DapperReleaseNotes

Revision 33 as of 2006-05-31 17:31:21

Clear message

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS Release Notes

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution for your desktop or server, with a fast and easy install, regular releases, a tight selection of excellent applications installed by default, and almost any other software you can imagine available through the network. Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support) will be supported with security updates for 5 years on the server and 3 years on the desktop after its release, and professional technical support is available from many companies around the world.

These Release Notes cover new features in Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, download and installation notes, known issues, and frequently asked questions. Please read these notes before, during, and after installation and configuration of Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, and before reporting bugs in [https://launchpad.net/malone/distros/ubuntu Launchpad].

We hope you enjoy Ubuntu.


TableOfContents

What's new

Ubuntu is released regularly and predictably. Since our October 2005 release (Ubuntu 5.10), we've made a lot of improvements to give you the best Linux experience possible. Here's what's new with Ubuntu 6.06 LTS:

On the Desktop CD

  • A new, very fast, graphical installer based on the Live CD
  • Faster system startup and login
  • Simplified menu organization
  • Graphical shutdown process
  • Easy access to power management settings with GNOME Power Manager
  • Improved support for video playback
  • Optional NetworkManager for convenient roaming between different

    • wireless and wired networks
  • GNOME 2.14.1, OpenOffice.org 2.0.2, X.org 7.0

On the Server

  • New kernels targeted at server platforms. The server kernels are
    • tuned differently than the desktop kernels (providing better performance for server applications).
  • There are both low-end, and "big iron" server kernels. The low-end
    • server kernel is generic, and should work on the same equipment that the desktop kernel runs on. The highend server kernel is geared towards systems with greater than 8 CPUs (ES7000 / Summit / BIGSMP).
  • Turn-key LAMP installation for this common deployment scenario
  • Improved support for clusters and SANs
  • Numerous thin client enhancements, including faster client startup,
    • graphical boot process, reduced memory requirements, and sound device support

Localization

  • Automatic setup of non-Latin input methods
  • Menu item translations included in language packs, for faster
    • integration of new and updated translations provided through Rosetta

Installation and Upgrades

  • Ubuntu can now be installed to USB devices, such as removable
    • hard drives and flash memory, using the text-mode installer
  • A new upgrade tool is available, for simple, clean and reliable
    • upgrades from one Ubuntu release to the next, starting with Ubuntu 5.10
  • The alternate installer now runs in a single stage, rebooting
    • straight into the complete system. This makes it faster, simpler, and more reliable.

"Under the hood"

  • GCC 4.0.3
  • glibc 2.3.6
  • Linux 2.6.15.6
  • New live CD infrastructure for improved performance, usability and
    • space-efficiency
  • Greatly improved infrastructure for automatic hardware detection and activation
  • The system PATH is now set in exactly one place, /etc/environment, for
    • convenient administration

As always, Ubuntu includes the very best of the 100% Free / Libre application software world, and each new release incorporates countless new features and bugfixes from the global development community.

Downloading and Installing

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS supports three (3) major architectures: Intel x86, AMD64, and PowerPC. Depending on your needs, you might manage with less than some of the recommended hardware listed in the table below. However, most users risk being frustrated if they ignore these suggestions.

Table 1 Recommended Minimum Requirements

Install Type

RAM

Hard Drive Space

Desktop

256 megabytes

3 gigabytes

Server

64 megabytes

500 megabytes

Here are some common Ubuntu system configurations. Once again, the size of the installation will greatly depend on the software you install during setup. For most users, the default applications are suitable enough for general use.

Desktop

A standard desktop box, including a full desktop environment, sound, office suite, email clients, etc. You'll need about 3 gigabytes of hard drive space.

Server

This is a small server profile, which provides a common base for all sorts of server applications. It's minimal and designed to have the desired services added on top, such as file/print services, web hosting, email hosting, etc. For these services at least 500MB of disk space will suffice, but consider adding more space depending on the services you'd like to host with your server.

Known Issues

  • If you are installing from the Desktop CD on a system that already has one or more RAID arrays or LVM volume groups set up, you must disable the arrays (sudo /etc/init.d/mdadm stop; sudo mdadm --stop --scan) and volume groups (sudo vgchange -a n) before starting the installer.

  • When installing from the Desktop CD on powerpc and using manual partitioning, you may experience problems setting up the HFS bootstrap partition required for the yaboot boot loader. You will need to deselect the bootstrap partition on the mount points page, and an error message beginning with "No NewWorld boot partition was found" will appear, at which you should select "Continue". If the bootstrap partition did not exist prior to starting installation, then you may need to create it using parted outside the installer: make sure the partition is of type hfs, at least 820kB in size, and has the boot flag set. Installations from the Desktop CD with automatic partitioning, or from the alternate install CD, do not have this problem.

  • Server images for the SPARC architecture are undergoing final quality assurance and testing; release images will be published as soon as certifications on T1000 and T2000 are complete.
  • redhat-cluster-suite [https://launchpad.net/bugs/47645 fails to install properly] due to changed error reporting from ccs_test. A workaround is to install ccs first, provide a valid configuration for it, and install the rest of the suite later. See /usr/share/doc/gfs-tools/min-gfs.txt in the gfs-tools package for details.

  • Upgrades from Ubuntu 5.10 on certain Dell desktop models [https://launchpad.net/bugs/37430 may hang while configuring pcmcia-cs]. An update will be published shortly in the dapper-updates repository to correct this problem, at which point this release note will be updated.

Getting Help and Technical Support

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS gives users an easy way to get help in most applications installed by default. Once you have an active internet connection, from an open application, just click on Help → Get Help Online and you'll be directed to an online webpage that gives you help and support options for the application.

Technical Support for Ubuntu is available from a variety of sources: from the community, from Canonical Ltd, from recognized organizations, and from developers directly through open web forums, mailing lists and IRC channels:

If you have a question, or if you think you may have found a bug but aren't sure, first try asking on the #ubuntu IRC channel on Freenode, on the Ubuntu Users mailing list, or on the Ubuntu forums:

Reporting Bugs

Your comments, bug reports, patches and suggestions will help fix bugs and improve future releases. Please report bugs through Malone:

Participate in Ubuntu

If you would like to help shape Ubuntu, take a look at the list of ways you can participate at

More Information

You can find out more about Ubuntu on our website, IRC channel and wiki. If you're new to Ubuntu, please visit:

For the release notes for Kubuntu visit http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DapperReleaseNotes/Kubuntu

To sign up for future Ubuntu announcements, please subscribe to Ubuntu's announcement list at:


This document is maintained by the Ubuntu Documentation Team. Please feel free to contact us regarding any concerns or suggestions by either sending an email to [mailto:ubuntu-doc@lists.ubuntu.com ubuntu-doc@lists.ubuntu.com] or by using any of the other methods on the [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam/Contact Ubuntu Documentation Team Contact Information Page].