Canonical, the company behind the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, has sometimes made decisions met with mixed feelings by the Linux community. This time, however, is not the case and can only be welcomed.
Ubuntu Pro subscription, introduced as a beta in October, is now generally available. Most importantly, Canonical decided to expand it beyond commercial use and made the service free for anyone on up to five PCs. But before we go any further, letโs explain what Ubuntu Pro is.
What is Ubuntu Pro?
Ubuntu Pro is a subscription service offered by Canonical which provides access to a set of enhanced features and capabilities for the Ubuntu operating system, designed to meet the needs of enterprise users. It covers the underlying operating system and the private cloud components needed for large-scale bare-metal deployments but excludes the new broader application coverage.
The subscription service has been available for every Ubuntu’s Long Term Support (LTS) release since 16.04 “Xenial Xerus” LTS.
Ubuntu Pro is also available for on-premises deployments, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. In addition, users that need to cover more than five computers can try Ubuntu Pro for free for 30 days, with paid plans starting at $25 per year per workstation and $500 per year per server.
And finally, if you are an official Ubuntu Community member, then the number of free Ubuntu Pro subscriptions you can use is 50.
What Are Ubuntu Proโs Advantages?
Ubuntu Pro applies to both the operating system’s desktop and server versions. Its primary advantages are as follows:
- 10 years of support.
- Kernel Livepatching – eliminates the need for reboots by patching the Linux kernel while the system runs.
- Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) – provides available critical, high, and selected medium CVE fixes.
- Critical patches in less than 24 hours.
- Support for over 2,300 open source deb packages in Ubuntu Main repository for 10 years.
- Support over 23,000 open-source deb packages in the Ubuntu Universe repository for 10 years.
How to Get Ubuntu Pro for Free?
All users with a valid Ubuntu One account have access to the Ubuntu Pro subscription and can register up to 5 machines for free. However, if you don’t have one, you must register first. It is free and you can do it here. Then, you can log into your Ubuntu Pro dashboard to keep track of your current subscriptions.
Next, ensure that the Ubuntu system you want to register has the most recent updates installed. To do this, run:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgradeThen, ensure that the Ubuntu Pro client version on your Ubuntu system is at least 27.13.1 or newer. You can do this by running in the terminal:
pro --version
However, if you are using an older version, use the command below to update it to the most recent one.
sudo apt install ubuntu-advantage-tools=27.13.1~$(lsb_release -rs).1Code language: JavaScript (javascript)You can check the machine’s current Ubuntu Pro status by running the following:
pro security-status
Finally, link the machine to your Ubuntu Pro subscription by running the following:
sudo pro attach [YOUR_TOKEN]Code language: CSS (css)Your token is available in your personal Ubuntu Pro Dashboard. And that’s all!
Bottom Line
Free Ubuntu Pro subscriptions are a great Canonical move that we can only applaud. So, whether you’re a home user enjoying Ubuntu for personal purposes or a business using Ubuntu for server needs, Ubuntu Pro is a fantastic way to receive the ultimate top-end security and reliability for free, previously only available to enterprise-paid customers.
For more information on the new Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, see the official website by clicking here.
