LTSEnablementStack

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⇤ ← Revision 8 as of 2013-02-14 00:26:19 →
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Comment: copy-edit and try to use some more natural language
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Comment: Add proposed policies and procedures for 13.04 in 12.04. Also modify 12.10 in 12.04 support policy following tech board decision on reducing interim release support windows.
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 1. We will also deliver a 14.04 LTS HWE stack back into 12.04. This 14.04 HWE stack will remain supported in 12.04 for the life of the 12.04 LTS release.
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 1. When an interim non-LTS enablement stack offering (ie Q|R|S enablement stack in P) reaches its EOL, users will be automatically rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS enablement stack, eg 12.10 enablement stack users will be automatically upgraded to the 14.04 enablement stack in Precise upon the 12.10 enablement stack reaching its EOL. This will ensure a continuous line of support. See item 11 below for follow on discussions.
 1. The interim non-LTS enablement stacks (ie Q|R|S enablement stacks in P) will only be supported in Precise from the time they appear in a point release through the remainder of their natural release life cycle
  1. The one caveat here is the 12.10 enablement stack will be supported slightly longer until the first 14.04 SRU for the kernel and X.
  1. Background: There are concerns that 12.10 will EOL at the same time 14.04 is released. Some are in favor of driving a more rigorous QA effort of the 14.04 enablement stack in 12.04 to ensure an immediate and smooth transition to the 14.04 enablement stack on the day the 12.10 enablement stack EOLs. This would also likely result in an increased level of quality for the initial 14.04 release due to the extra testing focus. Others are however more conservative and would prefer we not offer the 14.04 enablement stack in Precise until the 14.04.1 time frame. We commonly recommend that users should not be using an LTS release for production environments until the .1 release. It seems reasonable that we should apply the same advice for the enablement stacks and subsequently not automatically upgrade users of the 12.10 enablement stack until the 14.04.1 time frame. This provides an additional 3mo window where we would benefit from bug fixes and overall testing we receive in the initial months following 14.04's release. However, the disadvantage here is this extends the support window of the 12.10 enablement stack in Precise beyond its natural support window in its original 12.10 release. It produces a larger maintenance burden as well as a slightly more complicated policy which would need to be explained. As a compromise between the two, we've decided to support 12.10 up until the first SRU for the kernel/X in 14.04.		  1. 12.10 enablement stack users will be automatically upgraded to the 14.04 enablement stack in Precise upon the 12.10 enablement stack reaching its EOL. This will ensure a continuous line of support.
 1. The 12.10 enablement stack will only be supported in Precise from the time it appears in the 12.04.2 point release to the time when users are rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
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== Proposed 12.04.3 + 13.04 Hardware Enablement Stack Policies and Procedures ==

 1. For the 12.04.3 CDs, we will default to the new Raring HWE stack. Due to size limitations we are unable to provide options for both the Raring HWE stack and the original Precise stack.
 1. For the 12.04.3 DVDs, we will default to the new Raring HWE stack as well.
 1. The 12.04.0 and 12.04.1 point releases will be archived and available at old-releases.ubuntu.com.
 1. For the 12.04.3 CDs and DVDs, we will document that anyone installing and wishing to remain on the original 12.04 stack to please install from the 12.04.0 or 12.04.1 media and update.
 1. We only intend to support HWE stack package combinations in 12.04 which are derived from the same release, eg. the 13.04 X.org must be used in conjunction with the 13.04 kernel and vice versa. Intermixing a 13.04 enablement kernel with the 12.04 X.org stack or a 13.04 enablement X.org stack with a 12.04 kernel will not be officially tested nor supported.
 1. Anyone running an original Precise stack will not be automatically updated to the new Raring HWE stack. Users can electively choose to install the Raring enablement stack meta package if they wish to do so.
 1. Additionally, anyone upgrading to Precise will not be automatically upgraded to the new Raring HWE stack. Again, they can electively choose to do so by manually installing the appropriate meta package.
 1. The original 12.04 stack in Precise will remain supported for the usual 5yr life cycle of the LTS release.
 1. We will also deliver a 14.04 LTS HWE stack back into 12.04. This 14.04 HWE stack will remain supported in 12.04 for the life of the 12.04 LTS release.
 1. The natural support duration for the 13.04 Raring Ringtail release is now 9mo. We will however commit to supporting the Raring HWE stack in 12.04 until we are ready to transition these users to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
 1. Anyone running with the newer Raring HWE stack will remain on that stack until the 14.04 LTS HWE stack is ready for use in 12.04. Users will *not* be automatically rolled forward to newer non-LTS HWE stack offerings.
 1. Raring HWE stack users in 12.04 will eventually be rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
  1. We intend on allowing the 14.04 HWE stack to bake in 12.04 from the 14.04 to 14.04.1 point release time frame before automatically transitioning previous interim release HWE stack users (ie 12.04.2, 12.04.3 and 12.04.4 HWE stack users) forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04. This will ensure a continuous line of support.
 1. If anyone is interested in updating to newer HWE stack offerings in Precise as they become available, we will provide series specific meta packages which they can manually choose to install. We will also provide a rolling release meta package for those who do want to roll forward automatically. Again, this will be an elective package install and not mandatory.
 1. The Raring HWE stack will only be supported in Precise from the time it appears in the 12.04.3 point release to the time when users are rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack.
 1. Anyone running a Raring or 13.10 HWE stack in 12.04 might have an unexpected result if they upgrade their entire system to the 12.10 Quantal Quetzal release. The packages offered in the 13.04/13.10 HWE stack would supersede the 12.10 packages. The decision was for update-manager to only prompt to upgrade to the next LTS release, which is how it is already. Otherwise, there should be some type of package conflicts/replace in place to prevent this from happening. This is only a real concern for the 13.04 and 13.10 stacks.
 1. Apport has and will be updated to allow bug reporting in Precise against the HWE stacks. These bugs will also be appropriately tagged to assist in searching.
 1. Only the -generic x86 kernel flavor from 13.04 will be supported in the Raring HWE stack in Precise.

