Canonical releases Ubuntu Linux 24.04 LTS 'Noble Numbat'

Following a short beta test period, Canonical today released Ubuntu Linux 24.04 LTS. Codenamed “Noble Numbat,” this version promises enhanced performance, security, and developer productivity. Available for download at Ubuntu’s official site, this release marks a significant update supported for at least 12 years, emphasizing Canonical’s commitment to long-term support.

Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical, highlighted the release’s focus, “Ubuntu 24.04 LTS takes a bold step into performance engineering and confidential computing to deliver an enterprise-grade innovation platform.” This version introduces TCK certified Java, LTS for .NET, and the latest Rust toolchain, catering extensively to developer needs.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS leverages the new Linux 6.8 kernel, enhancing syscall performance and introducing nested KVM support on ppc64el platforms, along with the innovative bcachefs filesystem. Performance enhancements include the integration of low-latency features in the default kernel and enabling frame pointers across all 64-bit architectures to facilitate detailed system profiling.

Canonical’s collaboration with Intel has brought Intel QuickAssist Technology (Intel QAT) to an LTS release for the first time, aimed at accelerating encryption and compression tasks, thus boosting performance across network and storage applications.

The release also fortifies developer support with updated toolchains including Python 3.12, Ruby 3.2, PHP 8.3, and Go 1.22. Notably, .NET 8 is fully supported on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 22.04 LTS, enhancing application upgrade paths before operating system updates. Jeremy Winter, Corporate Vice President at Azure Cloud Native, commended the joint efforts, “Ubuntu is an endorsed Linux distro on Microsoft Azure, and a key component of many of Microsoft’s technologies.”

For Java enthusiasts, OpenJDK 21 is now the default, with continued support for earlier versions and a special FIPS-compliant OpenJDK 11 package available for Ubuntu Pro users. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS also prepares for future developments with Rust 1.75 and a revamped Rust toolchain snap framework.

New management tools have been introduced for both Ubuntu Desktop and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), using shared installer technologies to enable image customization through tools like autoinstall and cloud-init.

In the realm of confidential computing, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS expands its offerings across major cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Amazon Web Services, and introduces support for confidential GPUs in the public cloud.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS “Noble Numbat” promises robust performance upgrades, comprehensive developer tools, and pioneering security features that are set to meet the most demanding enterprise environments. With this release, Canonical reinforces its dedication to serving enterprise needs, extending up to 12 years of security maintenance and support through Ubuntu Pro and an additional Legacy Support add-on.