Ubuntu 20.04 Focal End of Standard Support (29. May 2025)

[oerdnj]

On May 29 2025, Focal will reach End of Standard Support and will be available only as a paid option through Ubuntu Extended Security Maintenance.

What does it mean for DEB.SURY.ORG PPAs?

The packages for Ubuntu 20.04 will be deleted shortly after the EoL/EoSS is announced, usually at the same time as the next PHP release is published because it's not possible to build the packages any more.

The packages for Ubuntu 20.04 will be available via PHP LTS by Freexian paid program.

With the experience of Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial EOL and 18.04 Bionic EOL and just every other EOL, I can't stress enough that you should plan ahead and have your servers already upgraded by now. Yesterday was too late.

Just a forewarning - because it happens every time the distribution goes EOL, I will not discuss any requests such as:

• could you "just keep it there"
• could you "extend it by just a couple of days"
• etc...

The end-of-life for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS was announced years ago and is well known. It's also well known that this repository does not provide packages beyond the lifetime of the base distribution.

Also, if you are going to be rude, you will be blocked and banned.

[tanabem]

Dear Ondřej Surý,

Thank you for your detailed explanation regarding the support timeline for Ubuntu 20.04 packages. I greatly appreciate your efforts in maintaining the PPA and for providing clarity on how the packages will be handled after the EoL/EoSS.

I understand that the packages for Ubuntu 20.04 will not be available beyond its official support period unless through the PHP LTS by Freexian. I also acknowledge the importance of planning ahead to ensure a smooth transition.

Your straightforward approach and clear policies are very helpful, and I will ensure to align my plans accordingly.

Thank you again for your time and effort in supporting the community.

Best regards,
Minoru Tanabe.

[tomjn]

I just became aware of this with the patreon post that was just posted, that gives me 3 days to action this. Is there an official channel aside from github issues that gives more notice? Ideally a warning of deprecation at the start of April would be better. The EOL only says May so I'm assuming deletion will occur on Wednesday May 1st CEST

[oerdnj]

I just became aware of this with the patreon post that was just posted, that gives me 3 days to action this. Is there an official channel aside from github issues that gives more notice? Ideally a warning of deprecation at the start of April would be better. The EOL only says May so I'm assuming deletion will occur on Wednesday May 1st CEST

You mean you were not aware of Ubuntu 20.04 release cycle?

Or that this repository only supports Ubuntu for the standard release cycle as it is written in the FAQ: https://github.com/oerdnj/deb.sury.org/wiki/Frequently-Asked-Questions#ubuntu-1?

I'm assuming deletion will occur on Wednesday May 1st CEST

No, it will happen when Ubuntu 20.04 LTS goes from standard support to Extended Security Maintenance. This happens every two years.

[oerdnj]

Or this: https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-announce/2025-April/000310.html
or this: https://ubuntu.com/blog/ubuntu-20-04-lts-end-of-life-standard-support-is-coming-to-an-end-heres-how-to-prepare
or this: https://ubuntu.com/blog/ubuntu-20-04-eol-for-devicesional ?

[drkskwlkr]

that gives me 3 days to action this.

'Actioning' this requires you to set up a new machine (or as many as needed) with a newer version of Ubuntu and migrate your applications. The removal of the PPAs will not prevent you from doing this, neither your existing machine(s) will stop working.

Depending on your setup(s), a dist upgrade could be a viable alternative to the above. But it could also break stuff, so YMMV.

Is there an official channel aside from github issues that gives more notice?

Each Ubuntu LTS version has a 5-year lifecycle. LTS versions are released every even year in the month of April. As such, the EOL date is baked right in the release number. No need for official channels.

Also, this specific GH issue was opened in December 2024, and you should have received a notice back then the same way you received one today.

[tomjn]

I understand the knee jerk reaction is to see me as an attacker, but to get ahead of where you're coming from, I'm not trying to change your plans to delete the packages! I was aware of the policy, I know what to do, and I knew that this would happen, but I hadn't realised it was so close! That's entirely on me. It was very much a surprise as it only mentioned May which is 3 days away and I panicked. Thankfully it's the end of May :)

Also, this specific GH issue was opened in December 2024, and you should have received a notice back then the same way you received one today.

I didn't, I came here from a Patreon update that arrived in my personal inbox, GitHub sends a huge quantity of notifications and I have this repository set to only notify on participating and mentions. I don't want to be notified of feature requests or pull requests. December 14th was the day I went on holiday for the christmas break, it was a long time ago.

[tomjn]

I'll also note I'm a hobbyist so I don't follow the ubuntu mailing lists or blog ( so much AI nonsense and upsells as well ). For now I'm testing out a GH action to notify of Ubuntu EOL so this isn't an issue for Ubuntu 22/24 EOL:

Details

name: EOL Checks
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - develop
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - develop
      - stable
  schedule:
   - cron: '0 10 * * *'
    
jobs:
  build:
    name: Ubuntu EOL check
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Ubuntu and Ondrej PHP packages End-of-Life
        uses: sindrel/endoflife-github-action@v1.0.0
        with:
          product: ubuntu
          version: 20.04 # Update once transitioned to 24
          fail_on_eol: true
          fail_days_left: 90

Re: Patreon post timing, I found the Ubuntu 18 bionic retirement post in February was a good time cadence.

[oerdnj]

This was just a courtesy message, not something I should be doing. Everyone is expected to follow the respective EOL times for the distributions. The rules are simple and clear. Debian LTS (not ELTS) and Ubuntu LTS for the standard support period. Even hobbyist should properly maintain their systems - and even better - as a hobbyist you should follow the latest LTS regularly when those are released and not wait for the last possible moment and then suddenly panic.

[oerdnj]

I'll also note I'm a hobbyist so I don't follow the ubuntu mailing lists or blog ( so much AI nonsense and upsells as well ).

The ubuntu-announce mailing list is extremely low volume, so this is really a poor excuse.

[oerdnj]

And done.