Canonical announced the release of Ubuntu 21.10, codenamed Impish Indri, shortly after the release candidate. The developers state that the latest release is designed for cloud-native developers and artificial intelligence and machine learning innovators across the desktop, devices, and cloud. Ubuntu 21.10 is not an LTS (Long-Term Support), it is a short-term release, which means it will be supported for 9 months.
What’s new
Ubuntu 21.10 comes with GNOME 40.4.0, which includes a new and improved Activities Overview design. In the new design, workspaces are arranged horizontally. Additionally, the overview and app grid can be accessed horizontally.
In the new release, Firefox 93 is now seeded as a snap by default. Ubuntu 21.10 also comes with LibreOffice 7.2.1 and Thunderbird 91.1.2. In Ubuntu 21.10, Wayland sessions, a protocol between a display port and client, are now available while using the Nvidia proprietary driver.
Developed for developers
The Impish Indri comes with PHP 8 and GCC 11, which include full support for static analysis to improve developer security awareness. The latest version also comes with GNOME 40 desktop, which brings dynamic workspaces and touchpad gestures. Ubuntu 21.10 also supports graphical applications on Windows Subsystem for Linux for Windows developers, allowing them to use Ubuntu desktop applications without modification.
Canonical also announced that the Ubuntu 21.10 OCI image is available on Docker Hub and Amazon ECR Public Registry. Canonical’s latest LTS Docker Images include Grafana, Prometheus, and NGINX. Apache Cassandra v4 is a new addition capable of real-time scraping, alerts, and improved Prometheus integration. LTS Docker Images now also includes Squid, a caching proxy, and Bind9, a full-featured DNS system.
MicroK8s
MicroK8s enables the installation of Kubernetes with a single command and forms the Kubernetes edge cluster in two commands. It also offers CNCF-certified Kubernetes 1.22in the stable channel. Kata containers are now activated in MicroK8s, a new way to run containers with lightweight virtualization to improve deployment security. MicroK8s for IBM Z support is also available for beta testing.
With the Ubuntu 21.10 release, Canonical offers Apache Cassandra packaged as a snap. It allows DataOps teams to set up a Cassandra cluster.
KFENCE
Ubuntu 21.10 introduces support for Kernel Electric Fence, or KFENCE for short, with Kernel 5.13. KFENCE is a new run-time memory error detector capable of detecting most of the common memory errors. The latest version of Ubuntu will randomize the memory location of the kernel stack at each system-call entry as default.
Additional details about KFENCE
Impish Indri is the final interim release before Canonical’s next Ubuntu long-term support, which is due to be released in April of 2022. Ubuntu 21.10 allows developers to future-proof their work for the next LTS, which will be supported for at least 10 years. Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical said:
“As open source becomes the new default, we aim to bring Ubuntu to all the corners of the enterprise and all the places developers want to innovate. From the biggest public clouds to the tiniest devices, from DGX servers to Windows WSL workstations, open source is the springboard for new ideas and Ubuntu makes that springboard safe, secure and consistent.”
Download Ubuntu 21.10 DVD ISO images
Canonical suggest using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS for users who prefer long-term support. ISO files and flashable images can be downloaded from Ubuntu’s official website.
You can download Ubuntu 21.10 for free using the following links:
Ubuntu 21.10 Desktop (GNOME) | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Ubuntu 21.10 Server | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Kubuntu 21.10 Desktop (KDE) | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Lubuntu 21.10 Desktop (LXQt) | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Xubuntu 21.10 Desktop (Xfce) | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Ubuntu Mate 21.10 Desktop | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
Ubuntu Studio 21.10 Desktop | ISO | Torrent | SHA256SUMS
FAQ
What is the latest version of Ubuntu?
The latest LTS version of Ubuntu is 22.04, also known as "Jammy Jellyfish" and it was released on 21 April 2022. Ubuntu 22.04 will be supported until 2027.
What are the system requirements for Ubuntu?
The latest version of Ubuntu's system requirements are:
- 2 GHz dual-core processor or better
- 4 GB system memory
- 25 GB of free hard drive space
- Internet access is helpful
- Either a DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media
Can Ubuntu run on older hardware?
If you have the above requirements, you can run Ubuntu. We do not recommend using the latest version of Ubuntu for older hardware, but you can try older versions of Ubuntu.
Can I run Ubuntu on a virtual machine?
Yes, you can install and use Ubuntu in virtual machines like VMWare or VirtualBox.
How do I enable Ubuntu on Windows 10?
To enable Ubuntu on Windows 10, you should be using at least Windows build 1709. Then you should enable Windows Subsystem for Linux from the Windows Features interface. Now you can download and install Ubuntu from Microsoft Store.
Can Ubuntu be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, Ubuntu can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install Ubuntu on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install Ubuntu on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to create VM and install a Linux distro on VMWare Workstation