Ubuntu upgrade ugliness

Keywords: Match:

Aug. 28, 2006

Ubuntu's star shines a little less brightly since a recently released patch knocked out its users' graphical user interface. Affected users saw -- the horror, the horror -- a blue screen of death. While this screen had more useful information than the Microsoft blue screen, it still wasn't useful to confused users.

Ubuntu 6.06 LTS users who installed updates between 17:30 UTC on Monday, Aug. 21 and 10:00 UTC on Tuesday, Aug. 22 were the ones affected by this problem.

A note to users on Ubuntu's web site said "An update to the windowing system in Ubuntu was incorrectly released for Ubuntu 6.06 LTS. When applied to Ubuntu 6.06, the patch inadvertently breaks the desktop windowing environment on some systems."

It went on, "When we learned of the problem, the patch was immediately withdrawn. Mirrors have also been disabled to ensure that the faulty patch isn't available from them. We have launched an investigation and formal quality process review to understand exactly how this happened and what corrective actions to take."

While users could reach a command line interface, many new Ubuntu users were still confused as to what to do about the problem.

The solution was to login from the command line. Then, the user must do a:

sudo apt-get update

followed by

sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-core

In most Debian/Linux distributions, this would be done by logging in as the root user, but Ubuntu discourages the use of root, so the more cumbersome, but also more secure, sudo method must be used instead.

You then hold down Control and Alt, and then press Delete, to reboot the xServer into a functional condition.

The problem with the "bad" patch was that it was an experimental patch, which wasn't ready for release to the general public.

Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical, Ubuntu's parent company, apologized to users in his blog. "As a team we made a series of errors, and the result was a desktop that was broken for thousands of users, for several hours."

He went on, "My apologies to those who have been affected, I know that a blue screen of death is the very last thing anybody ever wants to see on Linux desktops and that any downtime caused by mistakes on our part, even measured in minutes, is unacceptable."

Shuttleworth explained, "An incident report is being compiled by the team and we will publish that for our broader community and users as soon as it is complete."

Looking ahead, Shuttleworth said, "In addition to the incident report, we are also putting into production a long-discussed mechanism for widespread testing of non-essential updates (support for new hardware, for example) by users who want advanced access to that code, or those who are part of our more sophisticated user community. We know now that no amount of internal testing will find certain issues, even issues which could have a widespread footprint and obvious failures, and the only way to get certainty on the potential impact of a change is to put it out to a wider, but controlled, audience."

-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories: • Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges • WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops • BeOS-like distro focused on content creation • Lenovo launches a netbook • Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango • Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers • Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept. • Lenovo denies ditching Linux • gOS 3.0 goes Gadget crazy • OpenSUSE 11.0 arrives All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • A simple Linux backup method • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • The well-tempered Debian desktop • What's the best Linux for beginners? • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users • VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of • Getting to know Puppy Linux	Desktop Linux books Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more

BREAKING NEWS

• Linux gains FPS
• Ubuntu tops on desktop, but not servers
• Browser swallows OS
• Tutorial reveals desktop Linux security tips
• Fedora 10 first impressions
• 8,000 TuxTop models and counting
• "Moonlight" ready to shine
• Adobe unleashes 64-bit Flash
• Debian Lenny installer arrives
• Ubuntu announces ARM port
• Amazon offers Linux XOs
• Windows 7 "no threat" to netbook Linux
• Creative frees Sound Blaster driver code
• Linux, netbooks threaten Microsoft's fat profits
• Ibex inspires GNOME switch

Linux-Watch headlines:
• Mistah SCO -- he dead
• Worst security blooper ever?
• Novell offers RHEL, CentOS support
• Windows 7 no threat to netbook Linux
• Microsoft breaks HotMail for Linux users?
• Torvalds: Real quality means taking it personally
• Opinion: open source value transcends tough times
• OpenOffice 3.0 reviewed
• Shutting down idle PCs with Linux
• Linux valued at $10.9 billion

Visit the...

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.