Recently, Canonical unveiled information about some changes which will be carried out both in its version control platform and in the next version of Ubuntu 25.10.
And it is that en Ubuntu 25.10 will replace the current time synchronization system based on systemd-timesyncd by Chrony, a more modern, precise, and secure tool. This is due to the need to offer full support for the NTS protocol, an evolution of the NTP protocol that allows cryptographically protecting the system clock synchronization.
Why is Ubuntu abandoning systemd-timesyncd?
The service systemd-timesyncd, included by default in many Ubuntu editions, has fulfilled the basic functions for years time synchronization. SHowever, it lacks support for NTS, a limitation that becomes critical in environments where system time directly affects the security of other protocols, such as TLS or DNSSEC.
A Time synchronization manipulated by an attacker could cause failures in the validation of digital certificates or allow the circumvention of time-sensitive authentication mechanisms. For this reason, Canonical has decided to migrate to a more robust solution. and widely adopted in the Linux ecosystem: Chrony.
Advantages of Chrony
Chrony is an independent implementation NTP client and server that is already used by default in distributions such as Fedora, RHEL and openSUSE. Its main advantage versus alternatives It is the full support of the NTS protocol, which provides end-to-end authentication and encryption during the synchronization process.
NTS operates through two protocols:
- NTS-KE (NTS Key Establishment): performs initial authentication using TLS.
- NTS-EF (NTS Extension Fields): ensures the encryption and integrity of NTP packets during the session.
This system It is based on PKI and uses TLS along with AEAD encryption to ensure the client communicates only with legitimate NTP servers, preventing spoofing attacks. All critical information is stored only on the client, using a secure cookie system. NTP connections are managed over TCP port 4460.
Migration details and planned changes
Chrony is now available in the repository Ubuntu main and is used by default in some editions of Ubuntu for the cloude. Canonical will formally begin the transition on June 2, 2025. This change will entail A slight increase in the size of the installation images by 803 KB due to new dependencies, such as libedit2.
To those who wish to perform the migration manually Since Ubuntu 25.04, you can do this by typing the following commands.
To install Chrony:
sudo apt-mark auto systemd-timesyncd && apt install chrony
To revert to systemd-timesyncd:
sudo apt-mark auto chrony && apt install systemd-timesyncd
Launchpad says goodbye to Bazaar and hello to Git
En In another high-impact decision, Canonical announced the end of support for the version control system Bazaar (bzr) on Launchpad, the central development platform for Ubuntu and fully aligns Launchpad with Git, the industry-dominant version control tool.
Bazaar was originally created by Canonical as the cornerstone of Launchpad. For years, it was the primary version control system on the platform. However, Its last official version was published in 2016 and since then the project has remained in a state of technical freeze. It was never fully ported to Python 3, and its relevance has decreased significantly in the face of the unstoppable growth of Git.
Since 2015, Launchpad added support for Git, which has become the default option for new projects and contributors. With a dwindling community and high maintenance costs, Canonical has decided to phase out support for Bazaar.
Breezy: Bazaar's modern heir
In 2018, a group of enthusiasts launched a fork from the original project under the name of Breezy (brz). This new tool modernized Bazaar's codebase, adding support for Python 3 and enabling partial integration with Git.
Breezy combines features of decentralized systems like Git and Mercurial with centralized control functions, similar to CVS or Subversion. Allows you to work with independent branches, collaborate on a single working copy, and download content as if it were a central repository. The latest stable version, Breezy 3.3.12, was recently released, demonstrating that the project is still active, albeit outside the official Ubuntu ecosystem.
Dates and stages of the end of Bazaar on Launchpad
Regarding the migration, Canonical announced that it will disable Bazaar in two phases:
- First stage (September 1, 2025): The web interface for browsing code in Bazaar repositories will be disabled. According to internal analysis, this feature is rarely used, and most visits come from bots.
- Second stage (date not yet confirmed): The code hosting backend will be removed, completely preventing cloning, pushing, or merging Bazaar repositories on Launchpad.
Canonical urges all Launchpad users to migrate their projects from Bazaar to Git before September 1, 2025. Failure to do so will result in losing access to the repositories, as no form of data extraction or manipulation hosted on Bazaar will be maintained after the transition is complete.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can consult the details in the following link