In May of 2022, ITS completed a request for proposals (RFP) for Linux software support. The purpose of this RFP was to formally evaluate the support options from multiple Linux vendors as related to their OS and management software offerings and the value provided. This process began in response to major changes that occurred when CentOS was discontinued in favor of CentOS Stream. The changes in lifecycle associated with this change caused CentOS to no longer be a viable distribution for many campus applications in the long term.

The contract resulting from the RFP process is with Sirius who bid Canonical support for the Ubuntu Linux distribution. The support pricing options available for authenticated UIowa stakeholders at this link.

If you are interested in licenses and/or support for Ubuntu Pro,
please contact Sirius/CDW-G directly at UISIRIUSTEAM@siriuscom.com

You will likely need to work with Purchasing to order your licenses individually.

ITS-hosted Virtual Machines will be covered by existing licensing for VMware Hypervisor environments.  This licensing will include Full OS and Application support for 24x7 coverage.

ITS will not be centrally managing license renewals for any environments other than the centrally managed virtualization service.  Stakeholders who are licensing for their own use will be responsible for timely renewals and ongoing maintenance of your license compliance.  We encourage the use of ITS centrally managed machines for your server needs wherever possible.

What are some of the benefits of paid for Ubuntu Pro support vs using the normal open source Ubuntu software?

• Technical Support 
• Access to the Canonical Knowledge base
• Landscape (Online systems management tool providing update management, scripting and monitoring across all your Ubuntu systems)
• Legal Assurance (Canonical will cover intellectual property infringement and any legal claims brought against customers in their use of Ubuntu)
• 10 year security coverage on every LTS release
• Kernel live patching
• Many zero-day vulnerabilities addressed under embargo, with critical CVEs patched in less than 24h on average
• FIPS 140-2 certified crypto modules
• Coverage of additional applications beyond the OS