Canonical's Landscape goes local

Canonical is introducing a version of its hosted Ubuntu system management tool that can be installed locally in a company's datacentre.

Landscape Dedicated Server, announced on Tuesday, is an addition to the company's two-year-old Landscape offering. Until now, the web-based console for Ubuntu Linux system administrators has only been available as a service hosted by Canonical.

"Landscape Dedicated Server will install in a customer's datacentre and provide all of the package management, auditing and monitoring capability of the hosted service for both physical and cloud-based Ubuntu instances," Canonical said in its announcement.

With Landscape, system administrators have a single interface where all their Ubuntu machines are registered. It allows routine tasks, such as package deployment and security updates, to be carried out automatically.

In addition, it provides graphical monitoring data on areas such as process and resource use, and flags any available security fixes.

Landscape Dedicated Server will store all system configuration, policies and profiles locally, meaning it can be used on networks with little or no access to the public internet.

The Landscape service is currently available free of charge to subscribers to Canonical's support services, or as a standalone service for $150 (£90) per node per year. Landscape Dedicated Server will be available in late September and will cost $150 per node plus server, installation and support fees, Canonical said.