Will MongoDB ever support newer Ubuntu operating systems (17.04 +)?

[Eddie Jibson]

Hi,

I understand at the moment Mongo only provides packages for LTS versions, but will that ever change?

Will there be an update which will support newer operating systems like Ubuntu 17.04 and 17.10?

I understand you might be-able to install MongoDB on Ubuntu 17.04, it may not be best if it's not supported...

Thanks,

Eddie

[Stephen Steneker]

On Thursday, 18 January 2018 06:00:50 UTC+11, Eddie Jibson wrote:

I understand at the moment Mongo only provides packages for LTS versions, but will that ever change?

Hi Eddie,

In the current Ubuntu release cycle, standard (non-LTS) releases are only supported for 9 months by Canonical. For example: Ubuntu 17.04 reached End-of-Life (EOL) last week and 17.10 will reach end of life in July, 2018. Both Ubuntu 17.x releases came after MongoDB 3.4.0 and will be EOL before the MongoDB 3.4 release series is. The standard Ubuntu releases aren't great candidates for official MongoDB packaging and testing given their short lifespan.

By comparison, Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) releases are supported for five years from their initial release date. Ubuntu 14.04 will still have maintenance and security updates until April, 2019 (and Ubuntu 16.04 through April, 2021). I would strongly recommend LTS environments and official packages for production environments as you are less likely to run into novel issues or installation/upgrade challenges.

Although officially supported MongoDB packages are not available for non-LTS Ubuntu releases, you do have several options to consider:

• Download the generic "Linux 64-bit legacy" distribution from the MongoDB Download Center. Note: this distribution does not include SSL encryption and you will have to manually set up a service definition and config files. However, you will have access to the latest MongoDB server version.

• Install from a community repository (eg. Ubuntu Universe) rather than the official MongoDB repository. These repos may not have the latest releases of MongoDB available in a timely fashion and may have other configuration/install differences from the official releases, but generally use similar install paths and defaults. For example, Ubuntu Universe currently has MongoDB 3.4.7 for Ubuntu 17.10 although later MongoDB releases (3.4.10 and 3.6.2) are available for O/S distributions supported by MongoDB.

• Try to install the official MongoDB package for the most recent Ubuntu LTS release preceding your standard release (for example, 16.04 / Xenial if you are using 17.10). Packages will often still be compatible depending on what has changed between releases. This is not an officially supported/tested configuration and you may need to resolve unexpected package conflicts or compatibility issues.

Another option would be to take advantage of a remote install or managed service (for example, MongoDB Atlas). Most providers have a free or low cost tier available for development purposes.

Regards, Stennie

[Eddie Jibson]

Ok, thank-you very much for your help.

Do you reckon Ubuntu 18.04 (Which I assume will have LTS) will have official MongoDB support?

Thanks.

[Stephen Steneker]

On Friday, 19 January 2018 05:09:07 UTC+11, Eddie Jibson wrote:

Ok, thank-you very much for your help.

Do you reckon Ubuntu 18.04 (Which I assume will have LTS) will have official MongoDB support?

Hi Eddie,

Yes, I would anticipate official support for future Ubuntu LTS releases at some point after they are generally available. Exact timing will depend on infrastructure set up, testing, and MongoDB release schedules.

I would recommend using 16.04 LTS for a production environment and upgrading to 18.04 LTS when MongoDB (or other packages you depend on) are available.

Regards,

Stennie