Official Ubuntu Server compressed image file for amd64

#1

I found a compressed image of the official Ubuntu Server for amd64 systems,

kinetic-preinstalled-server-amd64.img.xz

It is interesting because it is easy to extract to most PC computers and works both in UEFI mode and BIOS mode.

See also this link to the Ubuntu Forums

But I cannot find any link at the ISO testing tracker where to download it and there seems to be no suitable testcase (how test and where to report test results). ‘Ubuntu Server amd64’ does not match and ‘Ubuntu Server Subiquity’ points to something else.

Please fix this issue and/or advice how to manage it.

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#2

@vorlon,

Bump (please answer when you have time)

#3

You refer to this as a tarball, but it is not; it is a compressed disk image designed for booting in place (rather than running an installer, hence “preinstalled”).

Inasmuch as http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/milestones/433/builds/248085/testcases and http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/milestones/433/builds/248084/testcases point to the riscv64 and raspberry pi versions of the preinstalled images respectively, it appears that http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/milestones/433/builds/248086/testcases ought to be the place to track the corresponding amd64 preinstalled image. However, “Ubuntu Server amd64” quite clearly refers (in its download URL and its test cases) to the discontinued d-i based server installer image. I do not know why “Ubuntu Server” was used as the name on the ISO tracker for the preinstalled raspi/riscv64 images, leading to this confusion, rather than giving them a distinguished name.

Cc:ing @sil2100, who added the amd64 and arm64 preinstalled images to the build. I do not know why we are building these images if they are not testable and not releasable, as is currently the case; we should either get them on the ISO tracker, or stop building them.

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#4

Thanks for this answer.

  • I edited the opening post; of course it is a compressed image file.
  • It will be interesting to read the reply from @sil2100; I hope they will be testable and released.
#5

This is actually a good question. We have added those images basically on the kernel team’s request - I wasn’t the one enabling those per-se, but I did partake in reviews and merges of the required MPs/releases. The bug with some context is in: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/livecd-rootfs/+bug/1923832

The base idea was to get those building for test/iterative purposed, but not to be released. I need to get in touch with kernel and representatives to see what are the current plans for those images, to see if we should get those officially added to our set of supported and released images.

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