Ubuntu has supported ZFS as an option for some time. In 19.10, we introduced experimental support on the desktop. As explained, having a ZFS on root option on our desktop was only a first step in what we want to achieve by adopting this combined file system and logical volume manager. I strongly suggest you read the 2 blog posts, linked above, as introductions to this blog series we are starting. Here we cover what’s new compared to 19.10 in term of installation and general features.

Data science has exploded as a practice in the past decade and has become an undisputed driver of innovation. The forcing factors behind the rising interest in Machine Learning, a not so new concept, have consolidated and created an unparalleled capacity for Deep Learning, a subset of Artificial Neural Networks with many “hidden layers”, to thrive in the years to come.

Kubernetes has enjoyed an unparalleled 5-year growth that has revolutionised the IT industry. It has become a key factor for organisations to be successful and have a competitive advantage. In order to optimise these benefits, organisations look for new ways to reduce Kubernetes complexity and get interoperability with other systems. See how combining MicroK8s and WSL 2 brings a low-ops, fully conformant Kubernetes through a single-command install within Windows.

This week, Canonical announced the integration of Charmed Kubernetes with Microsoft Azure Arc. This integration provides businesses with a centralised place to manage their Kubernetes clusters and deploy their applications at scale, from cloud to the edge. The Azure Arc dashboard enables management and governance of any Kubernetes, across any substrate.

Canonical has received FIPS 140-2, Level 1 certification for cryptographic modules in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, with FIPS-validated OpenSSL-1.1.1. modules included. This certification enables organisations to meet compliance requirements within the public sector, healthcare and finance industries when utilising Ubuntu 18.04 LTS within public and private cloud environments. Canonical worked with U.S. Government and BSI accredited laboratory, atsec information security, for the 18.04 LTS FIPS certification.

In Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, the OpenSSL 1.1.1f library has been modified to use Security Level 2 by default (previous versions of Ubuntu use Security Level 1). Security Level 2 guarantees that protocols, key exchange mechanisms, cipher suites, signature algorithms, certificates and key sizes provide a minimum of 112 bits of message secrecy. In practice, it means that RSA keys are required to be at least 2048 bits long and ECC keys at least 224 bits using the SHA256 certificate signature algorithm.

Microsoft Build, Microsoft’s annual developer conference, is taking place virtually May 19-20. Ubuntu will be featured throughout the event, in announcements of new WSL features, demos of cloud-native development on Microsoft Azure, and by presenters using Ubuntu desktop with native Microsoft applications like Teams, Code, and Edge. In an address by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the company announced new features coming to WSL 2.

“No plan survives contact with the enemy.” This is a famous quote attributed to the Prussian field marshal Helmuth von Moltke. It is also quite applicable to software development: “No code survives contact with the user.” In mission-critical environments, staggered deployments of software are a crucial part of controlled updates, designed to ensure maximum stability of production applications and services.

With the release of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) the Ubuntu Server Guide has received a major set of updates and has moved to a new location on the Ubuntu website. The new location makes it much easier to read and contribute improvements. There is a link on the bottom of each page that points directly to the corresponding Discourse page which contains the source for each page of the Ubuntu Server Guide.