Ubuntu Advantage Tools [solved]

[lewtwo]

I just did an update to a computer with Linux Mint 18.3 Sylvia 64-bit, MATE 1.18.0.
That update included something called: Ubuntu Advantage Tools

....
Setting up ubuntu-advantage-tools (10ubuntu0.16.04.1) ...
Setting up ubuntu-minimal (1.361.2) ...
Setting up apt-transport-https (1.2.29) ...
Setting up friendly-recovery (0.2.31ubuntu2) ...
Generating grub configuration file ...
Warning: Setting GRUB_TIMEOUT to a non-zero value when GRUB_HIDDEN_TIMEOUT is set is no longer supported.
...

I thought Ubuntu Advantage was supposed to be Canonical's commercial support package ?????

[trytip]

you can remove the first three. i don't have them installed

[ajgringo619]

you can remove the first three. i don't have them installed

I had the Ubuntu packages on my system. Any idea how they got there?

[Pierre]

what did you install, once the original LinuxMint system was working ?.

you've installed some program that was not in the LiniuxMint repository,
and via some PPA ? ?. maybe. .. what was that ?.

[ajgringo619]

It could be anything. I'm thinking it's because I always install the recommended packages that maybe it got added. As a test, I removed ubuntu-advantage-tools and ubuntu-minimal came with it.

[smurphos]

It's pre-installed in Cinnamon 19. Probably because ubuntu-minimal is a meta-package that draws in a number of basic packages needed for Ubuntu and Mint and some that probably aren't really needed.

[gm10]

I had the Ubuntu packages on my system. Any idea how they got there?

ubuntu-minimal is part of the Linux Mint 18.3 installation and ubuntu-advantage-tools is installed as a dependency of ubuntu-minimal. In other words, both are legit.

[trytip]

today i started mint 17.3 mate and check for updates ubuntu-minimal was the only package available in upgrades but it wanted to install ubuntu-advantage-tools
i canceled the upgrade and marked ubuntu-minimal to be removed.

[Moem]

anyone reading this should do the same or check that you don't have these packages installed

Why? Because you don't want them?

[trytip]

anyone reading this should do the same or check that you don't have these packages installed

Why? Because you don't want them?

why do i need them? mint 17.3 was fine without the advantage of Canonical, why now it's mandatory?

[Moem]

I'm not saying that you need them. I'm asking why now all of a sudden everyone 'should' get rid of them.

[trytip]

I'm not saying that you need them. I'm asking why now all of a sudden everyone 'should' get rid of them.

and i'm genuinely asking why do i need them? isn't the advantage tools for businesses with ubuntu servers? does mint need it?

[gm10]

The ubuntu-advantage-tools scripts don't hurt anybody, there is no reason to remove them. They are needed for Ubuntu Advantage customers and as a hard dependency of ubuntu-minimal its removal may hurt you down the line because that meta package is expected to be installed on all Ubuntu systems and thus future system updates may rely on dependencies installed by it.

Therefore I advise against removing this package.

What you can do if you're not an Ubuntu Advantage customer and are not planning to become one, is to remove the daily cron job. It does nothing if it doesn't find a subscription, anyway, but if you feel like removing something that's the part you can safely remove:

Code: Select all

sudo rm -v /etc/cron.daily/ubuntu-advantage-tools

[lewtwo]

why do i need them? mint 17.3 was fine without the advantage of Canonical, why now it's mandatory?

I could be wrong (it happened once before) but Linux Mint is based (aka dependent) on Canonical's Ubuntu.

Having said that there might be some question as to these proprietary Canonical Advantage programs being "open source".
So I actually went looking for the source files. What I found under /ubuntu-advantage-script/debian/source was merely a description file.
I did find a set of script files that seem to have something to do with "Canonical Livepatch Service":
https://github.com/CanonicalLtd/ubuntu-advantage-script

Turns out that is a "free" service for up to three(3) machines with a Ubuntu One account.
https://www.ubuntu.com/livepatch

... clear as mud.

P.S.
I did not intend to start any kind of controversy with my original question.

[trytip]

you're not causing and controversies it's just a discussion and any user can draw their own conclusion and do as they please with their computer.
i didn't need it a week ago when it wasn't a dependency for my system and i won't need it 2 years from now. i'm quite sure that if a user does need some ubuntu advantage tools, they should be capable enough to know how to get it working.

[Moem]

any user can draw their own conclusion and do as they please with their computer.

Sounds good to me. A whole lot better than "anyone reading this should do the same or check that you don't have these packages installed".

[altair4]

When you go into Software and Updates in Ubuntu 18.04 you will see a reference to LivePatch which ubuntu-advantage enables:

LivePatch.png

Login with your Ubuntu Single-Sign-On account and you too can update your kernel without a reboot.

See ... it's an advantage .. you know ... to using Ubuntu ... get it?

[lewtwo]

I think we covered the issue. I am going to add [solved] at the end of the original subject header.

Thanks to all.

[Acetone]

The issue you pointed out was Mint pushing ubuntu-advantage-tools to you, which you don't want.
You marked the issue solved but I fail to understand how you solved it. Shall you explain what you did?

I'm having the very same issue: updating ubuntu-meta pushes ubuntu-advantage-tools (which I do not want) and so far the only solution I have is to blacklist ubuntu-meta in Update Manager.

[lewtwo]

My problems were:
1) I did not know what it was
2) Did not want something that I might eventually have to pay for
3) Was not open source

I have a better understanding of what it is although I probably do not need it and will likely never use it.
It is not something that I will ever have to pay for because I have an UbuntuOne account that I never use ... of course Canonical could change their policy and it would become an issue at that time.
It seems that all that is really part of the package is a set of scripts to hook into "Canonical Livepatch Service". Those script files are published.

So my issues are solved.
Yours may not be.

cheers