Ubuntu Advantage – support re-structured

Canonical have re-structured the support options for Ubuntu. Collectively these are now known as the Ubuntu Advantage and, as laid out on the Ubuntu Advantage web page, combine Landscape system management with direct access to technical support engineers, legal indemnification against IP infringement and access to a range of exclusive knowledge sources.

Landscape online systems management provides the ability to manage multiple machines as one, including the ability to monitor multiple physical, virtual and cloud machine instances through a single web interface. By default Landscape is a hosted service running on Canonical servers and it is this service that is included with all Ubuntu Advantage subscriptions. Customers can optionally choose to run the Landscape systems management on-site.

Ubuntu Advantage options can be purchased online from the Canonical store as Server, Desktop or Cloud support. Desktop support offers two options; Standard desktop (£66.32 for one year), which includes the Landscape hosted management, knowledge base access and installation and administration support, and Advanced desktop (£104.21) which in addition offers support for desktop virtualisation and developer tools.

Similarly server support is offered as Essential (£202.11), which includes the Landscape hosted management, knowledgebase access and support for basic installation and applications, Standard (£442.11), which adds Windows integration and virtualisation support, and Advanced (£757.91), which adds support for clustering, high availability and custom package repositories.

There are also support add-ons available for cloud support. The Landscape agent add-on is available for both desktop and server (£94.74). The Landscape agent is an add-on product which is designed for virtual instances or cloud images that run on top of a customer's physical Ubuntu machines.

Prices given exclude VAT and are for 1 year of support per desktop, or per server. Three year support options are available and discounts apply for volume purchases.

(trk)