Canonical Unveils Landscape 23.03:  Streamlining Ubuntu Linux Management

Like any old, grizzled Unix/Linux administrator, I used to do everything with shell scripts. But, when you're dealing with multiple servers or workstations, you need more. That's where programs such as Red Hat Satellite and Canonical Landscape come in. Now, Landscape 23.03, offers broader CPU architecture compatibility and improved Ubuntu Linux management and monitoring capabilities.

Landscape 23.03 manages all Ubuntu versions and derivatives from Ubuntu 16.04 Long Term Support (LTS) onwards, as well as Debian Bullseye. The latest version simplifies the launch and configuration of Landscape, with out-of-the-box support now included in Ubuntu Pro, Canonical's comprehensive security and compliance subscription.

If you have multiple dynamic Virtual Machines (VM)s and containers--and these days, who doesn't?--the new subscription model eliminates the need for external license keys in Landscape Server. This makes software license accounting in the back office, always a pain, easier and more accessible.

Landscape is also now available as a dedicated managed service, perfect for organizations looking for the convenience of Landscape Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), deep integration into their Identity and Access Management (IAM) infrastructure, customized Single Sign-On (SSO), localized repository mirrors, and private repositories.

Landscape 23.03 automates the Landscape license through Ubuntu Pro, simplifying administrative tasks for organizations with software license audit requirements. Ubuntu Pro expands Canonical's ten-year security coverage and optional technical support to an additional 23,000 packages beyond the main operating system.

The new release also comes with a streamlined air-gapped solution for your secure systems. It also integrates with a portable contract server. This enables you to use Landscape to distribute updated service credentials, configure software repositories, and activate kernel livepatch infrastructure in network-limited environments.

As for architecture, Landscape 23.03 now supports RISC-V (RV64) CPU architecture, allowing innovators launching projects on RISC-V single-board computers (SBCs) to benefit from Landscape's broader processor compatibility. Landscape Server can also be fully deployed to machines with arm64, s390x, rv64, or ppc64el processors, enabling it to run alongside edge computing workloads on low-power hardware.

The latest version of Landscape has been thoroughly tested on Ampere Altra Family Cloud Native Processors and is compatible with Debian Bullseye and its derivative operating systems. Landscape can be installed on clouds and bare-metal using the cloud-init configuration tool and Juju, Canonical's application deployment and management tool.

Customers can immediately upgrade to the new version of self-hosted Landscape, while Landscape SaaS customers have already been upgraded. I'm quite fond of Landscape, and if you are too, or you want an easy way to manage your Ubuntu systems, I urge you to give it a try.

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