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WoJ
Asked: 2020-07-14 03:21:41 +0800 CST

What are "hardware updates" in the context of Ubuntu's lifecycle?

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I see in the Ubuntu lifecycle and release cadence documentation that there is a difference made between "maintenance updates" and "hardware updates".

What exactly are "hardware updates"?

Are these:

  • updates to currently supported hardware (say, I have an Intel Skylake which is already supported, and these are new updates for that equipment)
  • support for new hardware, not supported before?
  • both?
  • something else?
updates hardware

1 Answers

  1. Essentially, "hardware updates" means introducing support for more and newer hardware. "Maintenance updates" means receiving updates to fix emerging security issues and bugs.

    Interim versions of LTS editions (.2 and above) are shipped with more recent kernel versions during a period indicated by "Hardware and maintenance updates" on the diagram. After that period, all users will remain on their current kernel version, which continues to be maintained to fix emerging security issues and bugs.

    More detail

    Hardware support is provided by the linux kernel. A long-term release of Ubuntu ships with a certain kernel series, which is during the entire support period maintained for security patches and fixing bugs. To enable hardware support for newer machines, interim releases of long term support versions, the "dot" versions, are released, build on a more recent kernel, hence also supporting more recent hardware.

    When you initially install an Ubuntu LTS, you will in principle stay with your current kernel version throughout. If it works fine on your machine, that is perfectly fine, and the most stable option. That kernel is supported and maintained throughout the entire support period.

    If you, however, decide to move to a new Hardware Enablement Stack (HWE), you will follow a Rolling Update Model. That means you will automatically move to a newer kernel when available. Moving to a HWE is opt-in: you can, but by default, you won't. After the "hardware and updates" period, you will stop receiving newer kernels. Your current kernel remains supported and maintained throughout the remainder of the support period.

    Newer users downloading a newer version of the LTS installation ISO will automatically be on the new HWE stack introduced by that interim release. Users of the original release will stay on their current kernel line for the entire support period, until they opt in to go to the new HWE stack.

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