Canonical has issued a caution to customers of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It stated that anybody the usage of it nonetheless must glance to improve to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, which is supported till 2029. For customers who want to proceed the usage of that exact model of Ubuntu, there could also be another choice that may will let you use it till April 2030.

The 2nd choice is Expanded Security Maintenance and it is to be had as a part of the Ubuntu Pro subscription. While companies with many machines will want to pay, person customers who need to permit ESM can achieve this on as much as 5 machines by way of following the directions at the Ubuntu Advantage web page. Businesses additionally have the ability to shop for the Legacy Support add-on which extends beef up till April 2032.

It’s necessary to notice that Expanded Security Maintenance will stick with the said expiration date and there would possibly not be a repeat of what took place with Windows XP the place beef up stored getting prolonged as a result of companies weren’t able to improve. For this explanation why, consumers who use Ubuntu must be taking a look to improve to the most recent model once imaginable.

In its commentary, Canonical stated:

“It is a very powerful to plot out your subsequent steps. Running Ubuntu 20.04 with out ESM would imply you now not obtain safety updates after April 2025. Unpatched CVEs may just divulge your methods to safety breaches.

For the ones in regulated industries like monetary products and services, healthcare, or telecommunications, making use of safety patches on time is very important to satisfy compliance requirements. If you’re the usage of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, it’s time to imagine the next move: improve to the most recent Ubuntu LTS or get ESM protection via Ubuntu Pro till 2032.”

Canonical supplies directions for upgrading Ubuntu Desktop and Ubuntu Server right here and right here, respectively. As the end-of-life closing date approaches (Q2 2024), we can most probably listen from Canonical once more urging other people to improve.