Clarification on Ubuntu Cloud Archive Status and Future Support Plans

[eCoder]

Hello Ubuntu Community,

I wanted to inquire about the current state and future plans regarding the Ubuntu Cloud Archive (UCA). I’ve noticed that the official UCA wiki page hasn’t been updated since October 2023 (OpenStack/CloudArchive - Ubuntu Wiki). However, upon checking Launchpad, it appears there has been recent activity, including the release of the Dalmatian Cloud Archive for Ubuntu 24.04 (Series dalmatian : Ubuntu Cloud Archive), and an associated bug fix enabling the command add-apt-repository cloud-archive:dalmatian - Bug #2073742 “[SRU] Enable support for Dalmation Cloud Archive” : Bugs : software-properties package : Ubuntu

I rely exclusively on Ubuntu packages for managing my OpenStack and Ceph clouds, specifically because Ubuntu provides a uniquely smooth upgrade path. It allows for incremental upgrades of OpenStack and Ceph on the current LTS release and later facilitates a smooth major Ubuntu LTS upgrade while maintaining consistent OpenStack/Ceph versions. This feature is incredibly valuable and highly appreciated.

Given this, could someone from the Ubuntu team provide clarity on:

1. The current state of the Ubuntu Cloud Archive documentation.
2. Future plans for maintaining and updating the UCA over the next 5-10 years.
3. Assurance that this valuable upgrade path functionality will continue to be supported.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts; this approach has been instrumental in our infrastructure strategy, and we sincerely hope it will continue.

NOTE: Sure, I can see ongoing activity: Bug #2086844 “[SRU] Enable support for Epoxy Cloud Archive” : Bugs : software-properties package : Ubuntu - Perhaps just the wiki that is not maintained anymore?

Cheers!

[freyes]

Hi @eCoder ,

I’m Felipe, member of the OpenStack Engineering team at Canonical, thanks for the feedback on the UCA status and how you value it.

Let me try to answer your questions:

1. The current state of the Ubuntu Cloud Archive documentation.

This is outdated, it was an oversight from our side, I will make a note so we get updated, since you already noticed we keep release UCA pockets for newer OpenStack releases.

2. Future plans for maintaining and updating the UCA over the next 5-10 years.

The level of support for each OpenStack release can be found at Supported OpenStack versions | Ubuntu , also outdated, and I will get this updated too.

3. Assurance that this valuable upgrade path functionality will continue to be supported.

We keep invested in getting new OpenStack releases, at the moment we are working in 2025.1 (epoxy) packages that will be available in Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky) and a corresponding UCA pocket for Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble).

[freyes]

up to date information and different levels of support per product and OpenStack release can be found https://canonical-openstack.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/reference/release-cycle-and-supported-versions/

[eCoder]

Hi Felipe,

Thank you for clarifying the Ubuntu Cloud Archive (UCA) status and future support plans. I truly appreciate your prompt response and the updates.

Ubuntu’s unique ability to provide seamless and continuous upgrades for both OpenStack and Ceph within LTS releases is exceptionally valuable. It’s awesome how Ubuntu enables smooth OpenStack and Ceph (sometimes even QEMU, Libvirt, Openvswitch, DPDK, etc) version upgrades through successive Ubuntu Cloud Archive (UCA) repositories within a single LTS release. This capability allows us to incrementally upgrade our Private Cloud Full Stack installations smoothly and reliably, finally aligning precisely with the newer their versions packaged in the subsequent Ubuntu LTS release, facilitating an effortless OS upgrade via a simple do-release-upgrade.

Here’s a simple representation of how smooth this is:

Ubuntu LTS Release | OpenStack Release | Ceph Release (digit)
-------------------|-------------------|---------------------
20.04 (Focal)      | Yoga              | Quincy (17.2.x)
22.04 (Jammy)      | Yoga              | Quincy (17.2.x)
22.04 UCA          | Zed               | Quincy (17.2.x)
22.04 UCA          | Antelope          | Quincy (17.2.x)
22.04 UCA          | Bobcat            | Reef (18.2.x)
22.04 UCA          | Caracal           | Squid (19.2.x)
24.04 (Noble)      | Caracal           | Squid (19.2.x)
24.04 UCA          | Dalmatian         | Squid (19.2.x)
24.04 UCA          | Epoxy             | Squid (19.2.x)

Being able to perform these incremental upgrades seamlessly is critical for any serious public or private cloud deployment. Upgrading Ubuntu from 22.04 to 24.04 while maintaining Caracal/Squid is amazing! I particularly enjoy using OpenStack Ansible and appreciate its stable integration with Ubuntu’s UCA packages, ensuring smooth, predictable upgrades. I look forward to trying Juju Charms soon!

Ubuntu truly stands out in this aspect, especially compared to the complexities faced when upgrading CentOS across major releases (e.g., 6 → 7 → 8), which often results in painful reinstalls rather than simple upgrades. Moreover, the recent fragmentation in the CentOS ecosystem after IBM’s acquisition of RedHat (e.g., Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux) contrasts sharply with Ubuntu’s consistency and simplicity.

Another great example is how Ubuntu continues to provide robust, rock-solid Ceph packages directly via Debian packaging, unlike upstream Ceph’s growing emphasis on Docker containers, which I personally find less appealing.

Thanks again for sharing the link to the supported OpenStack versions (Supported OpenStack versions | Ubuntu & https://canonical-openstack.readthedocs-hosted.com/en/latest/reference/release-cycle-and-supported-versions/). For completeness, here’s the Ceph support page for your reference: Supported Ceph versions | Ubuntu .

Also, thank you for updating the Wiki page (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/OpenStack/CloudArchive), nice to see Ubuntu 24.04 mentioned there already!

Cheers!