cloud instances. Additionally, I don’t like the requirement to pay $500/year to get security updates for universe packages when as a baseline it should be included. At the very least there should be an affordable option that includes main/universe at a fraction of the cost. Debian, Rocky and Alma are peaking my interest…

  3. Anonymous said on February 1, 2023 at 8:37 pm
    Reply

    I tried to register but the process was too complicated and I deleted what I had started. I had second thoughts.

  4. Andy Prough said on February 1, 2023 at 5:03 pm
    Reply

    I got Ubuntu 22.04 installed and I got the Ubuntu Pro free version token accepted, so it’s subscribed to the Pro updates now. The FIPS and USG options are grayed-out, but they are supposed to become available a bit later.

    I haven’t been a Ubuntu user, and I found that the system is slow to boot and log in, and starting any snap package takes quite a long time to start, so overall it is not an impressive experience. I installed the snap version of Brave (the only decent browser available from the “App Store”), and it was terribly slow to start, so I removed it and installed the deb package version using the instructions from the Brave website and it worked normally. The graphics and fonts and icons are nice looking. The system crashed hard once in limited testing. Other than those things and the insane amount of ram Gnome uses when no programs are open, it’s otherwise a normal Debian-based distro experience.

    I’ll keep it for awhile for testing, and probably install a much lighter and faster desktop or window manager. Once FIPS and USG come available and if I can get it to run lighter and quicker then it will become a useful office computer for certain tasks.

  5. SCmCsyF said on February 1, 2023 at 7:49 am
    Reply

    It’s crazy that a Linux distribution is doing this and not Microsoft. Microsoft has more money to spend than Canonical, yet they only support Home versions of their operating systems only a few months, same with the Pro version. Only LTSC 2019 has 10 years of support, and they even reduced that one to 5 years of support with LTSC 2021. LTSC is also very expensive while Ubuntu Pro is free for personal use!

    Windows 11 doesn’t even have an end of life date that I know of, for all they care they could discontinue it tomorrow and release Windows 12.

  6. Anonymous said on February 1, 2023 at 1:38 am
    Reply

    I’m happy with the free normal LTS.

    1. chandan said on February 1, 2023 at 7:03 pm
      Reply

      Hi thanks Linux times.

  7. Anonymous said on January 31, 2023 at 10:59 pm
    Reply

    Ubuntu has become a joke. There are 100s of other distros are better.

    1. ShintoPlasm said on February 1, 2023 at 10:36 am
      Reply

      Utter tosh. Ubuntu – and especially Kubuntu – are great distros: stable, reliable, supported, and with the biggest mindshare in the Linux world (Arch fanatics excepted).

      1. Anonymous said on February 6, 2023 at 1:50 am
        Reply

        Kubuntu is great meanhile Ubuntu keeps changing their Desktop UI. I hope Kubuntu can become more popular than Ubuntu.

      2. Anonymous said on February 2, 2023 at 2:52 pm
        Reply

        Canonical wants to be an amalgamation of RedHat and M$ so bad it’s hilarious.

  8. Andy Prough said on January 31, 2023 at 8:58 pm
    Reply

    The FIPS crypto-modules and the USG-hardening are both features that are “coming soon” according to the website.

    For the free version, don’t click on the “Get Ubuntu Pro” green button at the top of the Ubuntu Pro page – it will take you to a subscription page where your only options are paid subscriptions. Scroll about halfway down the page and click on the “Register” button in the “Free for Personal Use” section. There you can sign into a Ubuntu One account or create a new Ubuntu One account to get your Ubuntu Pro free personal use token for the five machines.

    1. Anonymous said on April 19, 2023 at 4:29 pm
      Reply

      it says coming soon for 22.04 LTS…if you select 20.xx lts and below you’ll see FIPS is already available

    2. John G. said on January 31, 2023 at 11:39 pm
      Reply

      @Andy Prough This is just a great advice by your side! In the section it is remarked that “Anyone can use Ubuntu Pro for free on up to 5 machines, or 50 if you are an official Ubuntu Community member” and it shows a white register button that will drive the user to an acount registration. :]

      1. Andy Prough said on February 1, 2023 at 12:58 am
        Reply

        @John G. – I pushed the green button at the top a few times before I scrolled down the page. I was getting frustrated because everytime I pushed the green button it said I had to pay $25 for a subscription, but Martin was pretty clear that there was a free option available. And if there’s one thing I like – it’s free stuff!!

  9. John G. said on January 31, 2023 at 4:22 pm
    Reply

    After reading the prices of Ubuntu Pro, that can be seen at https://ubuntu.com/pricing/pro , I think that this should be useful for a software like Windows 10, not for Ubuntu. Furthermore, there is no doubt that something fails here in this business model, because it’s not quite accurate or technically recommended to get a Pro suppor when normal Ubuntu itself releases LTS versions every two years. So whilst they offer ten years of support for one of them, they are leaving four LTS out of the Pro prices for the LTS version that you get supported. How can they afford five LTS versions between in those large ten years? With this prices of Ubuntu Pro and seeing the different plans that they offer, the most secure way to retain the users is just release major LTS releases each five years, not two. Ten years of support with four LTS versions between are useless — probably more useful for the Windows 10/11 could be more interesting. Thanks for the article! :]

    1. nothanks@protonamil.com said on January 31, 2023 at 8:16 pm
      Reply

      That support is invaluable for companies. Iirc this is how Redhat makes most of they revenue and they are a billion dollar company.

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