LTS Enablement Stacks

In an effort to support a wider variety of hardware on an existing LTS release, the 12.04.2 and newer point releases will ship with an updated kernel and X stack by default. These newer hardware enablement stacks will be comprised of the newer kernel and X stacks from Quantal, Raring, and S (name TBD). These enablement stacks are only intended for use on x86 hardware at this time. Those running virtual or cloud images should not need these newer enablement stacks and are thus recommended to remain on the original Precise stack. To remain on the original Precise stack there are a few options:

  • Install from a previous 12.04.0 or 12.04.1 point release and update. The previous 12.04.0 and 12.04.1 releases are archived at http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/

  • Perform an update or upgrade to Precise from a previous release. Only those installing from the 12.04.2 or newer point release media will automatically receive a newer enablement stack by default.

  • Perform a network install using the netboot images rather than the new <release>-netboot images, eg. quantal-netboot images.

Anyone wishing to opt into the hardware enablement stack for Precise may do so by installing the linux-generic-lts-<release> and xserver-xorg-lts-<release> packages. For example to install the Quantal hardware enablement packages in Precise, please run the following command:

 sudo apt-get install linux-generic-lts-quantal xserver-xorg-lts-quantal 

Below contains additional specifics regarding the exact policies and procedures regarding the support, maintenance, and upgrade paths for these hardware enablement stacks.

12.04.2 + 12.10 Hardware Enablement Stack Policies and Procedures

  1. For the 12.04.2 CDs, we will default to the new Quantal enablement stack. Due to size limitations we are unable to provide options for both the Quantal enablement stack and the original Precise stack.
  2. For the 12.04.2 DVDs, we will default to the new Quantal enablement stack as well.
  3. The 12.04.0 and 12.04.1 point releases will be archived and available at old-releases.ubuntu.com.
  4. For the 12.04.2 CDs and DVDs, we will document that anyone installing and wishing to remain on the original 12.04 stack to please install from the 12.04.0 or 12.04.1 media and update.

    1. For the 12.04.2 point release, https://help.ubuntu.com/ and http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop should be updated to notify users that they do have the option to install with the 12.04.1 media as an alternative to remain on the original Precise stack. A link to the 12.04.1 media which will be archived at old-releases.ubuntu.com should also be referenced in this message.

  5. We only intend to support enablement stack package combinations in 12.04 which are derived from the same release, eg. the 12.10 X.org must be used in conjunction with the 12.10 kernel and vice versa. Intermixing a 12.10 enablement kernel with the 12.04 X.org stack or a 12.10 enablement X.org stack with a 12.04 kernel will not be officially tested nor supported.
  6. Anyone running with the original Precise stack will not be automatically updated to the new Quantal enablement stack. Users can electively choose to install the Quantal (or newer) enablement stack meta package if they wish to do so.
  7. Additionally, anyone upgrading to Precise will not be automatically upgraded to the new Quantal enablement stack. Again, they can electively choose to do so by manually installing the appropriate meta package.
  8. The original 12.04 stack in Precise will remain supported for the usual 5yr life cycle of the LTS release.
  9. We will also deliver a 14.04 LTS HWE stack back into 12.04. This 14.04 HWE stack will remain supported in 12.04 for the life of the 12.04 LTS release.
  10. Anyone running with the newer Quantal enablement stack will remain on that stack until the following 14.04 LTS enablement stack is available and supported in 12.04. Users will *not* be automatically rolled forward to interim non-LTS enablement stack offerings.
    1. If anyone is interested in updating to newer enablement stack offerings in Precise as they become available, we will provide series specific meta packages which they can manually choose to install. We will also provide a rolling release meta package for those who do want to roll forward automatically. Again, this will be an elective package install and not mandatory.
  11. 12.10 enablement stack users will be automatically upgraded to the 14.04 enablement stack in Precise upon the 12.10 enablement stack reaching its EOL. This will ensure a continuous line of support.
  12. The 12.10 enablement stack will only be supported in Precise from the time it appears in the 12.04.2 point release to the time when users are rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
  13. Anyone running an R or S enablement stack in Precise might have an unexpected result if they upgrade their entire system to Quantal. The packages offered in the R/S enablement stack would supersede the Quantal packages. The decision was for update-manager to only prompt to upgrade to the next LTS release, which is how it is already. Otherwise, there should be some type of package conflicts/replace in place to prevent this from happening. This is only a real concern for the R and S stacks.
  14. Apport has and will be updated to allow bug reporting in Precise against the enablement stacks. These bugs will also be appropriately tagged to assist in searching.
  15. Only the -generic kernel flavor from Quantal will be supported in Precise.

