Canonical has announced a new paid add-on to extend security support for Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus). The "Legacy support" package will provide an additional five years of coverage, taking the system's total support lifespan to fifteen years from its 2016 launch.
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS originally included five years of standard support. This was supplemented by a ten-year total through the Expanded Security Maintenance (ESM) component of Ubuntu Pro subscriptions, which concluded on April 30, 2026. The newly announced Legacy add-on continues security updates beyond that date.
The announcement provides a clear timeline and path forward for administrators managing systems on this aging release. For those choosing to maintain the legacy infrastructure, the option is now available for a sustained period. For others, the end of the original support timeline underscores a strategic point to plan migration to a modern Long-Term Support release, such as Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS.
Canonical's source post outlines this new add-on as a dedicated product for organizations requiring prolonged security maintenance on 16.04. The decision for administrators will involve evaluating system criticality, compliance needs, and the resources available for either continued legacy operation or a full migration to a current platform.
Canonical 宣布推出一個新的付費附加套件，以延長 Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) 的安全支持。這款「Legacy 支持」套件將提供額外五年的覆蓋範圍，使該系統自 2016 年推出以來的總支持壽命延長至十五年。
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS 最初提供五年的標準支持。此後透過 Ubuntu Pro 訂閱中的擴展安全維護 (ESM) 組件，將總支持期補充至十年，該項服務已於 2026 年 4 月 30 日結束。新宣佈的 Legacy 附加套件將在此日期之後繼續提供安全更新。
此次公告為管理該舊版本系統的管理員提供了明確的時間表和前進路徑。對於選擇維持基礎設施 legacy 運作的人員，現在有了一個可持續一段時間的選項。對於其他人，原始支持時間表的結束強調了一個戰略要點，即應計劃遷移至一個現代的長期支持版本，例如 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS 或 24.04 LTS。
Canonical 的源文將此新附加套件描述為專為需要在 16.04 上進行長期安全維護的組織而設的專用產品。管理員的決策將涉及評估系統關鍵性、合規需求，以及可用於持續 legacy 運作或全面遷移至當前平台的資源。