Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Adds Support For Calxeda ARM SOCs, OpenStack

Canonical has just issued its next long-term service release of its Linux distribution. 

Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS is a scheduled 6-month release that covers nine different products - Ubuntu. Ubuntu Server, Ubuntu Core, Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Mythbuntu, Ubuntu Studio, and Xubuntu.

The release brings more than 1,400 fixes addressing installation, upgrade, kernel, hardware support, desktop, server, and cloud bugs. Canonical said that the release is the result of "four months’ worth of real-life enterprise usage" and represents a "rock-solid, thoroughly tested upgrade path for any enterprise running Ubuntu 10.04".

New features in the server version of Ubuntu include support for Calxeda ARM SOCs for microserver environments, as well as the Ubuntu Cloud Archive, which enables administrators to download the latest versions of OpenStack for use with the latest long-term support (LTS) release of Ubuntu. The desktop software received native office apps and support for desktop virtualization packages. Canonical said that 12.04.1 is certified to run on 40 desktops, 98 laptops and 8 netbooks and 41 servers, including 12 of the latest HP Proliant Gen8 servers.

As prior versions, Ubuntu 12.04.1 also is part of a program, that guarantees five years of updates and security fixes. Canonical also offers commercial support.

Wolfgang Gruener is a contributor to Tom's IT Pro. He is currently principal analyst at Ndicio Research, a market analysis firm that focuses on cloud computing and disruptive technologies, and maintains the conceivablytech.comblog. An 18-year veteran in IT journalism and market research, he previously published TG Daily and was managing editor of Tom's Hardware news, which he grew from a link collection in the early 2000s into one of the most comprehensive and trusted technology news sources.

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