Score:1

Is it bad to use ubuntu server intermediate releases in production

ec flag

Long term user, First time caller

I have recently switched my production servers to Ubuntu Server (from a RedHat derivative). Mainly I have done this for rolling updates.

On my Laptop / Desktops I have always used the intermediate releases of Ubuntu (or Kubuntu to be more specific).

I expected to do the same on Server (specifically for things like Apache / PHP version bumps) however wherever I look every reference to upgrading server talks about LTS - I can't even find another person suggesting they might use non-LTS on Server.

I know it can be done, (or at least presume it's just a case of editing /etc/update-manager/release-upgrades) and I see that intermediate Server installs are published, and have even found Intermediate release AMIs on AWS.

I also know I would have to keep rolling forward every six months, and am fine with that.

So I guess my question really is (as per title) ... Is it bad to use ubuntu server intermediate releases in production or is it just that people don't.

sudodus avatar
jp flag
If you need the bleeding edge versions of the software packages it is a good idea, but it might be a bumpy ride compared to staying with the LTS releases. So it depends how important it is to run the servers for long times without any unplanned shutdowns. Only you can decide (and AskUbuntu is usually not willing to 'discuss opinions'). You may get better feedback at the [Ubuntu Forums](https://ubuntuforums.org).
user535733 avatar
cn flag
It's not "bad." But it does mean you are doing the testing and integration work for your production servers every six months instead of every two years.
Score:1
cn flag

Is it bad to use ubuntu server intermediate releases in production or is it just that people don't.

Companies don't. Servers that need permanent maintenance costs resources (not just money but also manpower) and that cost comes with no return but does keep returning. Not good for business.

It is far cheaper to have a 2nd machine, set that up to be the new server and then migrate personal data. Or use a friday night backup to restore onto the new server over the weekend where on monday the new server is available.

And it is also far cheaper to then also stick to LTS and the software that this LTS brings.

But if you want bleeding edge you could install the source version in /opt/ and use those. We have a setup using vanilla Google Cloud where apache, nginx, mysql, jasperserver versions we use are always installed in /opt/ for all our systems where we switch between what we need. Depends on preference I guess.

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