Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition, only the second Ubuntu release aimed at servers, will be available for free download on Thursday, and features performance, stability and security improvements, according to Canonical.

The company said Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition, which comes with five years of maintenance and support, is designed for both enterprises and application makers who need a stable platform to plan around.

“Ubuntu 8.04 LTS is at the centre of a growing ecosystem of applications that serve businesses of all sizes extremely well,” said Canonical chief operating officer Jane Silber, in a statement.

The server includes more network-infrastructure applications than the previous edition, 6.06 LTS, including authentication tool FreeRadius, monitoring tool Munin, VPN tool OpenVPN and backup tool Bacula, Canonical said.

The kernel has been additionally hardened, and AppArmor policies have been integrated. The server integrates host firewalling, features additional storage technologies, including iSCSI and DRDB, and includes more than 500 maintained and supported server packages, according to Canonical.

The new version adds the KVM virtualization technology, and kernel improvements mean the server uses resources more efficiently when under virtualization, Canonical said. The system integrates with Microsoft’s Active Directory, via technology from Likewise Open, and is the first distribution to optionally include Sun’s OpenJDK Java development kit, the company said.

Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition is the fourth server release from Canonical. It comes with five years of security updates and maintenance. Among the new and updated features available with the LTS release are:

Solid Foundation

• Expanded range of network infrastructure applications including authentication (FreeRadius), monitoring (Munin), VPN (OpenVPN) and backup (Bacula).
• Enhanced security with integrated AppArmor policies and increased kernel hardening.
• Increased range of storage capabilities including iSCSI and DRBD.
• Over 500 maintained and supported server packages, together with access to more than 20,000 additional components built for 8.04 LTS.
• Integrated host firewalling to protect Internet facing servers.
• Fully upgradable from the previous 6.06 LTS release.

Extensive Ecosystem

• Active Directory integration as standard, provided by LikeWise Open.
• Ubuntu is the first distribution to include Open JDK from Sun as an option.
• Certified applications for Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition from Alfresco, Bacula, IBM, VMWare, Parallels, Qumranet, Tresys, Zarafa, Zend, Zimbra and more.

Virtual Platform of Choice

• Addition of KVM for hosting virtualisation of applications and operating systems.
• Significant kernel improvements to optimise resources use when under virtualisation.
• Ubuntu JeOS enhanced to optimise virtual appliances and ready to run in VMWare or KVM environments on any system.

Pricing, Availability and Technical Information

• Extensive information on Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition can be found at www.ubuntu.com/server.
• On Thursday, Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition will be available for download from www.ubuntu.com/download