General

What are the new features for each release?

• Ubuntu 14.10 Release Notes: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UtopicUnicorn/ReleaseNotes

• Ubuntu 14.04.1 Notes: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/ReleaseNotes

What is the URL to download Ubuntu for Power?

• 14.04.1: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/14.04/release/

• 14.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/releases/14.10/release/

What is the URL to download Ubuntu daily images?

• DVD version: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-server/daily/current/

• Netboot version: http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/dists/utopic/main/installer-ppc64el/current/images/netboot/

Installation & Configuration

How to Report an installation bug effectively?

It's important to add the log in the bug report. To get it you need:

1. At the error message, choose "Back" button;
2. Go to the item "Exit to shell"

3. Get the file /var/log/syslog

How to use Ubuntu as a hypervisor?

• Note Recommended 14.10 or later

Ubuntu is able to be used as a hypervisor, as an alternative to PowerKVM. Just install in bare metal (NV) it following the steps in Running Ubuntu non-virtualized on POWER8 After the installation you need:

1. Install the missing virtualization packages:

   # sudo apt-get install qemu-user qemu-utils cloud-image-utils qemu-system-ppc qemu-slof libvirt-bin numactl

2. Add the users that would be able to run virtual machines into the kvm group:

   # sudo usermod -a -G kvm <user>

3. Disable the SMT:

   # sudo ppc64_cpu --smt=off

4. Enable KVM module in the kernel (Add a line "kvm_hv" in /etc/modules in order to automatically load it after a reboot):

   # sudo modprobe kvm_hv

5. Assure that you have the /usr/bin/qemu-system-ppc64le file, otherwise, create a link as follow. This is temporary, check [1]:

   # sudo ln -s qemu-system-ppc64 /usr/bin/qemu-system-ppc64le

6. Allow apparmor to access the SLOF (firmware). This is temporary, check [2]:

   # echo "/usr/share/slof/** r," >> /etc/apparmor.d/abstractions/libvirt-qemu

7. If you hit "failed to parse default acl file `/etc/qemu/bridge.conf", you need to edit (or create) file /etc/qemu/bridge.conf and add:

   allow br0

8. If you hit "failed to create tun device: Operation not permitted", you need to set the setuid attribute:

   # chmod u+s /usr/lib/qemu/qemu-bridge-helper

[1] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/virt-manager/+bug/1374558
[2] https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libvirt/+bug/1374554

Apt-get is using IPv6 to download repository information and I don't have it. How do I force IPv4?

Just run the following command:

• echo "Acquire::ForceIPv4 true;" > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99force-ipv4

Usage

How to search and get more information about a package in Ubuntu?

If you have Ubuntu installed on a machine, you can run the following command to grab the package version and details for the Ubuntu version you are using:

• apt-cache search <package name>

On the other side, you can go to the web and look for the package on the Ubuntu webpage:

• 14.04: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/ppc64el

• 14.10: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/utopic/ppc64el

• 15.04: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/vivid/ppc64el

What are the build log for packages?

• https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/trusty/ppc64el/+builds

How to discover in which repository (main, universe, multiverse) a package is

Append the package name at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/, as (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/nmap for nmap). Look at the Component field.

How to upgrade a system to the most upgraded state, as from a beta to a GA release. (not migrating between major release as 14.04 -> 14.10)

Run the following commands:

• sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get upgrade