Proposed 12.04.3 + 13.04 Hardware Enablement Stack Policies and Procedures

  1. For the 12.04.3 CDs, we will default to the new Raring HWE stack. Due to size limitations we are unable to provide options for both the Raring HWE stack and the original Precise stack.
  2. For the 12.04.3 DVDs, we will default to the new Raring HWE stack as well.
  3. The 12.04.0 and 12.04.1 point releases will be archived and available at old-releases.ubuntu.com.
  4. For the 12.04.3 CDs and DVDs, we will document that anyone installing and wishing to remain on the original 12.04 stack to please install from the 12.04.0 or 12.04.1 media and update.
  5. We only intend to support HWE stack package combinations in 12.04 which are derived from the same release, eg. the 13.04 X.org must be used in conjunction with the 13.04 kernel and vice versa. Intermixing a 13.04 enablement kernel with the 12.04 X.org stack or a 13.04 enablement X.org stack with a 12.04 kernel will not be officially tested nor supported.
  6. Anyone running an original Precise stack will not be automatically updated to the new Raring HWE stack. Users can electively choose to install the Raring enablement stack meta package if they wish to do so.
  7. Additionally, anyone upgrading to Precise will not be automatically upgraded to the new Raring HWE stack. Again, they can electively choose to do so by manually installing the appropriate meta package.
  8. The original 12.04 stack in Precise will remain supported for the usual 5yr life cycle of the LTS release.
  9. We will also deliver a 14.04 LTS HWE stack back into 12.04. This 14.04 HWE stack will remain supported in 12.04 for the life of the 12.04 LTS release.
  10. The natural support duration for the 13.04 Raring Ringtail release is now 9mo. We will however commit to supporting the Raring HWE stack in 12.04 until we are ready to transition these users to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
  11. Anyone running with the newer Raring HWE stack will remain on that stack until the 14.04 LTS HWE stack is ready for use in 12.04. Users will *not* be automatically rolled forward to newer non-LTS HWE stack offerings.
  12. Raring HWE stack users in 12.04 will eventually be rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04.
    1. We intend on allowing the 14.04 HWE stack to bake in 12.04 from the 14.04 to 14.04.1 point release time frame before automatically transitioning previous interim release HWE stack users (ie 12.04.2, 12.04.3 and 12.04.4 HWE stack users) forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack in 12.04. This will ensure a continuous line of support.
  13. If anyone is interested in updating to newer HWE stack offerings in Precise as they become available, we will provide series specific meta packages which they can manually choose to install. We will also provide a rolling release meta package for those who do want to roll forward automatically. Again, this will be an elective package install and not mandatory.
  14. The Raring HWE stack will only be supported in Precise from the time it appears in the 12.04.3 point release to the time when users are rolled forward to the 14.04 LTS HWE stack.
  15. Anyone running a Raring or 13.10 HWE stack in 12.04 might have an unexpected result if they upgrade their entire system to the 12.10 Quantal Quetzal release. The packages offered in the 13.04/13.10 HWE stack would supersede the 12.10 packages. The decision was for update-manager to only prompt to upgrade to the next LTS release, which is how it is already. Otherwise, there should be some type of package conflicts/replace in place to prevent this from happening. This is only a real concern for the 13.04 and 13.10 stacks.
  16. Apport has and will be updated to allow bug reporting in Precise against the HWE stacks. These bugs will also be appropriately tagged to assist in searching.
  17. Only the -generic x86 kernel flavor from 13.04 will be supported in the Raring HWE stack in Precise.

Kernel/LTSEnablementStack (last edited 2023-05-17 17:58:01 by anthonywong)